Muscle Tone and Strength Training

Hello again and happy Friday!

I have been wanting to speak about this topic for a while now. I thought I would make a video for YouTube (and I still might) but it makes more sense to type about it because I am going to rant :)

SO MANY WOMEN (me included) say “I want to look toned” or “I want to get toned” but what does that even mean? Most women mean they want to be strong and look lean. This means changing your body composition by increasing muscle and losing fat. This can be done by changing your diet or changing your exercise routine (and is most effective if you do both!)

This is where people start to run into some trouble. Because which is better for achieving this goal? Is it cardio, HIIT, Pilates, or weight lifting? I am here to tell you that all of these modes of exercise have a place and purpose. At the end of the day, finding an exercise activity that you enjoy is most important because if you don’t like it then you aren’t going to stick to it!

That being said, in order to increase muscle tone and feel stronger you will need to build muscle and they way to do so is through RESISTANCE TRAINING. Basically this means adding some form of resistance whether that is resistance bands, weights, or using a Pilates reformer. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn at rest.

Cardiovascular exercise aka “cardio” includes running, swimming, walking, elliptical etc. These forms of exercise are considered endurance exercise and they are really good as burning calories as you are working. The bad news is, they will not make your muscles stronger. They will however make your muscles better at performing whatever mode of cardio you choose for a longer period of time. In addition, cardio is very good for your heart health. The other bad news is many people injure themselves doing cardio because they are either not strong enough to run, swim, etc. OR do too much too quickly.

Cross training (using more than one mode of exercise) is great because it gives your body a break. Rest days are important more this same reason. Making sure to eat properly to fuel your body for the type of exercise you chose AND recover from is VERY important too! Check out my blog post about protein and macronutrients to learn more about how much protein you really need!

My advise for starting any new exercise routine is 1. make sure your doctor has cleared you for physical activity 2. fuel yourself properly with food and water 3. make sure you properly warm up and cool down and 4. start slow and gradually increase the intensity of your workout over a few weeks. This is a long-term change so make sure it realistically fits into your lifestyle and you don’t go too hard too fast. If you need help, I am always right here to guide you.

xoxo,

J