9 Top Tips for Women to Build Muscle and Lose Fat
Women who are on a quest to lose fat and build muscle often become frustrated with how long it takes and how few results they are seeing, which can result in giving up on the whole process.
Women’s bodies are also very different from men’s, so reading up on exercise plans and tips for a man’s body won’t offer the results you’re after.
There is also a big push to diet and take part in all kinds of different fads, and while these can have fast results, at first, often you end up gaining back all the weight and then some: that and the fact they don’t help you when it comes to building muscle.
Before you decide to throw in the towel, here’s a look at some tips you can use when it comes to how to build muscle and lose fat women.
Get the Correct Amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6
This tip is straightforward as it doesn’t involve any exercise whatsoever. It’s recommended that women be sure to get the correct amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6; you don’t want too little or too much. Ideally, this means limiting your intake of vegetable oils and fat.
Focus on Lean Muscle
Everyone knows that muscle burns fat, so aiming to build lean muscle will give your body more tone and use up calories.
There are some tips for doing this: eating many meals throughout the day with a high concentration of protein and doing weight training.
Processed foods will be your enemy while working on lean muscle; instead, opt for foods like egg whites, fish, chicken breast, and a healthy variety of vegetables.
Regarding your weight training schedule, it’s ideal to aim for three times a week. Be sure to switch up the areas you are training so you don’t put all your focus in one place.
Some exercises are known to burn fat and build up your muscle: barbell squats, triceps extensions, and curls.
Don’t Forget your Cardio
While many people focus on weight training to build muscle, they forget that cardio also plays a vital role in the process.
By including cardio in your workout, you’ll speed up the results and also find after the initial phase; you’ll start to have much more energy.
Remember, there is no rule that you have to do cardio and weight training on the same or separate days; you can decide which schedule works best for you.
Just be sure that you’re doing moderate to high-intensity cardio training. You should do 30 minutes of cardio three to four times a week.
Fight Boredom
A guaranteed way to turn you off exercising and hit a plateau is to do the same thing day in and day out. Instead, be sure to change up your exercise routine.
Work out in your home, at the gym, and outdoors, and perform different activities. You’ll likely find some you enjoy more than others but try to resist committing the same ones each time.
Meet up with a Nutritionist/Meal Planner
It may be worth your time to schedule an appointment with a nutritionist or meal planner who can advise you on the best foods to help you meet your weight loss goals.
Fad diets should be avoided at all costs because even if you lose weight, it will be temporary.
Instead of seeing the process as a lifestyle change, focusing on healthy, natural, and nutrient-rich foods is the way to go.
Starving yourself, cutting things out of your diet completely, and surviving just on liquids won’t get you where you want to be and can send you off course in the long run.
Do Your Research
Before starting an exercise routine, there is nothing wrong with researching the correct exercises to perform.
It will help you put together an effective routine, and you can also view the correct way to perform the exercises.
If the exercise isn’t performed correctly, you won’t get the desired results and risk injuring yourself, which means your workout will come to a halt for days and even weeks as you recover.
Carbs Aren’t the Enemy
Over the past few years, carbs have been given a pretty bad reputation, with many people swearing off of them altogether. While they aren’t going to help your cause if you eat them in excess, the fact of the matter is that you do need some carbs.
If you don’t have enough carbs in your body, your muscle will start drawing from itself to get energy, destroying all your work to build it in the first place.
Carbs that are stored in your body are called glycogen, and that’s what the muscles feed on. With that said, it’s always wise to consume your carbs just after your workout to replenish and feed your muscles.
Try to keep your daily intake in check, though, as your carbs shouldn’t exceed 30-40% of your total daily calorie count.
Look for the Good Fats
Fats have gotten a terrible reputation, causing people to opt for fat-free and low-fat options.
Your body requires fat to act as fuel, so you need some, but it’s a matter of picking the good fats versus the bad ones. Healthy fats are fish, walnuts, avocados, and almonds.
Stay on Track and Get Results the Results You Deserve
By following these tips, you’ll be able to stay on track, stay motivated and start seeing the fat melting off your body while the muscle is built.
Over time these tips will just become second nature, and you won’t even have to think about them; instead, you’ll be focused on the great results you’re finally starting to see.
