Buzz
In a few weeks, you'll be attending a family gathering, right? Do you want to get your body toned before summer? Looking to firm up quickly? To achieve a fit and healthy body, you'll need to balance full-body exercises with a healthy diet. With effective training and dietary control, you can lose 0.5-1kg each week. If done correctly, you may notice results after a month, but most people see changes after 6-8 weeks.
Steps
Build Muscle
Be consistent with daily movement to prepare for the toning process. Before starting to tone your body, you need to have a basic level of fitness. If you dive into high-intensity exercises too soon, you're likely to get overwhelmed or injured. Build endurance by staying active throughout your daily routine—avoid sitting or lying down too much.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. Stand instead of sitting while using your computer or studying. Walk instead of driving for distances of 1-2 kilometers. Walk or jog to relax instead of watching TV. There are many ways to stay active daily without hitting the gym.
Start with basic exercises to build endurance. Initially, focus on basic toning exercises. These will help you improve your stamina and get in better shape for more advanced body-toning workouts.
- Try activities like jogging, cycling, or swimming. These exercises don't require a gym or equipment and are low-cost or free.
- Perform these basic exercises for 3 hours daily during the first 1-2 weeks.
The ‘Monkey Arms’ Exercise. The ‘Monkey Arms’ exercise is excellent for your arms and upper body. You’ll need a dumbbell in each hand to perform this exercise. Start by holding the dumbbells close to your armpits, with your elbows pointing outward. Then, extend your arms out horizontally to shoulder level, and bring your elbows back to your sides, repeating the movement.
- If you don’t have dumbbells, you can use water bottles or any other heavy object.
- Combine this exercise with squats or lunges for a full-body workout.
Plank Exercise. The plank is a high-impact exercise that significantly increases core and leg strength in a shorter time than most other exercises. Start in a push-up position. Lower your body, but instead of using your hands to support your weight, rest on your forearms. Hold the position as long as you can, keeping your back and legs as straight as possible.
- Try to hold the position for as long as you can. To hold it for a minute or longer, you’ll need a very strong core. Start with holding for 10 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat for about 10 minutes. Gradually increase your holding time to 30 seconds or a minute.
Burpees. Burpees might seem complicated, but they’re actually easy to perform once you’re familiar with the moves. It’s also one of the best full-body exercises. Start by standing with your feet apart. Place your hands on the floor in front of your feet, jump your legs back into a push-up position, and do a push-up. Then, jump your legs back toward your hands and jump up, reaching your arms overhead. Repeat for at least 10 minutes.
- You can skip the push-up or jump, but both steps really enhance the exercise's effectiveness, so it’s better not to skip them.
Rolling Legs on a Ball. After one or two weeks of regular exercise, you can start incorporating slightly heavier workouts. This exercise requires a workout ball, but it’s a highly effective full-body workout. Start in a push-up position, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on the ball. Pull your hips forward so your buttocks rise, and roll the ball forward until it touches your toes. Then, roll it back to your hips, keeping your torso straight and your legs at an incline, so your body forms an inverted ‘V’ shape.
- Exercise balls are relatively inexpensive, and you can find one at a toy store for around 200,000 VND or less.
Squat Exercise. Squats are beneficial for your core and leg muscles, and can even help develop your arm muscles if you hold dumbbells while performing them. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, then lower your body as though you're about to sit on an invisible chair. To perform a proper squat, keep your back straight.
- If you're new to squats, you can hold onto a chair or table to help with balance.
Don't expect to lose fat from a specific area. No exercise targets fat loss from specific parts of the body. While certain exercises can help build specific muscles, if you're looking to tone up quickly, it's best to focus on full-body exercises like those recommended above. Focusing too much on one area with exercises (such as weight lifting) will lead to muscle growth in that area, rather than just sculpting the targeted muscles.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
Balance your food portions with your level of activity. To achieve a toned body, the first step is to burn excess fat in a healthy way. Regardless of your body weight, consuming an amount of food appropriate for your activity level is a healthy choice. Consult with a doctor to determine the calorie intake that matches your body weight, age, and activity level. You don’t need to count calories, but it’s helpful to follow the daily recommended amounts to know how much to eat. You may be eating too much, but also avoid eating too little.
