How to Get a Nice Body

Co-authored by Monica Morris and Nihal Shetty

Last Updated: September 4, 2022 References

Want to build a body with the look of your dreams, but not sure where to start? Everyone has their own vision of what a nice body looks like, and that’s okay. But no matter what you want to look like, keeping your body healthy, fit, and strong is an important part of living well. If you want to get an awesome body fast that’ll impress others (and yourself!), we’re here to show you how. We’ll walk you through exercising, eating right, and cultivating healthy living habits so you can get the body of your dreams as fast as possible.

1

Do cardio for at least 150 minutes a week.

Aerobic activity burns fat and gives you an athletic appearance. Cardio is an essential part of a healthy body and working towards a nicer body. Through cardio, you’ll gain endurance and energy, making your body feel and look more active. Over time, it can also be both fun and relaxing. Steady-state cardio might look like a 30-60 minute jog or light-to-medium intensity work on a stair or rowing machine.^{[1]
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- Cardio supports healthy weight goals, improves blood pressure and blood sugar, decreases your risk for heart disease and stroke, improves sleeping habits, and elevates your mood.^{[2]
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  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- Your 150 minutes of aerobic activity might look like walking briskly, an easy bike ride, or just spending time cleaning the house.^{[3]
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2

Practice strength training 2-3 days a week.

Strength training gets you a lean, powerful build. Strength or resistance training with weights isn’t just for bodybuilders: it strengthens your muscles and increases your metabolism, letting you burn more calories at rest. Although hitting the weights can feel intimidating, you’ll get the hang of it soon, and can tone, tighten, and define your muscles.^{[4]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- It's typically recommended to do anywhere from 2-3 days of strength training each week. Do exercises that workout each major muscle group in your body, like your arms, legs, core, and back.^{[5]
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  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- Try doing bicep curls to target your arms.
- Perform weighted squats to work your legs and glutes.
- Try renegade rows to strengthen your core and abs.

3

Do bodyweight exercises when you can’t hit the gym.

Bodyweight exercises sculpt your body without requiring fancy equipment. To meet your 2-3 time a week strength training guideline, you never have to leave the house. Some of the best exercises you can do to get a toned or shredded body fast can be done with just your own body weight. By increasing the amount of repetitions you do for each exercise, you build up greater strength. Get into the habit of doing some of these extremely effective exercises a few times a week, especially when you can’t make it to the gym:^{[6]
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- Doing push ups, which work out your chest, shoulders, and arms.
- Performing squats, strengthening your glutes and the rest of your lower body.
- Doing pullups, which work out your back and the rest of your body.
- Performing crunches, which are a great ab workout.
- Holding a plank, which builds your core strength.

4

Vary your exercise routine with HIIT workouts.

HIIT workouts keep your body transformation journey exciting. HIIT workouts, or high-intensity interval training, have become praised as an especially efficient workout. They’re best done in combination with traditional cardio and strength training. HIIT workouts are interval training exercises that alternate between very high-intensity exercises and moderate-intensity exercises, strengthening muscles and burning fat.^{[7]
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- These types of workouts burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time, especially calories from fat, and have been shown to keep your metabolism raised long after the workout was completed.^{[8]
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- Although HIIT workout classes are popular, you can also do HIIT at home.

5

Stay motivated by taking a fitness class.

Fitness classes let you push yourself harder and get results faster. Studies have shown that people who take fitness classes tend to see better results that individuals who work out exclusively by themselves. Taking a fitness class—whether it’s yoga, pilates, boxing, or circuit training—can introduce you to exercises that are new to you, which keeps things exciting and stimulates your muscles in a new way.^{[9]
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- Your local gym likely has fitness classes on offer, but you can also take a class at a fitness studio. There are normally great deals for new members, so you can try out your new class before spending too much money on it.

6

Take a rest day at least once a week.

Rest days are crucial if you want to see any progress. If you want your hard work in the gym to pay off, you’ll need to give your muscles a chance to relax and recover. It’s during this recovery time that your muscles will become stronger after a workout. You can either take a complete rest day, which means no exercise at all, or an active rest day, which might include a light jog or some stretching.^{[10]
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- The amount of rest days you should take depends on your training regimen. If you’re looking to bulk up with big muscles, you’ll probably need to take more rest days each week to give your muscles time to grow.

7

Eat a balanced and nutritious diet.

Your diet is the foundation that keeps you healthy and strong. Maintain a balanced diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and protein sources like fish, poultry, beans, eggs, and nuts. This sort of diet gives you an excellent balance of food types that will keep you well-energized, healthy, and strong. Best of all, this kind of food lends itself to all kinds of tasty meals.^{[11]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- While you don’t need to avoid them completely, processed foods like pastries, candy, processed meats, and chips tend to get in the way of your body goals.^{[12]
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  National Health Service (UK)
  Public healthcare system of the UK
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- If you’re trying to build muscle, be sure that you’re getting plenty of lean protein from sources like chicken, eggs, fish, or tofu.^{[13]
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8

Drink plenty of fluids each day.

Staying hydrated keeps you looking younger and healthier. Drinking fluids is a key component of helping your body run at its best. Additionally, your body may confuse thirst with hunger, so keeping hydrated can actually make it easier for you to lose weight. Drinking more water is an easy way to improve your appearance.^{[14]
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Mayo Clinic
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- Most health professionals recommend consuming at least 8 glasses of water daily.^{[15]
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  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
- Stick to clear, no-calorie fluids. If you’re looking for more flavor than regular water, try adding a slice of fruit to a glass of water for a refreshing drink. Unsweetened tea is also a great option.

9

Keep track of your calories.

