Toning your body and getting results with exercise
Published: 11 May 2015
The combination of weight training, aerobic exercise and healthy eating habits have shown to be the most effective for fat loss and toning. Toning is simply the simultaneous decrease of fat and restoration of muscle. Every year after the age of 25, the average person gains kilograms of body weight yet loses muscle strength. Consequently, our resting metabolism decreases. Proper exercise and healthy eating habits can reverse this process.
While aerobic exercise burns fat during exercise, anaerobic exercises, like weight training or high intervals, utilise fat hours after exercise. Weight training can also increase the metabolic rate another way... it restores muscle tissue that had been lost over the years from a sedentary lifestyle, therefore improving the aesthetics of the body by accentuating its curves and shape. Another bonus is that increased muscle means your body is more effective in burning calories.
Weight training that uses large muscle groups (Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Chest and Back exercises) with progressively greater resistance have the most potential for restoring lean body weight and raising the metabolism hours after exercise. It is important to note that when beginning an exercise program, muscle mass increases may initially out pace fat loss, resulting in a very small temporary weight gain on the scales. But as long as the exercises are consistent, over time more significant fat loss can occur. Dietary improvements also need to occur to gain the best results.
Life Care Active Personal Training, Small Group PT and Strength for Life Classes are a great way to help you identify the health and fitness strategies that will work best for you.
Avril Bradley-Holmes
Personal Trainer & Therapy Assistant
