It took me a whole year to actually figure out how this working out thing works – effectively that is. I’ve always been quite slim but I’ve still always made it a priority to remain active even though my track & dance days are long gone. But I’ll be honest when I say, that I started hitting the gym less when I started getting bored with my workout routines. I was only limiting myself to the easy and cliche workouts (i.e. treadmill, leg presses) because that’s all that I really knew. 
It was at that moment that I realized that I needed to switch it up and come up with an effective game plan that would help me get pumped about the gym. Here I’m sharing my easy guide for really understanding how to get toned, for real. First, I’ll discuss how to come up with a gym workout routine that works for you and delivers actual results. Then I’ll give you a basic understanding of how to eat before and after the gym in order to get the most out of your workouts. And then I’ll wrap it up with some fun things to have at the gym to keep the experience fun and exciting! If you have any ideas, tips, and tricks of your own feel free to drop me a line, as I love learning new things to enhance my workout experience!
Plan A Workout Routine
• Set a few hours to come up with your workout plan.
• Google workouts that are best for what you wish to achieve.
• Write down the list of workouts you’d like to do.
• Google images of how those workouts are done.
• Save the images of your choice to your phone/nano/ipod.
• Have them handy when at the gym and use them as a road map.
Workout Routine + Game Plan Ideas
• The Super Toning Training Routine
• The Not-Too-Light Not-Too-Heavy Toning Routine
• Ab Workout: 8 Weeks To A Flatter Stomach
• Celebrity Inspired Bod Workout Routines
• 3 Day Whole Body Toning Workout
How To Remember Your Workout Routine
• Save pictures of each workout to your phone/nano/ipod.
• Create a small list of the workouts you want to do – on paper or on your device.
• Have a different routine for each day of the week.
What you eat before and after your workouts will determine how much you’ll benefit from the workout you’ve completed. You can do further research on how many grams/calories of food you should be eating, however the infographic I’ve created above was made with the intention of showing you meal samples based on proportion. Below are some super-foods great for snacking on or incorporating into your meals before and after your workout!
PRE-MEAL | (Should be consumed 1hr – 3hr pre workout). Peanut Butter, Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Oatmeal, Yams, Green Tea, Brown Rice, Yogurt, Tuna, Egg Whites, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Slice of Toast, Rasberries, Multi-grain Crackers.
POST-MEAL | (Should be consumed 30min – 1hr post workout). Fish, Chicken, Eggs, Rice, Baked Potato, Pineapples, Watermelon, Bananas, Raisins, Nuts, Sweet potato, Spinach, Cherries, Vegetables, Protein Shake, Rice Cakes, Hummus, Pita, Multi-grain bread, Quinoa, Salad.
What are your workout tips, tricks, and/or comments?
