Weight loss is the initial goal for most people when they start their health journey, but once you reach a healthy weight again, you can start working towards other goals. Some people want to build muscle mass and strength and get big, but that isn’t for everybody. A lot of people find that even though they’ve lost the weight, they’re still not quite happy with their body because they just want to tone up a little bit more. Toning muscles so they look a bit tighter is often harder than losing the weight in the first place, and a lot of people struggle with this final step. That’s usually because they’re doing the wrong kinds of exercise and they continue doing the same things that they were when trying to lose weight, which isn’t going to work. If you want to tone your muscles, you should try some of these great exercises!
Yoga
Yoga is such a great addition to anybody’s exercise routine for a few reasons. Firstly, it improves flexibility and stretches your muscles to stop them from getting tight and sore, which is very important if you’re working out a lot. Secondly, it’s a great way to reduce stress and improve wellness, so it can massively improve your mental health. Finally, it’s a great way to tone your muscles. People that haven’t tried yoga often underestimate how difficult it can be, and there are a lot of more advanced poses that use your own bodyweight to tone muscles. Doing ten minutes of yoga in the morning or the evening before you go to bed can really help to tone your body and improve your flexibility.
Martial Arts
Martial arts is another great workout activity that is ideal for sculpting your muscles. It’s a great cardio workout, but a lot of it is about control, which engages your muscles. You’ll be using your entire body, which means you will get a good all-around muscle toning workout with every session. There are some great shaolin kung fu training schools that cater to people of all abilities so don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner. If you want to tone muscles and build a bit of strength, while maintaining your target weight, martial arts is one of the best activities.
Swimming
Swimming is one of the best sports, regardless of what your fitness goals are, because it’s such a good overall workout. It’s a great cardio activity that is low impact, so it’s ideal for people that are recovering from injury (or also people who hate the gym, like me!). But it’s particularly good if you’re trying to tone muscle because you’re engaging all of your muscles at once, and the resistance from the water is good for toning.
Cycling
If you are particularly focused on toning your legs, cycling is a great way to do it. You’ll be using your quads and calves a lot, so they’ll tone up very quickly. You also engage your core a lot when you cycle, so you can tone your stomach muscles as well. Cycling is another great low impact option if you’re trying to recover from an injury or you want to take a rest day from more intensive activity.
All in all, if you want to tone your muscles rather than build them, these are some of the best exercises to do!
•How do you tone your muscles? What has worked best for you?
This post is a collaboration.