The Female Guide To Getting Lean, Trim, And Hard

Fit is the new hot. Long gone are the days where skinny women are considered the best looking. Society has finally woken up to the fact that strong women are sexy. However, because of our chemical makeup, it can be hard for women to get a lean and trim body. If you are determined to whip your body into shape, all you need is to follow this guide and you’ll see success.

Start By Evaluating Your Lifestyle

The best way to start is by making small lifestyle changes that can make a BIG difference.
•    Make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, especially after a good workout. Your muscles will need that time to repair.
•    Manage your stress levels through a hobby, meditation, or yoga. As women, hormones make a big difference in our ability to burn fat. Stress is the evil enemy in this regard. Do whatever you can to diminish the sources of stress in your life.
•    Look for ways to increase you activity level, especially if you have a desk job. Schedule fun outings with friends that include sports like beach volleyball or ultimate Frisbee. Take your family on a hike in the weekends. Use the stairs, walk during lunch, or google a desk office workout- https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/exercise-at-your-desk

Nutrition for a Lean, Trim, Hard Body

You would think that the most important part of getting good muscle mass is your workout but without providing your body with the right fuel, you’d be wasting your time with even hour long workouts (You do not need hour long workouts to get fit, so don’t freak out!). So, how are your eating habits?

In order to shed fat and reveal muscle you need to have a calorie deficit. To do this you need to calculate your BMI and daily caloric need to achieve this weight in a steady and consistent manner.

To calculate your daily calorie needs go here: https://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned
The number you calculated is the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. You need to shave off around 500 calories to lose a pound per week. Add in the calories burned through your workout and you’ll see a healthy loss of about 2-3 lbs per week. If you eat right this weight loss will be pure fat.

Diet

•    A healthy diet to create a lean body needs to have plenty of protein, about 80-90 grams of lean protein per day. Chicken breasts, fish, and vegetable proteins are good sources of lean protein.

•    Next, you need to calculate your carbohydrates, which should be complex carbs at all times, no processed yucky stuff.

•    The rest of your nutrition should come from fruits and vegetables with a few healthy fats from nuts, seeds, and healthy oils. Always hydrate your body with at least 64 oz. of water.

The Workout

Finally! It’s about time we get to your workout, right? The absolute best workouts for busy women to effectively sculpt a beautiful lean body would be quick, include cardio, and work every major muscle in the body.

I know what you are thinking, but this workout does exist!

It’s called High Intensity Interval Training. I’m sure you heard of it. It’s very popular and for good reason.

It can take as little as 20 minutes and will leave you feeling like you’ve wrestled a lion. This workout is a sample of what the perfect workout will look like. You can vary your workout constantly to include your favorite bodyweight moves and focus on any of your trouble zones.

Just follow this formula for circuits and timing and you can’t fail!

Circuit 1:

50 seconds burpees
10-second rest
50 seconds jump squats
10-second rest
Repeat 4 times

Circuit 2:

30 seconds push-ups
30 seconds butt kicks
30 seconds side plank pulses (left)
30 seconds high knees
30 seconds push-ups
30 seconds jumping jacks
30 seconds side plank pulses (right)
30 seconds butt kicks
Rest 1 minute
Repeat 2 times

Love to run? Try this interval workout after a quick warmup:

2 min 65% max speed running
30 sec 90% max speed
1 min of bodyweight exercise of choice
Repeat 6 times

Increase muscle mass by making it to the gym once or twice a week for heavy lifting. Don’t worry, this won’t make you bulky, but it will set fire to your metabolism and have the fat melting off your body like butter.