Summer is almost here! This is when most of us start focusing on exercises and practices that will help us tone our muscles and shed those last winter pounds. Here are 5 tips that are easy to implement and give excellent results.

1. Planks, Push Ups and Squats

Planks, Push-Ups, and Squats are all weight-bearing exercises. If you can commit to 15 minutes a day, these 3 exercises will make a big difference in your muscle tone. They are easy to do anywhere, don’t require any fancy equipment except a timer (though some people like to use a yoga mat), and are highly effective because they work your entire body.

• Planks –  Hold your body in a “plank” position, simulating the “up” part of a push-up, but stay there, holding perfectly still, for 30 to 60 seconds. Keep your abs tight and your back flat the entire time. Try to lengthen your whole body, reaching back through your heels and forward through the top of your head.
• Push-Ups – Make your entire body straight, like a plank, with your toes and the balls of your feet on the mat, and hands directly under your chest. Using your arms, go down to the count of four, and back up to the count of four. Do 12 to 15 reps.
• Squats – Stand with your feet under your hips, shoulder width apart. Extend arms in front of you, for balance (or hold onto the back of a chair). To the count of four, slowly bend your knees, with your chest and butt out, stopping once you are almost “sitting in a chair.” It’s essential that you push your butt out as much as possible as you’re going down, to keep the pressure off your knees. Do 15 reps.

2. Daily Cardio

Cardio helps to burn calories and promote weight and fat loss as it tightens and tones muscles. Try to do some kind of cardio exercise every day for at least 30 minutes–walk, run, elliptical, swim, bike, Zumba … whatever you enjoy doing. 

3. Stay Hydrated

This is one of the simplest and most effective fitness concepts to implement. Drinking the right amount of water ensures that your body has the proper environment for important functions to take place; namely the process of metabolizing (“burning”) fat for energy.  And, since muscles are made primarily of water, dehydration can prevent muscles from properly contracting, reducing muscle tone. Increasing water intake will help prevent muscle cramping, improve the strength of muscle contractions and quicken muscle response.

Try this Fruit Water recipe as a delicious way to get your daily hydration!

4. Get Enough Sleep

After working out, your muscles are in need of repair. When we sleep, our bodies are flooded with muscle-building, or anabolic, hormones including insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and testosterone, which help build and repair the damage. A December 2017 study of over 10,000 people in the ‌Journal of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions‌ found that good sleep quality is associated with greater muscle strength, while sleeping fewer than six hours a night may be a risk factor for decreased muscle strength. Shoot for 8 hours each night to get the sleep benefits your body needs.

5. Use Body Firming Body Care

Firming body care can come in all forms such as oils, creams, serums, or gels. These are specially formulated with ingredients such as caffeine, designed to help firm your bum, tum and wobbly bits!

Due to great results, I always use RE9 Advanced® Firming Body Cream. This luxuriously thick vegan body cream is formulated to nourish, hydrate and rejuvenate the look of lackluster or dry skin with Stabilized Vitamin C, Red Algae Extract, peptides, caffeine and a bevy of other beneficial ingredients. Ongoing use of this vegan body cream helps replenish moisture, improve the look of imperfections such as dimpling through hydration, and promote skin that appears firmer, lifted and more toned with renewed radiance.

Perfect for the summer months ahead!