Burn Fat and Tone Your Body: Effective Tips
If your goal is to burn fat and tone your body, diet and exercise are essential. While this may seem too abstract, in this article we’ll provide some advice for reaching your goals. You’ll be able to burn fat and become toned without suffering from the dreaded “rebound effect.”
How to burn fat and tone your body: diet
For some people, the mere mention of the word “diet” can provoke a feeling of hunger. But it doesn’t have to be like that! What we need to do is maintain a balanced and healthy diet, adapting portions to our height, weight, and physical activity level.
A good diet will help you burn fat and tone your body, while also giving you more energy, curbing your appetite, and preventing sensations of bloating.
Nutritionists usually recommend a diet of (approximately) 3,000 daily calories. Of which, 58 percent need to be carbohydrates, 26 percent healthy fats, and the remaining 16 percent high-quality proteins.
Of course, for the diet to produce effective results, it needs to be personalized according to the characteristics of each individual. A useful rule of thumb: consume 0.8 grams (0.02 ounces) of fat per kilo (per 2.2 pounds) of body weight each day. You can also visit a nutritionist, who can provide an appropriate specialized meal plan.
If you want to burn fat and have a toned body, we can give you an example of a daily diet. It should also be complemented by exercise three times a week.
- Breakfast: coffee with milk (no sugar), two pieces of whole wheat toast with cream cheese, and one piece of fruit.
- Mid-morning: tea with milk (no sugar), one piece of fruit, and a handful of nuts with four tablespoons of sugar-free cereal.
- Lunch: whole grain rice salad with tomato and avocado, a turkey or chicken filet, and one piece of fruit.
- Snack: skim yogurt with two tablespoons of sugar-free cereal, and a glass of natural juice.
- Dinner: sautéd vegetables with a grilled hake filet (use olive oil), a piece of whole wheat bread, and a skim yogurt.
Burn fat and tone your body: exercise
The second point that will allow you to reshape your body is exercising at home or at the gym. Essential exercises to include in your weekly sessions are:
1. Sprints on a treadmill
To start, do some cardio on the treadmill (or go walking in the park). The first minute should be slow, but then accelerate until you reach top speed for three minutes. Finally, wind down with one minute at moderate speed.
2. Jump squats
Squats are a comprehensive exercise that will help you achieve your fitness goals. Here, you’ll be doing a more dynamic version, perfect for toning the legs.
Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, then place your arms in front of your body, and bend your knees slightly. Don’t forget to keep your back straight. Next, lower your body until your fingers touch the floor. From this position, jump up with power and stretch out your arms and legs.
3. Deadlifts with bar
This is another full-body exercise, allowing you to burn fat and tone your muscles. You’ll need a bar and two plates of an appropriate weight. Don’t go overboard with the weight at first.
From a standing position, grab the bar with both hands. Your arms should be at your sides. Keep your legs hip-width apart and bend your knees. Then, move the torso slightly forward and lower the arms until the plates touch the ground. Lastly, return to your initial position, but slowly.
Finally, if you want a more lively routine that won’t take up too much time, try HIIT. High-Intensity Interval Training consists of challenging exercises with little rest between sets. It won’t take more than 15 minutes a day!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
Pérez-guisado, J. (2008). Las dietas cetogénicas: fundamentos y eficacia. Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion.
