Lean and Leggy: Best Workouts for Your Lower Half

 

By Brooke Chaplan

 

Let’s face it, the legs are the hardest section of the body to tone no matter your gender or body type. It’s difficult to rid yourself of those stubborn fat areas, but there has to be a secret, right? Simply looking at any athlete’s legs will confirm something at least is working. Combined with healthy eating habits and regular exercise, your thighs can be tamed. Just be ready to put in some hard work.

 
Free Weights

Free weights are incredibly effective, especially if you are not a fan of running. If a toned body and sculpted, tight legs are what you are looking for, weights are the way to go. You can do reps of squats to slim your thighs and butt, and you can do deadlifts for the backs of your legs.

 

Perform weighted toe raises to hone those calves. Best of all, starter free weight programs only take up about 30 minutes of your day for three days a week (poo-poo on those that say they have no time). And, if you really like it, you can start investing in a personal free weight set, saving you time and money.

 

 

Swimming

Not everyone can do weights. It puts a lot of pressure on the lower back and knees. Luckily, there is a sport that circumvents this. Swimming is a sport that requires tremendous leg strength and muscle. There is not a swimmer around that does not have a set of finely toned legs. You use the legs to propel you through the water and your arms will be getting an extra workout as well. You also use your legs to help keep you afloat when you tread water.

 

Swimming practice involves more leg work than can be fit into this small description. If you don’t swim competitively, you’ll want to find good swimming instructors. They will guide your technique, as well as teach you the various exercises necessary to condition your body. A bonus for swimming is that you never feel sweaty.

 

Running

One of the hardest cardio pushes out there, running works your entire body as it tones your legs. It also releases what’s known as the “runner’s high” when your brain floods your body with endorphins. Some runners enjoy marathons and long distances, which require merely a steady pace and a distance goal. Others focus heavily on sprints, running as fast as they can a short distance, and resting for an even shorter time before doing it again.

 

Put your legs to work by building and strengthening all leg muscles and the gluts. Depending on where you live, you can even push yourself to run along beaches and hiking trails to really take your training to the next level. Requiring only your two legs and determination, you can turn this exercise into anything you want to always keep it interesting. The only thing that limits you is your imagination.

Even these three sports mentioned and all of their conditioning fail to include all of the exercises known to build the lower half. What you put in, is what you get out. Never stop pushing yourself and you’ll see the results you’ve been looking for. Sign up with your local gym and take swimming lessons or get tips on proper technique for running and lifting. There are countless others out there to help you achieve your dream and want you to succeed. With endurance and hard work every day, you’ll finally have a lower half you will be proud to show off.

 

Categories: best workouts, lean, leggy, lower half

Lean Living: How To Lead A Leaner Lifestyle

If your main goal is building a leaner body, you’ll no doubt be aware of how difficult it is achieve. This multi-faceted process takes more dedication than people realise, with nutrition, lifestyle and training factors to consider. Breaking this process down into manageable bits makes it more manageable though, and you’ll start to see results far more quickly. The first rule to remember is that drinking water is far more important than simply quenching a thirst. Water can boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of toxins and waste, and also acts as an appetite suppressant. Researchers have found that people who drink two glasses of water before each meal lost 30 per cent more body fat after 12 weeks. The second rule is to be aware of your carbs and fats mixing. Mixing carbohydrates with fats within the same meal can actually spike your insulin levels, which leads to an excess level of fat storage. Try not to consume carbs within three hours of eating fat as it takes longer to be digested and could still be stored as fat by your body. The best way to combine carbs with other food groups is to opt for protein combinations, such as lean chicken breast with whole wheat pasta.

You should be able to keep your diet in check all the time, but that’s sometimes easier said than done. Some changes to your meals could make a huge difference, so start eating clean. Eliminate sweets and sugary snacks, starchy carbs and alcohol. These are the main causes of weight gain and lead to those unsightly rolls around your midriff. Take them out of the equation and you’re already one step closer to a leaner physique, helping you to see better results from those efforts you’re putting in at the gym. With regards to carbs, simply cutting them out won’t work in the long term. You may see results quickly, but your body will begin to store any carbs it gets. If you want to stay lean all year around, you need to keep your ratio of fats, carbs and proteins constant, regardless if you have a cheat day or not. Another great tip is to up your intake of amino acids, particularly before, during and after workouts, as well as adding some thermogenics to your supplement regimen. You want to preserve lean muscle mass while helping the body to strip fat – when your calorie intake is down, anabolic agents such as BCAA and leucine are a must. The thermogenics will help to provide a burst of energy and also burn a little extra fat when you’re working hard in the gym.

