14 Better Body Tips For Women

Sometimes you can feel as though you've been eating salads and training hard for months and nothing is happening, though reaching the ideal body is more than just going for a run and eating some vegetables. Instead follow our 14 better body points to help turn around your body regime and churn out the results you've been hoping for. 

1. Sweat it out

Exercise, exercise, exercise, is key to any body transformation. Don't like working out? Unfortunately, that's tough luck, you just have to bite the bullet and hit the gym if you want that ideal body youve been dreaming of. No one likes sweating it out in the gym, but if you want to see results and shape your body to look fit and toned, then there are no two ways about it; pick up some weights and hit that cardio! 

Mornings are one of the best times to work out – getting your fitness fix in early kick-starts your metabolism and frees up the rest of your day. And don't just feel like you have to hit the treadmill in the gym every day, as repetition can get very boring, very fast. Instead join some exercise classes or bring a friend with you to try new machines and new activities, in and out of the gym. Start slow and at a level you can manage, then increase your intensity to build strength, stamina, fitness and tone your body to look beautiful. 

2. Run Forrest, Run!

Running can be very boring and tiring, but as one of the best cardio exercises, running is essential to turn out quick body results. A 130lb woman can burn nearly 600 calories when running 6 mph for just an hour! With such a high calorie and fitness yield, running is ideal along with being a great exercise to pull in and tone those abdominal and leg muscles. Try running three times a week, starting with 10 minute sessions and then building to 30 minutes progressively. 

If you just can't bear the thought of standing on a treadmill for 20 minutes, why not make a jogging partner or make a fun upbeat playlist to listen to when jogging around a nice park or route outside. If you add a fun element to your run it can become much more bearable and you will find yourself enjoying it in no time. 

3. Jump in the pool

Swimming is a brilliant overall body workout that works all of your major muscle groups. Burning similarly to running, nearly 600 calories for an hours workout, it a great way to make a dint on your daily calories. Plus swimming can be a much needed break from the repetition of the gym or jogging. 

Whether it's simply doing laps and racing a friend, even just a casual swim to relax after weight training session or work, having a splash in the pool can be a great way to add variety to your workout routine. Again aim for three times a week and build up your time swimming progressively, if you want to make the pool a recurrent addition to your workout routine. 

4. Hit those weights

If you've been carefully avoiding the free weights and weight machines because you're worried that you'll turn into the hulk after a week of working those muscles, then you are missing out! Lifting weights will not turn you into a bodybuilder despite popular opinion. This is due to male and female basic genetics. Women’s muscles only hold 50-60% of the capacity as men's and only one tenth of the testosterone of men, the hormone that causes muscle development. So dont use the excuse that you're afraid of ‘bulking up’ to avoid sweating and pumping some iron.

Lifting weights can shape and tone your muscles, making your body look more slender and attractive. Whilst also significantly strengthening your core, improving posture and balance, and increasing fitness and stamina considerably! Combining weight and cardio training is also considered the best combo to burn fat, as people who did both exercises lost weight more quickly than the single workout groups. The more muscle you have the quicker your metabolism will burn fat; the perfect reason to add in a resistance workout. Begin with lower weights and learn a range of exercises for different body part, to first perfect your technique, then start increasing your weights to really work those muscles. 

5. Keep it healthy

No exercise regime would be complete or effective without a good diet. It is all very well sculpting those muscles and burning that fat, but if you're pumping your body with more unhealthy fat and excessive calories, all your hard work sweating it out will be for nothing. Keeping your diet health and balanced is the key to accompany a workout routine to produce the results you're hoping for.

If you think it's unhealthy for you, nine times out of ten it probably is. Highly processed foods, high sugary foods, fast foods and take aways should all be avoided, disappointingly. Instead pump your diet with greens, fruits, legumes, grains, lean meats, low fat dairy, eggs and whole-wheat carbs. Provide your body with adequately nutritional foods, providing the proper minerals and nutrients it needs and you will see a change in no time. Plus eating these food will clean your system out of unhealthy fats and elements that are filling up your body. 

6. Get on that H2O

Water is essential in nearly every function of our body, and depriving your body can cause major problems and inhibit you feeling and looking your best. Water is not only needed to keep your body going when exercising, but aids weight loss. H2O will rev up your metabolism burning food faster, aiding you to keep those pesky pounds off. 

Dehydration can also frequently be mistaken for hunger, and so drinking frequently and before meals will fill you up and stop those misplaced munchies. Water can additionally help your skin. It will plump up the cells of your face, making you look more fresh and youthful, whilst aiding blood flow to flush out the impurities, giving you a healthy glow. Try to aim for around 8 glasses a day to provide your body with it’s needed supply, swerving off hunger, dehydration and even cellulite. 