Your calorie intake determines your weight. As part of your journey to getting a nicer body, you may decide to gain or lose weight. Weight gain and loss are based on how many calories you consume—although you can have a nice body at any weight, if your goals include getting bigger or smaller, try keeping track of your calories in a journal or app. You can find out how many calories you need to maintain your weight with an online calorie calculator.^{[16]
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American Heart Association
Leading nonprofit that funds medical research and public education
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- Underweight individuals are at increased risk for infection, osteoporosis, hair loss, and loss of lean muscle mass.^{[17]
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  National Health Service (UK)
  Public healthcare system of the UK
  Go to source} Being overweight can lead to increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.^{[18]
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  US Office on Women's Health
  U.S. government agency providing resources for women's health
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- Obsessing over the number of calories you take in can hurt your mental health—if you feel like you’re constantly thinking about calories, take a break from counting them, and just focus on eating nutritious food.^{[19]
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10

Sleep 7-9 hours every night.

Being well-rested keeps you attractive and strong. Sleep is an essential restorative process for your body. It's the key to good health and maintaining your body. Without enough sleep, you'll have several physical side effects, like difficulty concentrating, increased hunger, and mental fogginess. These side effects may make it harder to stick to your diet or exercise plan.^{[20]
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- In addition, you might notice you have dark circles or bags underneath your eyes or just look tired and fatigued. This won't fit in with your goal to have a great-looking body.
- If you're struggling to sleep, shut off all the lights and anything that makes distracting sounds. An eye mask or earbuds might be helpful.

11

Quit smoking and limit your alcohol consumption.

Avoiding nicotine and excessive alcohol use makes you look and feel better. Both smoking (or other forms of tobacco use) and alcohol can cause a variety of side effects including damaging healthy skin and teeth. While no amount of smoking is okay for your health, men can drink up to 2 alcoholic drinks a day, and women can drink 1. ^{[21]
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- Smoking is known to cause a variety of adverse health problems (including cancer), but some more visible effects include wrinkly skin, yellow teeth, tooth decay, and gum disease.
- Continued alcohol use can lead to a variety of mouth problems including loose teeth. It can also cause issues with your skin.^{[22]
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12

Keep yourself stress-free and relaxed.

Taking time to destress keeps your body healthy. Chronic stress is never a good thing. If you do not manage stress, you may start to notice some physical symptoms which may work against your desire for a nicer body. For example, you could get itchy red rashes, break out in hives, acne, or experience mild hair loss.^{[23]
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- In addition, stress may lead to overeating or craving higher calorie "comfort foods." This can work against your fitness goals.
- Try to destress and relax by listening to music, reading a book, going for a walk, or talking to a friend or family member.
- If you cannot control your stress alone, seek the help of a therapist or a life coach.

13

Track your progress with a fitness journal.

A journal gives you the motivation to keep pursuing your goals. A journal is a great place to keep track of your goals, plans, and progress. By taking a look at how far you’ve come through your journal, you can find the motivation to keep yourself on track for getting body of your dreams. You’ll be surprised by how quickly you see positive changes.^{[24]
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- Keep track of your goals in your journal. As you lose weight, get more fit or ditch bad lifestyle habits, jot down notes about these so you can see your progress.
- Considering downloading a fitness tracking app on your smartphone. You can track your food, nutrition, calories, and fitness goals.

14

Maintain a healthy body image.

Keep your self-worth high so that you can appreciate your body. Any body can be a nice one if you love the way you look. While working on your physical health and fitness is always good, try not to let your goals hurt your current self-esteem. If you’re struggling with your mental health and hyper-fixated on “flaws” that you see in your body, consider talking to a therapist.^{[25]
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HelpGuide
Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources.
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- Changing your body image can feel tough, but it’s possible.
- Don’t let social media or celebrity culture make you feel bad about yourself—your body works hard to take care of you, so always be grateful for the one you have.

Expert Advice

Try this sample HIIT routine for an effective at-home workout.

Get an HIIT timer. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. You can purchase a timer, or you can download one as an app. You design the workout with 5 exercises, then you set your timer for, say, a minute and 15 seconds of exercise, then 30 seconds of rest, and you do that for each of the exercises. Aim to do about 15 sets altogether. Here's an example of the exercises you might do:
Exercise 1—Walking Lunges: Bring your rear knee down to the ground, but don't hit the ground, and go back up. It's very important with this move that your rear knee is the one powering the exercise, not the front knee. Repeat this for the whole minute and 15 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds and repeat for about 15 sets.
Exercise 2—Jump Shuffle: Jump about 3 feet in front of you, shuffle backwards, then repeat for another minute and 15 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat for 15 sets.
Exercise 3—Burpee: Jump up in the air, go flat into a push-up position, push up off the ground, and jump up in the air again. Do this for a minute and 15 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and continue until you've completed 15 sets.
Exercise 4—Squat: Stand with your feet 2 1/2 to 3 feet apart. Squat down with your back towards the rear wall with your knees behind your toes. Then, move your butt up and down 3-4 inches toward the ground and back up several times before standing up straight again. Keep doing squats for 1:15, rest for :30, and continue for 15 sets.
Exercise 5—Ab Workout: Find a chair and lean back so your butt is on the edge of the chair. Bring one elbow down toward the opposite knee, and exhale for 3 seconds as you do it. Inhale for 3 seconds, then do the same with the opposite elbow and opposite knee. Continue doing this exercise for about 1 minute 15 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat for 15 sets.

From Monica Morris

ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Q&A

Question

How long do I need to work out for?

Monica Morris
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Monica Morris is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of fitness training experience, Monica started her own physical training practice and gained her ACE Certification in 2017. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.

Monica Morris

ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Expert Answer