one day at a time ,

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In one study, 12 sets of the twins were put under 24-hour supervision in a college dormitory. Six days a week they ate 1,000 extra calories a day, and one day they were allowed to eat normally. They could read, play video games, play cards and watch television, but exercise was limited to one 30-minute daily walk. Over the course of the 120-day study, the twins consumed 84,000 extra calories beyond their basic needs.

That experimental binge should have translated into a weight gain of roughly 24 pounds (based on 3,500 calories to a pound). But some gained less than 10 pounds, while others gained as much as 29 pounds. The amount of weight gained and how the fat was distributed around the body closely matched among brothers, but varied considerably among the different sets of twins. Some brothers gained three times as much fat around their abdomens as others, for instance. When the researchers conducted similar exercise studies with the twins, they saw the patterns in reverse, with some twin sets losing more pounds than others on the same exercise regimen. The findings, the researchers wrote, suggest a form of “biological determinism” that can make a person susceptible to weight gain or loss.

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(Source: bestfriendsgettingfit, via bestfriendsgettingfit)

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How to Get a Toned Body

Sculpted and defined, we all admire the toned body of a male or female. How much more attractive it is to have muscles instead of flab.  When you tone your body, you are simply replacing fat with muscle.  Some of us think that lifting weights will automatically result in a toned body.  This is a misconception held by many people.  You have to combine some type of weight loss plan to lose the fat that covers the muscles.  Light or even heavy weight lifting helps, but it does not automatically tone your body.  Whether you’re young or old, it is always possible to get a toned body.  Due to popular demand we have just appended to the end of this article three expert’s top five tips for achieving a toned body. Here are some ways to tighten and tone body parts: 

• Maintain a healthy diet – more protein, less fat and sugar.  No alcohol.
• Daily walks – walking for at least 30 minutes every day does wonders for your metabolism and your goal for a toned body.
• Drink water – as much as possible, not only to tone body, but to keep the kidneys and digestive system working properly.
• Exercise – at a gym, in a park, at home, or wherever you choose.  Equipment and location is not as important as the regular routine you follow to tone your body.
• Stretching – essential for flexibility and coordination.  Runners and sports figures know the value of stretching or warming up before exercising.  It can help you too get a toned body.  

Other suggestions to get a toned body include taking yoga classes, kickboxing, rowing, and swimming.  

Tone Body Areas

• Legs – Jogging is often recommended, however, a brisk walk can be just as effective over time.  Step ups and climbing stairs help tone your body.
• Butt – Nothing is probably better than doing squats to tone body glutes.  Adding some weights while doing squats is even more beneficial.
• Thighs - Lunges, leg raises, and squats again.  You can stand up, holding on to a chair, and raise first the right and then the left leg out to the side of your body.  Try to hold it there for a few seconds.
• Abs - You can also tone body areas and tighten up those stomach muscles by lying on the floor, and raising both legs, or one at a time, holding for a few seconds and repeat.  (Note: This is great exercise for strengthening your back, as well.)

At the Gym
Of course, going to the gym is great, but don’t let the range of equipment or people around you intimidate you.  Some of them won’t have a toned body either, and others may have worked many hours to get one.  There should be an attendant to get you started.  Some of the most common types of equipment are:
Cross-trainer – good for upper and lower body, as well as cardiovascular.

• Bicycles – great to tone body areas such as the legs and stomach.  
• Treadmills – a mechanized alternative to brisk walking.  You can set speed and resistance, and monitor the heart rate at the same time.

Of course, there are many other types of equipment at the gym.  You can choose the ones you like to tone your body.

Summary

We have provided some suggestions in this article on how to tone body muscles to make them larger, stronger, and work more effectively.  Tone body exercises are great; muscles do burn more calories than fat.  It is important to remember, however, that it won’t do you much good to work out day after day, unless you concentrate on getting rid of body fat.  Muscles hidden somewhere beneath a layer of fat do not sculpt or define.  Having a toned body is much more than just an appearance thing.  It will help preserve the muscle tissue that we lose as we age.  You don’t have to be trying out for the Olympics to tone your body.  Before doing any heavy weight lifting or extreme exercises, talk to your doctor about your overall physical condition.  Tone your body – we think you’ll feel and look better if you do.

Updated Information for Toned Body: We asked three independent exercise experts to give us their thoughts on how to achieve a toned body. Each summary below is what they had to say.

