the 20-something's guide to hot girl summer results (aka:: how to really get "toned" & why your current routine & systems may not be working)
do you feel like you’ve been exercising, eating right, drinking water, sleeping, managing stress, & still not seeing the “toned” results you want in your body? have you been diligent about the foods you are eating & the calories you’re taking in, exercising multiple times/week, & still frustrated with your body composition? if you’re anything like me in college, i was eating 1200 calories/day because the simple formula of calories in & calories out was the key to weight loss… right?
let’s dive in. for starters, a few definitions used in this paper…
body composition:: the general make-up of our bodies in regards to muscle tissue (fat-free mass), water, & fat mass
“toned” & “sculpted”:: terms that usually describe an aesthetic look involving muscle tone & decreased fat mass.
i’ve had so many women come up to me asking how to create that “toned” look in their workouts or how to get rid of their belly/inner thigh/lower abdominal fat. what exercises do i do? what foods do i eat? is it worth it to count macros? (i’ve totally been there with all of these questions!) what we are all basically asking is “how can we change our body compositions to improve muscle mass & decrease fat mass?”
in order to tackle that question, we need to understand the science & physiology behind what is happening during these processes.
how is muscle built?
strength training/resistance training provides mechanical load to the muscle tissues, creating microtrauma within the muscle cells
following exercise, the damaged muscle fibers are then repaired.
with repetitive strength training utilizing progressive overload & the subsequent microtrauma & repair, the muscle fibers grow & are strengthened (muscle hypertrophy)
in order for muscle hypertrophy to occur, we need to prep & fuel with the proper building blocks while also allowing the muscle enough rest to complete the repair process.
our body needs carbohydrates for energy prior to exercise, in addition to fats for appropriate hormone regulation during & after exercise, & protein to allow for muscle repair & building after exercise.
**one reason you may not be seeing the body composition results you want is inadequate stimulus in the form of progressive overload strength training, nutrition & fueling deficits, or inadequate rest! this can also include doing too many core workouts to help lose lower body fat, without giving your core muscles sufficient time to repair, rebuild, & re-strengthen!
how is fat stored, lost, & used for energy?
excess calories are turned into triglycerides in the liver, packaged as lipoproteins, & stored long term in adipose (fat) tissue located throughout our body.
when energy is needed, lipolysis (fat breakdown) occurs to break up these triglycerides into their components to be utilized for energy in different tissues throughout the body (muscle tissue included!)
we need fat for so many processes in the body, including energy & hormone regulation.
the change in size of these fat cells is primarily what causes a change in our body composition. the actual number of these cells is largely predetermined in childhood & adolescence. however, with excessive intake larger than what is needed for our daily lives, the fat/adipose cells can grow to where they can no longer store more lipoproteins, so new fat cells are created.
when we focus on healthy body composition changes, the adipose cells can shrink as we utilize the stored triglycerides for energy, creating body composition changes & decreasing fat mass.
**a key note! fat loss & storage is a systemic (full body) process. we cannot determine or alter where fat is deposited or taken away in our bodies based on exercise. for example, more inner thigh work will not decrease the fat mass in the inner legs, & more core work will not create more fat loss in that area. it is a full body process, so body composition changes require a full-body approach!
why calories in/calories out isn’t the full story
the “calories in/calories out” theory revolves around weight loss occurring if we expend more calories (calories out) than we consume (calories in). this oversimplified viewpoint of weight loss can create frustration & often leave us worse off than before. it is also why, if you’ve tried to lose weight before with significant caloric restriction, you may not have been pleased with the long term results. here are a few considerations::
our bodies are smart! God built redundant pathways into our systems to help our bodies when they experience starvation or decreased energy/caloric availability. for example, when we have low energy availability, our brain is cued to reduce certain neurotransmitter & hormonal pathways to reduce our basal metabolic rate, or the amount of energy required to sustain our basic life processes. our bmr is a huge contributor to caloric expenditure, so caloric restriction can negatively impact our bmr for the sake of survival when we have significantly restricted calories. furthermore, our bodies start to limit pathways that require significant energy expenditure, such as muscle building & repair.
not all calories are the same. our bodies utilize the calories from m&ms differently than an egg, even if an egg has more calories than a few m&ms.
what are some reasons we may not be seeing the results we want?
you’re not providing your muscles sufficient stimulus through progressive overload for microtrauma & repair.
you’re not sticking with a routine for a long enough period of time. muscle growth/hypertrophy takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks!
you’re not eating enough or hydrating enough to fuel your workouts & repair/rebuild muscle after exercise.
you’re not giving your body enough rest to carry out the muscle repair & rebuilding processes. this includes adequate sleep!
you’re trying to “spot treat” fat by doing more core workouts to target lower belly fat, inner thigh exercises, etc.
you’re rushing through your workouts as part of a “checklist” rather than creating that mind/muscle awareness to target the muscles appropriately.
your stress levels or external environment is in opposition to the internal changes you want to see. for example, if you’re going through finals for the first time as a freshman while also stressing out about maintaining an exercise routine, your body may be adapting to a heightened increase in overall “stress” to the system, both psychologically & physically.
so how does all of this come together to give us the results we want?
combining it all is where the magic happens! (& also where most people struggle!) our bodies respond to exercise, nutrition, stress, etc. in so many different ways, so creating a routine that is right for your body revolves around taking what we know about the physiology of how our bodies work and adding it with experimentation based on multiple factors:: what we find fun in regards to movement, strengthening, & progressive overload, what foods fuel our bodies in the right way, & how we manage all of these things when our bodies are out of relative equilibrium (due to lack of sleep, external stress like college finals or family health struggles, etc.).
i’m going to guess, if you’ve made it this far in the post, you’ve already been working with the experimentation factor all on your own! it’s what people do when they really want to see change: they try out things to see what works! however, i also think that is where a lot of folks get frustrated. they try something, like a new workout program, then switch to something else because they either heard about it from a friend or decided they weren’t seeing the results they wanted. experimentation is necessary & can take some time, but having a “method to the experimentation madness” is totally necessary!
in order to help guide you in this experimentation process, i wanted to create a resource to help bring awareness to how your body, mind, & soul are feeling as you learn to couple the science & physiology of how the body builds muscle while also listening to what your body wants/needs in order to reach your goals in a sustainable way.
this resource is meant as a daily “check-in” for yourself. how did your food choices for the day affect your bloating, bowel movements, & energy levels? how did the movement you chose affect your body? we take all of these factors into account when trying to figure out what works best for your body. download the pdf below to give you some guidance & awareness surrounding the choices you make in regards to fuel & movement & how that will affect your long term results!
a final note::
if you’ve been struggling to stay consistent with a fueling & movement routine…stay tuned. i’ve been working hard on something to make this the ultimate wellness sisterhood for us 20-somethings to feel like we have the knowledge on our bodies & the resources needed for how to build muscle, stay energized, & have the rocking results we want. if you’ve ever participated in a fitness program, please reach out & tell me what you loved, what you hated, & what you’d like to see in a program specifically designed for YOU. i’m so excited! love you guys!
