Getting ripped might be more achievable for some people, but the good news is that with the right diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits, anybody can achieve a buff body and maintain it. Depending on your current physicality and lifestyle, you may need to make some serious changes to the way that you live your life before you can start building muscle, toning up, and improving your physique. But don’t worry; small steps often bring about better and more long-lasting results compared to rushing into it and trying to transform your body overnight, and it’s much safer for you to lose weight and build up muscle gradually, too. This gives you plenty of time to ditch old unhealthy habits and get into a new routine of working out regularly and eating well.
A short-lived resolution to exercise more and signing up to a gym membership that you’ve barely used will not, unfortunately, lead to a buff body. Instead, there are several daily habits that you’ll need to work into your routine in order to see the hard work pay off when your waistline shrinks and your muscles start to grow. Soon enough, you’ll need to go shopping for smaller clothes and you’ll start to feel a lot more energetic and much healthier overall.
Preparation is Key:
Perhaps even more than regular exercise, preparation is key when it comes to getting and maintaining a buff body. Those fitness Instagram stars don’t prepare a week’s worth of healthy meals in advance simply because they feel like doing it; they do this because they know just how important it is to help them stay on track. Planning your workout sessions and meal prepping for the week ahead are some of the most important and effective first steps that you can take towards your future success.
The good news is that this doesn’t mean you have to spend your Sunday nights slaving over a hot stove; there are many different things that you can do to prepare. Meal prepping can be easy when you invest in a slow cooker that you can use to batch cook a healthy, protein-laden stew for your meals during the week and invest in some strong Tupperware so you can portion up your lunches for the week in no time.
You might find it helpful to book a few fitness classes that cost you money, so you’ll be more inclined to go and get your money’s worth rather than dropping out and being out of pocket. If you’re not a morning person, soaking oats overnight is a great way to make sure that you are getting a healthy breakfast even if you don’t have much time in between getting up and going to work; add some fruit for an extra antioxidant boost.
Avoid Skipping Breakfast:
Whether you load up on overnight oats or treat yourself to a morning feast of smoked salmon and eggs on wholemeal bread, making sure that you eat a proper breakfast every day is absolutely vital. Unfortunately, scoffing down a cereal bar on the way to work simply won’t cut it if you’re trying to get buff and stay that way.
While a lie-in in the morning might be tempting, researchers have actually found that spending that extra ten minutes in bed can reduce your weight loss potential if it affects your ability to eat a good breakfast; instead, opt for a protein-rich, healthy first meal of the day to kick start your metabolism and give you the energy that you need to face the day ahead. Add a black coffee in the morning, and you’ll burn calories even quicker.
Stay Active Every Day:
Never taking a rest day might seem counterproductive and the last thing that you want is to end up burnout and fatigued, but ideally you should be doing some sort of physical activity every day. One of the main things that people with buff, muscular physiques have in common is that they don’t have a day in the week where they just sit around doing nothing all day.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you should push yourself to the point of almost passing out every day, but even on the days where you’re giving your muscles a rest from lifting weights or not scheduled to do any strenuous workouts, make sure that you keep moving by going for a walk, a slow swimming session, gentle bike ride or doing some yoga. It won’t tire you out too much and along with burning calories, you’ll keep your muscles moving, which can actually aid with their recovery.
Make Protein a Priority:
Protein might be mostly associated with the unappetizing shakes designed for chugging after the gym, but this macronutrient is extremely important for fat loss and muscle building. Protein has a high thermic effect, which means that you will burn more calories when you are digesting foods that are high in protein, leading to better fat loss. Filling up with protein can also suppress your appetite and make sticking to a healthy diet more manageable while reducing the amount of muscle mass that you lose if you are sticking to a low-calorie diet. And, there are plenty of ways to get more protein in a very tasty and fulfilling diet.
Chicken, fish, eggs, beef, ham, and beans are all great sources of protein and you can easily combine them with a range of herbs and spices and a generous portion of vegetables for a really tasty, fulfilling meal.
Sticking to a healthy diet and eating more protein does not have to be boring at all; in fact, there are plenty of delicious protein-rich meal ideas that you can try.
Get the Right Supplements:
There are a number of supplements on the market that promise to help support your goal of getting a buff, toned physique, and you might be wondering if they are worth investing in. With so many different options to choose from, picking the right ones for your needs can be confusing.
If you’re not sure where to start, your doctor can help by recommending supplements that might be useful for you based on any nutrients that you are currently lacking in. If you have a personal trainer, they can also help you pick out the right types of fitness supplements like whey protein and creatine and recommend brands that are reputable and get good results.
You might also want to consider taking a testosterone supplement. TestoGen provides 100% natural testosterone supplements made from pure and organic ingredients that you can take daily as part of a balanced and healthy diet to boost your testosterone production leading to better muscle mass, faster fat burning, and more energy. Click here to find out more.
Set Achievable Goals:
Depending on your starting point, setting the overall goal of ‘get a buff body’ might seem like a huge amount of work and very far away. To make it easier on yourself, set smaller, more achievable goals that all lead up to your ultimate goal of getting fit and having a physique that you are proud of.
You could set weekly or monthly goals for fat loss, or if you’re prioritizing building strength and muscle, set gradually increasing goals when it comes to the amount of weight that you can lift for a certain exercise. For example, if you are deadlifting 80kg this week, try and make it 100kg easily in a couple of weeks’ time, depending on what you are comfortable with and think that you will be able to easily attain.
Don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone a little bit with your goals; you can always reset them if you feel that the goal you are working towards is a little bit too easy.
Work as a Team:
Whenever you are trying to improve yourself in any way, having supportive people around you will always help. As humans, we tend to subconsciously mimic the behaviors of those people that we spend a lot of time around, so if your friends or your partner is coming along on this fitness journey with you, it’s going to be a lot easier for you to encourage each other and motivate each other to keep going.
Surround yourself with people who are supportive of your healthy habits; maybe you have a good friend who’s also thinking about improving his health and getting fit – why not join the same gym and workout together? You might want to set up a group chat between you and your friends where you can share your meal ideas, discuss your workouts, or even join a sports team where you can have fun and even learn something new while staying fit and active at the same time.
Teamwork definitely makes the dream work when it comes to fitness, whether you’re working towards a common goal with old friends or getting to know new people at the gym.
Buff bodies are back in fashion – but getting and maintaining one means making some permanent changes to your habits and lifestyle. If you’re up for that, then you’ll enjoy some great chances to improve your health, fitness, and physique.
