Weight Loss

Top 4 Tips for Toning your Tummy

Toning your body and having visible & defined abs comes down to a combination of a few simple steps. If you can allocate some time to each of the below steps you will get the results you have been looking for.

1. Strengthening and developing all your abdominal muscles:
Did you know that there are 4 layers to the abdominal muscles?
From the outside in:

Rectus Abdominis
External Obliques
Internal Obliques
Transversus Abdominis

The most common mistake that I see is people solely working the rectus abdominis, with high reps and a lack of control.
It is so important to slow the movement down and activate the deepest abdominal muscles first then the rest will fall into place.
For a 30 minute workout with me on core activation and How To Get Abs - Click here.

2. Fat loss to enable the muscles underneath the fat to become more visible:
In order to look toned, you have to lower your body fat percentage, and the best way to achieve this is to be in ‘calorie deficit’. This, in summary, means that you are burning more calories than you are consuming.
Please however do not make the mistake of thinking that you can simply reduce your calorific intake and get results. This has to be coupled with a frequent, yet achievable exercise regime.
You can find your target calorie range, based on your gender, weight and age using online calculator tools

3. Nutrition- Don’t forget your muscle-building foods:
The most important food group for getting toning results is Lean Proteins, as they are rich in amino acids, a key component for building muscle tissue.
Remember that you will need to increase your intake of lean proteins to achieve a more toned and lean physique. It is estimated you require double the amount of protein in your diet, to that of a sedentary person.
There are online calculators to help you calculate the amount of protein you specifically require. A rough indication is between 1.2-2g grams for each kilogram of body weight.
Eating healthy complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, sweet potatoes and brown rice, in addition to unsaturated fats such as avocado, fish and nuts are also recommended.

4. Types of Training:
There are 3 types of training that will help you achieve a lean, toned stomach.

Cardio/HIIT
Weight Training
Abdominal specific exercises

A combination of the above three forms of exercise will not only give you the results you want, but it will also provide you with versatility, allowing progress and preventing you from becoming bored.
3 short HIIT sessions, 2-3 weight sessions and 3 short abdominal targeted sessions would be a perfect combination.

Remember, the weights sessions do not have to be targeted specifically to the core, as your core is active when you are training all muscle groups, including upper and lower body.
For loads of home workouts you can do live with me, visit my YouTube channel here:
www.youtube.com/lillysabri

My Recommendations:
For HIIT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t0Zl-pXksg&t=1685s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0MffRAbROw&t=2s
For Core:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1SetRRTL_4&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPtrhwDmhIA&t=130s