- For most people, the body starts burning fat when the calories burned (a form of energy) exceed the calories consumed. If your body needs to burn fat to get toned, you should consume slightly fewer calories than your body needs. However, don’t make drastic changes. Eating too little will signal to your body that there’s a food shortage, prompting it to store more fat.
- For example, a 16-year-old girl weighing 55kg and exercising once a week would need about 1800 calories a day to maintain her weight. If she wants to lose weight, she should reduce her calorie intake to 1300-1350.
Michele Dolan
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Personal Trainer
Michele Dolan, a personal trainer, advises: "To build muscle, your body needs a diet that provides at least 20% of its calories from protein."
Avoid unhealthy foods. To burn fat while also taking care of your overall health, you should avoid foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients. These are often the foods we love but can lead to overeating.
- Generally, you should steer clear of unhealthy fats (trans fats), sugars, and carbs with little nutritional value. These include items like butter, chips, processed foods, candy, pizza, mayonnaise, soda, processed meats, and white bread.
- Be cautious with certain "healthy" foods as well. For example, smoothies often contain a lot of sugar. Even some so-called healthy juices from popular brands can be packed with sugar. If you want a smoothie, opt for one with no added sugar, mainly made from green vegetable juice, soy, or almond milk. The fruit content should be minimal.
Focus on nutrient-rich foods. Instead of eating unhealthy foods, you should consume a variety of nutrient-dense foods. Vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can provide all the nutrients you need, although certain fruits and dairy products can also be beneficial.
- Healthy greens include: kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, broccoli, spinach, young soybeans, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and peas.
- Healthy grains include: brown rice, oats, quinoa, bulgur wheat, buckwheat, and barley.
- Healthy proteins include: lean protein from salmon, turkey, anchovies, sardines, soybeans (and soy products), almonds, walnuts, eggs, and lentils.
- Healthy fruits include: lemons, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, and pears.
- Healthy dairy products include: fresh cheese, low-fat yogurt, and milk.
Drink plenty of water and avoid unhealthy beverages. Your body needs water to function, but it's even more crucial for muscle development during workouts. If you're not currently getting enough water, drinking enough can actually help with weight loss. Avoid coffee, energy drinks, soda, and juice, and replace them with plain water to keep your body hydrated and healthy.
- The amount of water you need depends on your body. The recommendation of 8 cups a day is just an estimate. The general rule is that if your urine is light yellow or clear, you're properly hydrated. If your urine is dark yellow or amber, you need more water.
- You should maintain electrolytes while exercising, but don't just drink sports drinks like Gatorade. Electrolytes are essentially "salts" mixed with water. For example, almost any element from the first and second groups of the periodic table (like Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium) becomes an electrolyte when mixed with water. These elements are found in table salt (sodium chloride), bananas (potassium), and mineral-rich vegetables like kale. Eating bananas and salted nuts while drinking plenty of water is a healthy way to maintain electrolyte balance while avoiding artificial colorings or sweeteners.
Don't fall for unscientific diets. You see many ads online and in magazines claiming that a certain diet will make you look like celebrity X in just a few weeks. However, these diets are unrealistic and often dangerous. Starving your body is definitely not a good choice. While it’s true that you need to eat less than usual, you still need to eat. You should also avoid diets that completely eliminate certain food groups, like the Atkins diet. Your body needs a variety of nutrients, and a balanced diet is key to maintaining good health.
- You need to eat at least 1,200 calories a day. Never eat less than 1,000 calories a day, as this significantly increases the risk of complications like gallstones.
Build a consistent workout habit
Schedule progressively harder workouts over time. Be mindful of how you plan your workouts and consider the strain your body will endure. For example, overtraining too quickly, working out excessively, or focusing solely on leg exercises can lead to injury. Start slow to minimize the risk of injury, especially if you're not in top shape. Take rest periods between exercises, and never push yourself to work out intensely for more than two continuous hours. Rotate muscle groups like legs, arms, and core. Adjusting your workout pace in this way will help prevent overloading.
