“You are what you eat” the saying goes. And in many cases, this age-old adage has proven to be true.
In order to achieve a healthy organism and a toned body, it is essential to follow a well-thought out diet coupled with a physical regime. Try to eliminate simple carbs (sugars) from your daily food intake and do not overindulge in any dairy, fatty or processed fare.
Just as there are foods that can actually help you lose weight, there are others that allow you to increase muscle mass. These excellent foods help you to tone up while attacking flaccidity in a healthy way. Bear in mind that you will not achieve the firmness you want by eating these foods alone; it is necessary to combine their ingestion with exercise and physical activity. This way you’ll be able to tone up your muscles.
Protein is the food group on which you should focus for toning muscles and eliminating fat from your body. Protein acts as an essential nutrient that restores the muscles and increases their size and strength.
Not sure which foods to taket? Here are some options to get you started:
Lean meats
Pic: Keevil & Keevil
These are meats that have a relatively low fat content such as skinless chicken, turkey, rabbit and pork (with the fat trimmed off). Lean meats are also low in calories and a good source of selenium, Vitamin B3 and B6 and choline.
Fish
Pic: Builtlean
Any variety of fish is ideal for toning the body but, contrary to meats, the fatty varieties of fish (such as salmon, sardines and trout) are the best for you and your muscles due to their high content of Omega 3 and Vitamin D.
Eggs
Pic: Healthline.com
Eggs are essential to obtain a toned and healthy figure. All the amino acids that our organism needs along with the protein they bring are contained in one egg in the perfect ratios. They are perfect for increasing muscle mass, accelerating weight loss and lower blood pressure.
Oats
Pic: cajeviza.com
Oats are shock full of healthy fibers, magnesium, manganese, thiamin (vitamin B1) and several other nutrients that keep you regular and contribute to get those muscles nice and firm. Up to 15% of the calories per serving is pure protein.
Broccoli
Pic: coach.nine.com.au
All greens are good for you but broccoli is specially so. The levels of vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and potassium it contains almost make it a super-food. The fact that it also has bioactive nutrients that help prevent and fight cancer doesn’t hurt either.
Nuts
Nuts and dried fruits such as almonds, walnuts, cashews and pistachios are also loaded with protein. They also contain high levels of fiber, vitamin E, manganese and magnesium which keep you feeling satisfied during the day.
Apart from food, there are other things that you should take into account when your goal is to have a firm body.
Eat complex carbs
Most people think that to be healthy, you have to eliminate carbohydrates completely, this is a huge mistake. Ideally, we must partake of a balanced diet and enjoy the entire food pyramid, taking care not to indulge in any sort of excess.
Drink water
It is very important to ensure adequate hydration during the day so that the body keeps the muscles hydrated and can thus tone up faster. Water also takes care of hydrating your organism’s cells, which help increase the effort and resistance when performing physical exercise.
Physical activity
This is as important as good nutrition, perhaps even more so as without it you will never achieve firmness once you’ve lost that excess weight. An excellent training routine that is aligned with your lifestyle and daily habits is definitely recommended. Start with cardio to burn those calories and fat and then move on to perform strength and endurance exercises to keep your muscles toned and avoid flaccidity. Once your endurance increases, focus on having a complete routine in which you work on your entire body.
No alcohol or cigarettes
Completely eliminate the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. They are not only harmful to health, they dehydrate the organism and damage the skin, accelerating the aging process. Both vices are responsible for loading toxins into our body and affecting physical resistance. They do not contribute anything good or help you at all, so the best choice is to chuck them out.
Complement your eating and fitness routine with natural dietary supplements such as Omega 3 pills, calcium and vitamins. Nopalina in your choice of pills or powder is also a great way to ingest natural nutrients that will keep you feeling and looking great as well as toning those muscles.
