Weight loss and body toning -- among the most common goals for people who begin an exercise regimen -- come only with time and an extended commitment to a well-crafted workout routine and disciplined diet. Fortunately, the different approaches to shedding pounds and improving overall muscle tone provide options to craft a program that fits your individual needs and fitness level.
Beginning
Consult a physician to gauge your preparedness for different types of exercise. Additionally, listen to your body. Accomplishing fitness goals is about consistency -- you need an approach that will allow you to work out regularly. Any exercise causing pain or proving difficult to complete should be scaled back to make it more manageable -- particularly at the earliest stages. Don't be in a rush. You will increase your capabilities over time.
Cardio Training
A combination of weight training and cardio serves as the best approach to manage weight loss and toning. Cardio workouts provide the most direct focus on fat burning and also establish a fitness foundation that will allow you to gain the greatest benefit from weight training. Additionally, dietary discipline plays a prominent role in successful weight loss. You can't out exercise an unhealthy diet.
Strength Training
Creating a toned body requires consistent work on every major muscle group in the body. Any exercise intended to tone your body must provide resistance against which the muscles work. A complete strength-training program exercises the chest, shoulders, back, upper arms, forearms, core, quads, glutes, thighs, hamstrings and calves. Although it may seem that such a routine would take an extensive period to complete, a regimen of this sort can easily be completed in 20 to 30 minutes.
Yoga
Those searching for an alternate method of weight loss and body toning might find a more fulfilling approach in yoga. Yoga has the potential to aid in weight loss as well as improve muscle tone. The process of stretching and forming certain poses and positions in yoga practice requires a simple, manageable initial involvement, but can lead to a progressively sophisticated routine that also reduces stress, increases spine health and improves sleep quality.
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