First Expert on Five Steps to Toning Your Body

Of course you want a toned body. You can probably imagine it right now. Your ultra-toned thigh muscles softly flexing as you climb out of the pool. Arms firm and smooth as you dry your toned-and-dripping abdominal muscles with a beach towel. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

The truth is, most of us will never get there. Those infomercials (just strap on Ab Zapper for instant thin!) make us think it’s possible to look like that perfect 18-year-old bikini model. But it just doesn’t happen for most people. And that’s okay. Because even if you can’t be perfect, you can be a better toned version of yourself. And that doesn’t sound so bad either, does it? So read on for our five simple steps to getting a toned body.

• 1. Eat Healthy to Lose Fat. Ugh, not dieting again! Can I ever get away from it? Sorry, but you can’t. And that’s why this is step number one in improving your body tone. You can build muscle tone like crazy, but if it’s covered in fat, it’ll be impossible to see how you’ve firmed up.
• 2. Get Manly. No, you don’t want to look like Arnold. But you do want to increase muscle tone. The best way to do this is with weight training— even with heavy weights. Don’t worry you can do manly exercises without getting pumped-up manly results. Women don’t have enough testosterone to build giant muscles. We just increase our body tone.
• 3. Get Busy. Life is hectic. You’re always running from place to place and trying to do a thousand things at once. But busy as you are, it’s probably hard to get active. So make little extra efforts every day for toning. Climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Then come down and climb them again. Wear small ankle-weights under your pants throughout the day to tone thighs and calves. Little efforts, big results.
• 4. Do it Daily. Do a couple small toning exercises every day. Even ten minutes —five of squats and five of crunches— will make a difference if you do it daily. Not every toning workout has to last an hour.
• 5. Combine Exercises. The best way to get a toned body is to combine losing fat with building muscle. So be efficient and do both at once. Combine cardio with muscle building by including squats and weights into your cardio workout.

Second Expert on Five Steps to a Toned Body

If you have always dreamed of having a toned body, it is simpler than you may think. If you follow these five steps you may well achieve your dream.

• The first step in the Five Steps to a Toned Body is to exercise regularly. In fact this is a golden rule. You will never succeed in achieving and maintaining a toned body if you do not exercise. Aerobic exercise is the best. If you can afford it employ a trainer who will guide you as to the best exercise routine to keep your body toned and your muscles toned.
• The second step to achieving a toned body is to eat healthily and regularly. A diet that is high in fats is unhealthy and is the main enemy of a toned body, so make sure that you are eating lots of fruits and vegetables. If you tend to snack in between meals, this should be stopped, comprise a meal plan for each week, and stick to it, when you see the difference in your body tone you won’t regret cutting out those unhealthy meals.
• The third step is to make sure you drink lots of water. The water will help flush away the toxins in your body which often congregate in areas such as the thighs and stomach. If your body is high in toxins then this will make it harder to achieve and maintain the toned body that you want. A build up of toxins in a women’s body can often lead to cellulite, and drinking water will help flush away this unwanted cellulite which can be a barrier to achieving toned muscles and the perfect body.
• The fourth step in the Five Steps to a Toned Body is to cut out alcohol in your diet. A diet high in alcohol leads to weight gain and is an obstacle to the toned body that you wish to achieve.
• The fifth and final step is to have a positive attitude, achieving the perfect toned body can often take some months rather than days, so approach the task with a positive and enthusiastic attitude and your will be sure to succeed.

Third Expert on 5 Tips to Tone Up Your Body

Most people want to be ready for summer when it eventually comes, by losing weight and toning up their bodies. There are many different ways of getting back into shape and if you follow the five steps outlined below then you soon find yourself with a great, summer ready, body.

• Exercise - It may seem a bit like the same old same old, but it is nevertheless true that you are more likely to tone your body if you take some gentle exercise on a regular basis. Something as simple as walking for twenty five minutes during your lunch hour will soon bring some small results. Swimming is also a good way of burning off any excess fat that may have accumulated over the winter months and toning your body.
• Eat Sensibly - One of the reasons that most diets don’t work is because of an all or nothing approach on behalf of the dieter. Providing you eat sensibly and that means plenty of fruit and vegetables, fish and meat, and you reduce your intake of carbohydrates and cut out junk food, you will lose some weight. Gradual weight loss is more likely to lead to a toned body than drastic weight loss.
• Relaxation - Make sure that you are getting sufficient sleep for your body’s needs and try to find a method of relaxation that fits with your lifestyle this might be something as simple as closing your eyes and controlling your breathing for ten minutes every morning.
• Watch Your Posture - How you sit and stand will eventually have an effect on your body shape. If you stand straight and don’t hunch forwards you are more likely to have a nicely toned looking body.
• Finally Don’t Skip Meals - Skipping meals is not a good way to lose weight, in fact you are more likely to put it on when you do this because it can lead to midnight hunger pangs.

(Source: weightloss-hq.biz, via healthysexyhappy)