How do I tone my body alongside weight loss?

So I was reading these forum posts where people talked about how they lost a lot of weight but now their skin is all saggy and wrinkly and they wish they had incorporated strength training earlier.
So, please guide me as to what I should do to make sure i lose fat and also get toned?
My typical exercise includes:
- 30 minutes walk
- 10 minutes yoga
- workout in the morning that includes: 10 bench dips, 10 pushups, 20 basic crunches, 30 leg up crunches, 40 jumping jacks, 40 high knees, 10 squats, 10 lunges, 20 planks with leg lift.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Replies

  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
    Sounds like you're doing the right stuff to me but I'm no expert. Key thing is you're exercising. Some people just cut calories so the weight comes off but they don't do the toning and fitness stuff that you're up to.
  • sweetpea813
    sweetpea813 Posts: 112 Member
    I incorporated heavy lifting into my routine to avoid the saggy skin. I still have about 20 pounds to lose but I can see so much definition now! I never had this much definition even when I was skinny!
  • SarahPeters3
    SarahPeters3 Posts: 100 Member
    Heavy lifting is alot better than body weight when it comes to "toning" your muscle. It's works the muscles alot more to better preserve them while losing weight
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    You should definitely be doing more in the strength training department. Doesn't have to be barbells or dumbells, it can be bodyweight, but it needs to be pretty challenging no matter what it is. I'd also skip the bench dips, not worth the shoulder stress.
  • sydleigh295
    sydleigh295 Posts: 1 Member
    If you could swim that would be great exercise!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Lose slowly, and do plenty of strength training and eat plenty of protein to preserve muscle mass.
  • jakefitzgerald93
    jakefitzgerald93 Posts: 24 Member
    Hi :smile:

    Firstly I don't want to sound like a nause but you can't really 'tone' or lose fat in specific areas.

    But you can get that toned look you want :) it boils down to your body fat, water retention and muscle mass :)

    Try some 20 min HIIT home workouts, they burn tons of fat and they build muscle fibres (not grow muscle) it'll make you look great combined with a proper diet plan :)
  • Maria_Fatima
    Maria_Fatima Posts: 238 Member
    Thank you so much everyone for the answers.
    So it looks like i do have some strength training in my routine, and if i increase difficulty as I go, would it help me avoid saggy skin?
    Swimming and weights are currently not available options for me, but bodyweight exercises help too, right, so can you name a few that are really helpful?
  • MudderGrad
    MudderGrad Posts: 14 Member
    You're getting some great advice already. You definitely should increase the difficulty of your exercise in time. Swimming will help but using weights will be the best option once you're ready. Another option would be resistance bands since you're new. However, you can't beat a good set of dumbbells. Here's a few body weight exercises you can add to your routine:
    • Chin/ Pull Up
    • Bear Crawl
    • Mountain Climber
    • Burpees
    • Plank
    • Triceps Dip
    • Diamond Push-Up
    • Shoulder Presses
    • Lunges
    • Squats
  • Maria_Fatima
    Maria_Fatima Posts: 238 Member
    Thank you so much!!
    I can't go to gym right now so should I online order some dumbbells?
  • sawguoyi923
    sawguoyi923 Posts: 23 Member
    Weight lifting followed by a diet, then some cardio from time to time
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited June 2016
    Thank you so much!!
    I can't go to gym right now so should I online order some dumbbells?

    OP yes if you want to..

    For now you can use things around the house like milk jugs filled with sand or dirt, bags of flour, basic 12 or 20 ounce water bottles filled with sand or dirt, you can use your ottoman or kitchen chair for bench dips, or incline pushups.. you can use the bag of flour for tricep extensions, etc.. you can get pretty creative with household stuff around the house..

    Do you have a sports store near you (not sure where you live).. You should order sets of dumbbells according the program or types of exercises that you plan to do and how much weight you will need.. You might want to buy a kettlebell.. you might be interested in what you can do with a kettlebell..

    You can look at "you are your own gym":, "convicting conditioning", things on youtube, for examples of programs.
  • Maria_Fatima
    Maria_Fatima Posts: 238 Member
    ?
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Thank you so much!!
    I can't go to gym right now so should I online order some dumbbells?

    OP yes if you want to..

    OP?
  • Maria_Fatima
    Maria_Fatima Posts: 238 Member
    Thanks a lot, yes, ive been using some stuff around the house. But it's not so effective and sometimes kind of uncomfortable. I'll try to arrange for weights :)