 

When cheat day rolls around, don’t take it as an open invitation to eat everything that’s off limits the rest of the week. Volume eating doesn’t make for a smart cheat meal; because you’ve been cutting back on fat and sugar that you’re body is craving, when you eat those foods the body can’t possibly digest and process them. Keep it simple and manageable on your cheat days – stick to a burger and fries, and don’t be tempted to undo all the hard work you’ve put in just for the sake of one day. And don’t forget to get your rest! You should be aiming to be in bed by 10pm every night, as all of your physical transformation takes place at night while you’re resting. Studies have shown that after four nights of sleep deprivation, the body’s ability to respond to insulin drops by an average of 16 per cent – this leads to fat storage and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Categories: body, carbs, cheat, cheat day, fitness, lean, manageable, Tips

How to Get Clean & Lean in Time for Christmas

If there’s ever a time to lose your unwanted flab, the lead-up to Christmas is it. To prepare for all the turkey, chocolates and general Christmas foods, you need to get your wellness in shape and celebrity trainer James Duigan is the man to help you do it. His Clean & Lean diet plan asks you to cut out the ‘toxic’ foods that threaten your wellbeing and encourage the body to store fat. This means saying bye-bye to alcohol, sugar and processed foods and bringing on the fish, lean meat – including turkey and chicken – and fresh, preferably organic vegetables.

 

Duigan explains, ‘My diet works on the principle that your body’s natural state is lean and fit, not sluggish and fat. But processed foods and drinks and excess sugar pollute the body, causing fat to cling to the hips, thighs, bum and tummy. However, as soon as you stop doing the wrong thing, your body responds very quickly, and you’ll get lean fast. But you have to believe you can do it. It doesn’t matter how often you have failed in the past. What matters now is focusing on what you want and taking action.’ So, which changes do you mean to make to your diet in order to get a flat tummy in time for Christmas?

 

1. Cut out the CRAP: An appropriate acronym if ever there was one, the CRAP – i.e. caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods – is what you need to avoid on the Clean & Lean diet. According to Duigan, these foods are so crappy because they encourage fat to cling to your body.

 

2. Let yourself have a weekly cheat meal: Although the CRAP foods should be avoided, as part of the Clean & Lean diet you’re allowed – nay, required – to have an indulgent meal of whatever you fancy on a weekly basis. As long as you’re eating clean the rest of the time, you can choose a day every week in which you give in to temptation, be it from creamy pasta or a giant slice of chocolate cake. In fact, apart from helping you to go into craving-mode, an occasional high-fat treat actually speeds up your metabolism, meaning you’ll actually lose more weight.

 

3. Step up your supplement intake: While supplements are no replacement for good nutrition, one pill you should start popping is a fish oil supplement. These pills help you to burn up fat, as well as providing your body with essential fatty acids.

 

4. Never skip breakfast: Any dietician or nutritional wellness expert will tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when it comes to weight loss. That doesn’t mean that whatever you eat first in the morning will count as “breakfast” – you need to eat within one hour of waking up for it to count. If you’re not food-inclined first thing in the morning, or you don’t have time to sit down for a proper breakfast, grabbing a piece of fruit and a few nuts will do just fine.

 

5. Avoid eating late at night: As eating early in the day is good for helping you develop better abs, it logically follows that you should also eat your evening meal as early as possible. Your digestive system works better earlier on in the day, so you should try to avoid eating anything after 8pm. Not only is eating a large meal in the evening when your body is slowing down or sleeping is a bad idea for your weight, but it can also do a certain amount of harm to your digestive system, which can cause uncomfortable bowel troubles.

Categories: amp lean, avoid eating, body, breakfast, Clean & Lean Diet, CRAP Foods, foods, lean, lean diet, meal, nbsp, processed foods

What Steps Can You Take to be Trim and Lean in 2013?

You may not have set yourself a New Year’s resolution to improve your wellness or lose weight. You may not have even set one at all, but have you noticed that, at least in your tummy area or your thighs, you’re still carrying around the holiday season with you? At Christmas, chances are you drank well over the recommended units of alcohol and ate huge portions of food, or you may have gone the other way and went hours without eating or drinking water as the excitement of the Christmas spirit just took you over.

 

Yet if you’re not happy with your Christmas weight still knocking about, you need to focus your intentions and take action to change your wellbeing for the better in 2013. For success in weight loss, you need to make these changes whole-heartedly. You should be prepared to monitor your progress, and might want to consider a personal trainer as he or she can set you short, medium and long term goals and ensure you stick to your plan.

 

There are a few extra things you can do on top of this to kick start the process. Write down things you think you could be doing right and wrong with your diet or exercise programme. Are you eating chocolate after 8pm, or exercising at the gym and leaving early because you’re bored? Really think about it and be completely honest. Highlight the exercise and food you enjoy most, as acknowledging and confronting your good and bad habits is the first step to change.

 

Also, get yourself a tape measure and find out your waist, chest, hip and thigh measurements. The scales aren’t always your friend during this time as muscle actually weighs a lot, and your weight can fluctuate during an exercise and diet routine because your body is still adapting to the changes in your food and exercise. Next, clear the temptation of processed foods from your fridge and instead fill your kitchen with fresh food that is nutritionally good for you. Finally, if you want to see significant changes, you should train at a minimum of 3 times a week. Your body then has time to recover on the days that you aren’t training, although it’s still good to move a little bit everyday, even if that means parking a bit further away from work and walking the rest of the journey.

Categories: fitness, lean, trim, weight