- For instance, you could start your morning with a 10-minute "monkey arm" exercise, followed by push-ups, jumping jacks, and burpees. In the afternoon, aim to climb stairs for 30 minutes, then swim for an hour after school.
- Another workout example might include: biking 30 minutes to school, attending a daily extracurricular fitness class, and finishing off with a 30-minute light cardio session before doing homework.
- Try to fit in about 30-60 minutes of light cardio every day, like walking or cycling. You can schedule a few heavier workout sessions throughout the week.
Dedicate time every day for exercise and proper nutrition. You can overcome lazy thoughts by scheduling your workouts and sticking to them until they become habits. Just like you allocate a few minutes each day to brush your teeth, set aside time for a healthy breakfast and exercise. Once you commit to your routine, it will naturally become part of your daily life.
- For example, you could add 30 minutes to your pre-bedtime routine. Before heading to the bathroom and brushing your teeth, spend half an hour exercising, such as jumping rope.
- Reward yourself for reaching time-based goals. For instance, after completing a week's worth of workouts, invite a friend to go see a movie. You can also use food as a reward, like having one cookie (buy a delicious one from a store to ensure you only have one). This helps avoid feelings of deprivation. Some apps can assist in tracking your time-based goals, such as Pact, which rewards and penalizes based on your performance.
View physical activity as a part of your life. You can choose a sport or activity that becomes a daily part of your lifestyle. This is common among athletes like rock climbers, who will at least go to the gym once a week and climb on weekends, or runners who often jog early in the mornings.
- If you're passionate about martial arts, consider enrolling in a judo class. Find a local judo school and practice there every day.
- Local community centers or fitness clubs often offer more affordable classes than specialized martial arts gyms. They may even provide scholarships for free classes if you qualify.
Maintain your motivation. The key factor to keeping a healthy weight and achieving a toned body is patience in following your diet and exercise plan, so there's no need to rely on extreme diets or secret foods to get fit. What really matters is finding a way to keep your motivation up. You need to discover what drives you to exercise and eat well every day. There are many ways to do this. For example, you could:
- Do workouts and eat foods you enjoy. Exercises that you find fun and meals that are satisfying will make a huge difference in your motivation. Therefore, pick exercises you enjoy, even if they don't bring the highest efficiency. The important thing is that you can stick to them over time.
- Exercise with others. Go for a relaxed jog or take a yoga class with your mom at the local fitness club. Working out with others helps build accountability, making it harder to skip a session on days when you feel lazy or uninspired.
Focus on long-term solutions. During summer, you may be eager to look great in a bikini for a beach day. However, it's important to remember that quick fixes for a toned body aren't sustainable. Without making significant lifestyle changes, you will gain weight again and lose that toned appearance once you stop working out. Constant weight fluctuations can lead to serious health risks such as diabetes, heart disease, and hormone imbalances. It's best to set long-term solutions and goals, focusing not only on outward appearance but overall well-being.
Advice
- Running with your dog is not only enjoyable but also beneficial for both you and your pet.
- Consume protein, but don't overdo it. Good sources of protein include fish, eggs, poultry, and nuts.
- If you don't see results after a month, keep going. A month is usually when results start to show, but most people only notice significant changes after two months.
- Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated can reduce muscle stiffness and help your muscles develop faster.
- Don’t measure success just by weight loss, as muscle weighs more than fat.
- Avoid eating before working out; eating too close to exercise can cause cramps and severe stomach pain.
- Switch up your workouts regularly to avoid boredom.
- Maintain a balanced diet.
- If you're new to running, don’t push yourself too hard. Running too fast will tire you out quickly.
- Stick to your plan, as it's the only way to reach your goals.
- Adjust your workout if it feels too easy or too hard. If it's too intense, you risk injury, and if it’s too easy, it won't produce results.
- Exercise with friends. Working out together makes the session more lively and enjoyable.
Warnings
- Exercise is most effective for weight loss when combined with a healthy, balanced diet.
- Warm up and cool down properly.
- Stretch before you exercise.
- Work out smart. Start slow to allow your body to adjust to the exercise routine.
- If you feel dizzy, short of breath, or exhausted, seek medical help immediately.
- Don’t overexert yourself.
