Thought about toning your body using a few simple tricks? How is that even possible? In this post, I’m going to share with you how clearly Ms. Sara Lindberg has laid out the plan for your next bodybuilding project. A couple of posture reminders, bodyweight exercises, and diet reformulation are all you need. But, how can these huge-sounding to-dos even be simple? Check out below.

Idleness Is Your Enemy

Yes, every time someone pats your slouching back, you get triggered and irritated. It’s another posture reminder, and I understand how the majority of us merely forget not to slouch.

Well, it’s almost just the default position to be in. Ms. Lindberg thought about the easiest possible solution for your lazy back.

“Instead of spending the majority of your day with your backside in a chair, incorporate a few simple habits into your daily lifestyle to see results.”

What simple habits was she talking about? To give you an easy read, here’s the bulleted list:

• Walk 20 minutes once or twice in a day.
• Stand for 60 to 90 minutes while attending to your household or office tasks.

Well, I added those last few words to make it even more imaginable for you. It just means that instead of checking on your phone (while on an office break) while comfortably seated, stand up. You know how often office breaks break our posture targets because it’s during these times that we loosen our hold and just relax.

So, take standing or walking breaks instead.

And, naturally, if you’re just idle the whole day, you won’t find an excuse against slouching. Idleness should be your enemy. Now if my emphasis has been on activity, Ms. Sara’s is on consistency:

“Consistency is the key, and if you’re struggling with keeping track of how often you’re moving (or not moving), try using a fitness tracker on your phone or watch.”

I would say that’s such practical advice. Follow it and never ignore your fitness tracker’s notifications. As for me, I could do better at keeping myself from being idle by simply doing bodyweight exercises wherever I am, which, by the way, is the next featured trick.

Exercise Wherever, Whenever

It’s the third in Ms. Sara’s list of four. I’m mentioning them second here to connect you with the first point quickly, as I just told you from above. Exercise wherever you are. It’s one secret to toning your body.

In a sense, Ms. Sara says you can’t be busy enough to neglect exercising “in your everyday clothes.” And I agree.

She then outlines a list of quick exercises you can do for a minute each. Spare just five short minutes of your 1440-minute day, and you can do the following:

• Push-ups
• Squats
• Step Out Jumping Jacks
• Back Lunge to Knee-Up
• Standing Cat to Swan

Don’t be intimidated by the names. Check out the author’s description of how to do each, and you’ll see how simple they really are to perform. I’m talking about whether you’re at home or in the office. I bet the five-minute set of them is among the best bodyweight workouts for really busy people.

HIIT For Those Who Do Not Settle For What’s “Easy”

You might wonder why Ms. Lindberg thought about suggesting HIIT. I thought a second about it, too. I was quite expecting the whole list to consist of “easy” tips for toning your body. But then I remembered she said these tricks for toning your body are going to “simple.” There’s a difference.

So, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) finds a room here because they can be simple but not necessarily easy. In fact, if these tricks are going to be “game-changing” as Ms. Sara’s title says, then at some point, they had to be challenging.

Who’s up for challenges? I am.

“High-intensity interval training increases the intensity of the workout without increasing the volume. Think of it this way: If you’re trying to squeeze exercise into your busy week and you need to focus on quality, high-intensity is the way to go. You can work out in less time and still get the calorie-crushing benefits.”

And that’s the whole point of including HIIT in this list of simple tricks for toning your body. Again, it’s about giving busy heads the real deal within the shortest time interval.

Go Outdoors To Add Fun To The Challenge

Go find a hill, walk or run up there, and perform some body weight exercises such as push-ups at the top. Basically, that’s what the author suggests for a HIIT that offers fun beyond the challenge.

I would definitely recommend that as I’ve tried the trick myself. I’m on it now on a weekly basis and would challenge myself to do it daily. Well, I may have to find the nearest hill to my office first.

Don’t Wait Till You’re Full Before You Stop Eating

Honestly, I’m discussing this after all else because I know many of us would be guilty. This trick could be the classic example of the simple-but-not-easy suggestions around that we just tend to neglect.

But Ms. Sara is wise enough to include the advice.

“Eat until you’re satisfied – not when you’re full.”

And when all notifiers fail of getting you to follow this simple trick, it probably pays to know the rationale behind. However, I couldn’t find the exact reason in the article. Ms. Sara says it’s “avoiding that stuffed feeling” and quotes Andrea Marcellus, CEO of the and/life mobile app. By the way, it was Marcellus whom Lindberg interviewed to create the piece.

“When you’re eating in proper portions, you’re meeting the energy requirements needed to sustain you, and if you’re full, you’ve gone beyond what your body needs to fuel itself.”

That’s what Marcellus says. And I just realized that if I take in more than what I need, I would probably end up out of tone. So, if toning your body is your goal, “eating in proper proportions” means getting rid of the first chance for excess fats to build up.

So, when do I stop eating?

“Eat till you’re satisfied.” I guess the only problem with this advice is about what satisfied means. I can reconsider my cravings and won’t be satisfied until I got myself to overloaded fullness. Maybe defining what satisfaction really means would help.

Well, if we’re going to be rational about it, I think we should just stick with “eating in proper proportions.” That could mean preparing our meals when we’re not yet hungry, so we could stay logical and only cook what our body needs.

I couldn’t even promise this to myself. But, if I choose to eat fibrous, whole foods, I know I could easily get the feeling of satisfaction and fullness at the same time. My definitions may sound subjective, but my stomach’s density receptors won’t be fooled if I ate the right kinds of foods in the first place. So, I eat delicious veggies and fruit combos that satisfy both my pleasures and my nutrient needs.

Toning Your Body Is About The Purpose

At the end of the day, I would say anything hard can be done simply, depending on how tuned in you are to your purpose. My purpose of shaping up isn’t just about looking good. Our body shapes are health indicators. If I’m not in shape, I know something’s not right with my body, and most likely so with my habits. So, I tone up – no, it’s probably the other way around. I work out, eat healthily, and find a way to get stress out of my life – then I get toned up.

The result is a perfectly defined contour and a healthy beating heart inside. I bet you’ll love to have the same.

View original article at active.com.