How to Tone Your Body

Co-authored by Francisco Gomez

Do you want a stronger, faster, healthier body? Toning your body is about more than losing weight; when your body is toned, you have more energy, a clearer mind, and the confidence that comes with knowing you're in the best shape you can be. Tone your body by developing good eating and drinking habits, exercising, and detoxifying your body and mind.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Maintaining Healthy Eating and Drinking Habits

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Eat more vegetables than you think you need. You've heard that you need to eat your veggies; now is the time to take this advice to heart. Vegetables provide your body with essential vitamins, they aid in digestion, they provide extra hydration, and they deliver nutrition without too many calories. Basing every meal on vegetables will help you look toned faster.
- Make salad or cooked green vegetables the biggest part of every meal. Eating plenty of leafy greens like dandelion greens, spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts will fill you up and nourish your body with vitamins A, C, K, and other essential nutrients.^{[1]
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- Eat a regular rotation of other vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, squash, green beans, cabbage, onions, and so on. Try to eat vegetables that are in season, which is when they are the most nutritious.
- Start your day with a vegetable breakfast smoothie. Ditch pancakes and bacon and instead blend almond milk, a few handfuls of spinach or kale, and a kiwi or a banana for a powerful green smoothie to get your day started. Replace daily snacks with raw carrots, broccoli, or another vegetable smoothie.
2
Nourish your body with fruit. Eating whole fruits is another great way to get the nutrients, water, and fiber your body needs to start looking more toned. Make sure to get several servings a day, choosing fruit that is in season in your area whenever possible.
- Eat whole fruits like berries, bananas, apples, pears, oranges, melons, and so on instead of buying fruit juice.^{[2]
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  Research source} Eating fruit whole gives you the benefit of the fiber; without it, you end up consuming too much fructose, the type of sugar found in fruit.
- Replace your typical desserts with fruit salad, or try making other healthy fruit based desserts. For a delicious, light take on ice cream, try this amazingly simple dish: freeze a banana solid, then put it in a food processor or blender and whip until it turns creamy. It will have the consistency of ice cream or custard.
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3
Choose lean proteins. To achieve muscle tone, you'll need to feed your body with plenty of lean proteins. Protein can come from meat, but it is also found in vegetables, legumes and nuts.
- Eat plenty of fish. Fish contain all the protein you need, as well as essential fatty acids that help make your body strong and lean.
- Eat beans and tofu. If you're a vegetarian, try chickpeas, black beans, fava beans, and other legumes to get the protein you need. Tofu is also a healthy choice.
- Eat red meat sparingly. Steak, hamburgers, bacon, and other beef and pork products are fine once in a while, but they should not make up the bulk of your daily means when you're trying to achieve a toned body.
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Don't forget fats and grains. A balanced diet also includes healthy fats that promote organ and skin health as well as grains to give your body the fiber and minerals it needs.^{[3]
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- Choose whole grains like steel-cut oats, barley, buckwheat and quinoa rather than processed flours.
- Nuts, avocados, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and other healthy oils are important supplements to a healthy diet.
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Drink mostly water. Drinking water helps your body flush away toxins and stay hydrated, both of which lead to a toned, healthy look. Try to drink 8 or more glasses a day, and more when you're exercising.
- Avoid drinking too much alcohol. It causes your body to retain water and has other harmful effects that lead to bloating, rather than toning.
- Choose water over soda, juice and milk. Pure water is calorie-free and healthier for your body than any other drink.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Exercising for Greater Muscle Tone

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Raise your heart rate with cardio.^{[4]
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Research source} The best exercise routine for toning your body is a combination of cardio, which gets your heart rate up and increases overall fitness, and weight training, which strengthens your muscles. Do cardio exercises three times a week, alternating between workouts like these:
- Go power walking or running for 30 - 40 minutes. It's important to make sure your heart rate is raised the whole time. If you're breathing heavily and sweating, you're probably getting a good enough workout. You can buy a heart rate monitor to measure your heart rate and make sure it's properly elevated.
- Try swimming, biking, hiking or playing a team sport. All of these exercises keep you moving for an extended period of time. Mixing things up will help you stay interested in exercising.
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Start resistance training.^{[5]
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Research source} Cardio alone won't help your body get as toned as it can be. Incorporating some resistance training will help you see results much faster. After a few weeks, the contours of your muscles will be defined, and you'll have more energy than ever.
- Pay attention to all of the muscle groups. Do resistance training that focuses on your arms, back, shoulders, legs, and torso.
- Try some basic body weight exercises, like lunges, push ups, chin ups, squats, sit ups, or burpees (also known as squat thrusts).
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Do some yoga. Participating in a yoga class 2-3 times a week is one great way to get stronger and healthier. Yoga is good for building both flexibility and strength.^{[6]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Detoxification Methods that Keep You Fit

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Ask your doctor about maintaining healthy liver and kidney function. Your liver^{[7]
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Research source} are your body’s first line of defense against toxins. Talk to your doctor about what kinds of dietary and lifestyle changes you may need to make in order to keep your liver and kidneys in good condition, especially as you get older.
2
Try fasting. No matter how healthy your diet may be, over time, environmental toxins can build up in your body and start causing health problems. Fasting is an excellent way to expel the toxins and cleanse your digestive system. This results in improved energy and tone.
- Skipping the last meal of the day is an easy way to incorporate fasting into your life. Eat your last meal between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, then skip dinner to give your body a rest. The fasting period will last until breakfast the next morning.
- Intermittent fasting is the practice of fasting for as long as 36 hours to completely cleanse the body. Consult your doctor first if you want to try this type of fast.^{[9]
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- Juice fasting is another popular type of fast. Again, you should consult your doctor before drastically altering your diet for an extended period of time.
3
Detox your mind. When you're stressed out, your body releases hormones that cause you to gain weight and look less toned.^{[10]
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Research source} Do your best to reduce the stress in your life by taking the following measures:
- Get plenty of sleep. Your body and mind need time to recuperate after your busy days. Lack of sleep has been shown to lead to weight gain.
- Slow down. Trying to cram in workout sessions around a packed schedule makes it more difficult to achieve the tone you desire. If possible, ramp down your activities so you have more time to focus on your health.
- Spend time outside. Instead of relaxing in front of the TV, take a walk and get some fresh air. Being outside is better for your mind and body than watching TV.^{[11]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

What should I eat to tone my body?

Francisco Gomez
Fitness Coach
Francisco Gomez is the Head Coach at the FIT Potato Gym, a training gym established in 2001 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Francisco is a former competitive runner who helps endurance athletes train for major marathons like the Boston Marathon. Francisco specializes in Injury Rehab, Flexibility, Marathon Training, and Senior Fitness. He has a B.S. in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology & Running.

Francisco Gomez

Fitness Coach

Expert Answer

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Cut your daily calorie intake so you can lose weight and get rid of body fat.
Question

What does it mean when you tone your body?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

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Toning your body means doing overall body strengthening and reducing overall fat.
Question

Can you tone your body without losing weight?

Michele Dolan
Certified Fitness Trainer
Michele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.

Michele Dolan

Certified Fitness Trainer

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Yes, you can tone and improve your shape, physical functioning and appearance without losing weight.