Toning, similar to strength training, entails leaning out the appearance of body fat by shaping up your muscles. However, whereas “bulking up” generally refers to exercise programs focused on gaining muscle mass, toning is all about tightening your muscles and achieving a lean look.
Whether you work from home with a busy schedule or simply want to save on costly gym memberships, mastering at-home workouts can help you maintain a consistent routine your body will thank you for.
What Are Some At-Home Exercises for Toning?
There are various ways to tone your body, all from the comfort of your home — and many exercises can be practiced using nothing but your body weight. You can also use household items as weights or get a simple set of hand weights, ankle weights, or dumbbells to make your workout more challenging.
Otherwise, all you need is a workout mat for maximum comfort during your workout. We have listed a couple of at-home exercises you can perform about three times a week to tone your body up. Make any adjustments you need to reach your specific goals!
Push-Ups
Push-ups are a productive exercise that can help give you a full-body workout. Aiming for three sets of 12 reps is a great starting place, and you can modify your number of reps based on your fitness level.
You can even do modified push-ups if your strength isn’t quite at the right level for conventional push-ups — modified versions can be just as effective and help build up your initial strength and endurance.
Squats
Squats target your core and lower body, and you can get an effective workout by doing either body-weight squats or weighted squats. Because squats work your legs, which are some of the biggest muscles in your body, this exercise is excellent for burning calories and helping you get toned.
Sit-Ups
Sit-ups can help build or tone your abdominal muscles and core. A strong core will help you better tackle many other exercises you practice and make daily tasks easier.
Can Microcurrent Aid With Toning?
Other methods of toning can be found in microcurrent treatment. For example, our clinically proven, FDA-Cleared TRINITY+ is a facial toning device (our NuBODY® device uses the same technology but is specifically for toning your body) that shapes your face in mere minutes.
Our cutting-edge technology tones the muscles and zeroes in on fine lines and wrinkles on the skin’s surface for a blurring effect that leaves your skin looking smooth and lifted over time.
TRINITY+
The TRINITY+ Complete Set comprises three attachments with the power of two different technologies for the ultimate treatment, including advanced LED red light therapy, which addresses full-face wrinkles, and targeted microcurrent, which tones the appearance of your eyes and lips so you can customize your treatment regimen.
Look no further if you have ever wanted an aesthetician at your fingertips. This innovative device also can pair with the NuFACE Smart App giving you access to app-exclusive NuFACE 3-Depth Technology, professional tutorials crafted just for you, a Selfie Tracker that documents and celebrates your progress, as well as customized reminders to help you stay the course for the most consistent, long-lasting results!
NuFACE Activators
NuFACE activators, powered by IonPlex™, are formulated to help conduct microcurrent for the ultimate treatment. Hydrating Aqua Gel brings hydration to the skin that can last up to 24 hours, while the Firming + Brightening Silk Crème enhances firmness and brightness while also nourishing for up to 48 hours.
We have devised an on-the-go solution that makes treatment possible even with the busiest schedules. Our MINI+ device may be small, but it is mighty. The new petite version of our smart microcurrent system will help you tone your face quickly yet effectively. Packed with the same power as our other devices, use the MINI+ to get a five-minute facial wherever you are!
What Else Can I Do To Stay Toned?
A major component of fitness starts in the kitchen. Watching what you eat lends itself to optimizing your workout regimen. As much as you try to work out, you likely will not experience many impactful or long-lasting results if you don’t incorporate healthy eating habits into your fitness regimen.
With so many different diet fads and viral trends crowding around sound advice, it can take time to decipher between truly functional nutrition systems and crash diets. Even when you find a diet that works for you, it still can be challenging to keep up with highly restrictive diets or organized eating, so your best bet is to follow general healthy diet guidelines, which can go a long way for keeping your body toned.
Here are some dietary best practices to empower your fitness journey and overall efforts to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
Protein
Protein provides the amino acids that are the essential building blocks for growing and repairing your muscles. With protein consumption, it's all about timing. When you work out, your body enters a catabolic state that breaks down your muscles.
After you finish working out, your body is in an anabolic state, refueling, and rebuilding. Your body uses protein more efficiently during the anabolic state, so consuming protein after exercising is key to empowering your body and getting the most out of your workouts. Learning your metabolism can also help you optimize your protein intake.
Different factors like weight and activity level will determine the amount of protein you should consume. You can research or consult a dietician or nutritionist to find out what will work best for you.
Carbs
While this may be contrary to several popular fitness guides, you should be eating carbs. Your body needs carbs for energy to power through your workouts, especially for long and high-intensity activities.
Many diets operate on a low-carb system, but carbs fuel your muscles and your brain, so skipping out on carbs likely won’t be helpful for your athletic performance.
Healthy Fats
With “low-fat” and “fat-free” marketing surrounding certain health foods, knowing that fat is necessary for your diet can be confusing.
Fat provides your body with energy and allows certain nutrients, like vitamins A, D, E, and K, to absorb. When you can help it, opt for unsaturated fats!
Drink Enough Water
Drinking the proper amount of water is a fitness no-brainer. Drinking water, especially chilled water, can help you stimulate your metabolism. Thermogenesis, or heat production, will prompt your body to spend energy heating the ingested water, which can boost your metabolism.
Conclusion
Getting toned at home is not as complicated as it may seem, but it does require dedication and consistency to actualize your fitness goals.
Despite the growing number of extravagant workout programs and gym equipment on the market, straightforward exercises three times a week combined with mindful eating habits are enough to get you into the shape of your dreams!
Sources:
Toning vs. Bulking Up: What's The Difference? | NASM
When You Should Drink a Protein Shake | Cleveland Clinic
