The Reason Why You’re Not Getting Toned

Many people strive for a strong and toned body but aren’t seeing results. If this is the case for you, it might be time to change up your fitness regimen.

Achieving a toned body involves more than just simply working out. You need to focus on increasing endurance and intensity, improving flexibility and balance, and most importantly, building muscle. Let’s find out the real reason why you’re not getting toned.

Building muscle is a crucial factor. “When we put that stress on our muscles, they adapt and grow bigger, and reveal themselves on your body leaving you toned,” says Ben Boudro, owner of Xceleration Fitness. It might sound simple, however even the most frequent “gymmers” don’t effectively work out their muscles. Here’s some mistakes you could be making too.

Trying to do it by yourself. We’ve all done it before. Many people make the mistake of starting a new exercise routine or just hitting the gym without any guidance. It’s important to have direction. Try working with a professional. A professional might be the help you need and give you extra insight according to your body type. You could join a boot camp, HIIT sessions, transformation challenges, yoga, personal trainer, etc. “Having someone coach you and lay out your work for you will keep you accountable, ensure you work harder and more consistently, and allow you to start seeing actual results,” says Boudro. type.

 Not changing it up. When working out, try increasing and decreasing the tempo of your exercise. Fast, medium, or slow, each speed will give your muscles a unique set of benefits. In addition, try changing up your reps. Mix in low and heavy reps with high and fast reps. That way you’re hitting both type I and type II fibers!

Not enough protein. Cutting calories may not be the best way to get in shape. Instead, focus on your protein intake. “Your muscles recover by using amino acids to help repair and build the muscle to be stronger that it was before,” says Boudro. Without sufficient protein, our muscles wouldn’t be able to adapt and grow.

Not enough time and intensity. Increase the amount of time you’re putting into your workouts if you feel like you’re barely breaking a sweat. The same goes for the intensity levels. The exercise should feel just as difficult to you as it does your muscles. No pain no gain right?

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Not drinking enough water. Dehydration can lead to multiple damaging causes such as fatigue, a slow metabolism, and unhealthy cravings. In addition, your muscles wouldn’t be able to recover from a workout or effectively burn fat without enough water in your system. Chris Ryan, Founder of Chris Ryan Fitness, recommends to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily.

Lack of rest. Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental to your physical, mental, and emotional health. Giving your body enough time to rest allows your muscles to recover and strengthen over time.

(Source: Women’s Health)