7. Better that breakfast

Begin your morning with a nice bowl of fruit, porridge or granola and yogurt, and you can feel brilliant in no time! Not only are these foods tasty, satisfying for your hunger and a valuable source of energy, but you’ll be pleased to know that they are great flat-belly foods. Combined they are supposed to help burn abdominal fat, improve digestion and help you keep away from the cupboard for longer. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; kick starting your metabolism and fueling your day ahead, so providing your body with a healthy and nutritious meal will do wonders for your body. Plus there are so many alternatives and additions you can make to this simple meal that provide that little bit extra; adding a spoon of peanut or almond butter, pouring on some honey or making a tasty smoothy, can make your breakfast just that little bit more delicious.

8. Spice up a meal with some chili peppers, cinnamon and grapefruit

These are all great foods to include in your diet that are not just tasty but can also help you lose a few pounds. Each food has been tested to show amazing benefits from your metabolism to burning fat and food quickly and even helping weight loss! Grapefruit before a meal, cinnamon in a hot drink or breakfast and chili peppers into a meal to give it a bit of a kick, will all help fill you up and boost your metabolism. So make the effort to add them into your daily routine, easily purchased and added to meals at any points of the day, to keep you body burning. 

9. Plan ahead

Planning can be one of the most crucial elements to reaching a better body! Anything from planning and recording your meals, scheduling your workouts and setting goals or aims for, will help you in leaps and bounds to reach your ideal body. Making note and setting out your daily, weekly or monthly meals and snack will help you control calorie intake and refrain from impulse unhealthy foods. Setting up a weekly or monthly exercise plan is also key to sticking to workouts and making sure your body is well trained and balanced at the gym, to fit your schedule.

Also, one part which many people forget to do when trying to tone up or lose weight, is set realistic goals. If you have something to reach and aim for, this keeps you focussed and on a straight path. If you're just aimlessly working out and eating healthy you have no set goals to reach, and will most likely stray from your hard work. But remember to be realistic. Make reachable goals and deadlines for either fitness or weight so stick to, as wanting to lose a stone in a month is unachievable and can deter you from your hard work. 

10. Don't skimp on food

Many people assume that because weight loss depends on burning more calories in a day than what you consume, skipping out on meals will be better to help weight loss. And whilst figuratively this is true, if you skip meals your body can actually store weight as it initiates starvation mode. When your body is deprived of food it tries to protect itself by storing any food that you do eat. So skipping breakfast can cause your body to store your lunch as fat! 

Instead, the best way to avoid this starvation mode and keep the metabolism burning is to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals through the day. Believe it or not eating more frequently will actually help you lose weight!

11. Get those Z’s

Everyone loves sleeping in on a saturday morning, and luckily for us sleeping can actually be beneficial to controlling weight! Sleep provides the body with its much needed rest following exercise, and can also reduce stress. When the body is stressed it releases high level of ghrelin, the hormone that increases appetite. Sleeping can reduce these hormones and restore the body’s natural balance, helping to control hunger and keep you away from the easy, fatty foods. Lack of sleep can also induce bad skin, exhausting the cells of water, making you look more deflated and tired. So hit the hay for an extra hour to improve your appearance, will power and appetite. 

12. Time for a treat

Restricting your food and slaving away with the exercise week in week out can take its toll on our willpower and motivation. Your hard work on dietary or exercise changes should be rewarded to make them sustainable; cutting out tasty foods forever isnt feasible, so every now and again make sure you have that slice of cake or bag of chips. Of course, having a chocolate bar after every gym session will be counter productive, but rewarding yourself once a week or so can keep up your morale and keep those cravings at bay. 

Even if it's buying a nice piece of clothing, planning in a beauty day or even taking a weekend away can all benefit you when plowing on through a diet and exercise regime. No hard work should go unrewarded and so making time to reward yourself occasionally is highly recommended, even if it's just painting your nails, any reward will be felt with great appreciation, both mentally and physically. 

13. Massage that body better

You may think massages has no effect on your body or your weight, but a massage can actually have many benefits; both physically and mentally. Vigorous exercise and long period of workouts can take its toll on muscles and joints. Ever got that sore feeling the day after a workout? Well massage, specifically deep tissue, can rid the body of those pesky knots and pains associated with exercise. Ever see people in the gym rolling out on those circular tubes? Well this is a similar form of stretching out those muscles and getting the blood flow through the tissue, speeding up recovery. 

Massage can also increase circulation, allowing for the expulsion of toxins and increased water flow to cells of the skin, plumping up your skin, making it look healthy and youthful. And have you ever had a massage and felt more stressed than when you started? Doubtful! Massages can be a very relaxing activity, restoring your mind, reducing stress and helping you wind down from life’s stresses, all aiding weight control! The benefits just go on and on!

14. It’s all in the little details

Looking great is mostly about what you put in and burn off your body, but if you don't feel great, it won't shine through to others. Giving your body the much needed tlc can be the addition to any body change program. Getting some nice makeup and trying out some new colours or styling your hair differently will all give you that much needed boost. 

Even just painting your toes or putting on some nice earrings will dazzle out your new look, making everyone jealous of the newly transformed you! Plus once those compliments start rolling in you will feel great, not only about how you look but the hard work you've put in, motivating you to keep going and push on at the gym and with your diet.