As your habit shifts begin to pay off and you adjust to #livingyourbestlife, you may be wondering what happens after you reach your goal weight. (First of all, pat yourself on the back and congrats on being amazing—we celebrate your health journey!) If you’ve experienced rapid or significant weight loss, pregnancy, or your body has gone through a change leaving you with a desire to tone up naturally, we get it. Whether you want more muscle definition or to restore your skin’s elasticity, we’ve got 5 natural ways to get toned after losing weight.
Cardio exercise like swimming, spin class, running, hiking, tennis, and even walking can get your heart rate moving to boost metabolism, burn fat, and build lean muscle while reducing your risk for cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Cardio workouts also increase the brain’s production of feel-good endorphins, an added benefit of incorporating more exercise into your life.
Resistance training tones muscles and helps loose skin recuperate its shape over time. Try CrossFit, yoga, Pilates, barre classes, or even this 20-minute playground workout to build and tone muscle using your own body weight as resistance. High intensity interval training (HIIT) combines cardio and resistance training, giving your body and mind plenty of variety and fun new challenges.
Quality collagen peptides can stimulate and supplement your natural production of collagen- lubricating joints, decreasing inflammation, and increasing skin elasticity and strength of hair and nails. Research shows that as we age, the body’s production of collagen slows, affecting skin’s elasticity and ability to reshape after weight loss, excessive sun exposure, and the effects of alcohol and nicotine use. By incorporating high quality, grass fed collagen peptides into your daily menu, you’ll boost skin recovery and get a little extra protein to boot. Try Orgain collagen peptides in recipes like this mulled cider or explore 5 Easy Ways to Give Collagen a Go– it’s super easy to add collagen to coffee, smoothies, and oatmeal, too!
Staying hydrated may not build muscle but it will help flush toxins and excess fat from your body, plumping and firming skin cells and easing recovery while you build muscle. By swapping sugary juices, sodas, and other sweetened beverages for water, you are also skipping unnecessary sugar, calories, and fat production and storage—all of which works in service of toning up and feeling great. Try making a pitcher of this Superfoods Coconut Water to keep things refreshing while you make the switch.
Slow and steady. By focusing on permanent lifestyle changes, you are building new habits to support your weight loss goals and set yourself up for long term success. Instead of relying on fad diets, which promise rapid weight loss through stringent, difficult to maintain regimens, find ways to change your routines and habits in accessible, sustainable ways. This approach will still yield amazing results albeit at a more gradual pace, allowing your skin, muscles, and body to adapt to your changing shape and lifestyle.
