Z. Johnson
Ladies, if you’re currently on a weight loss journey, you know how dreading the thought of losing your curves is. It’s a main concern for all of us, and believe it or not, women still want to have that curvy line even after losing weight. But, don’t panic sis! When it comes to weight loss, the best thing you can do is to make sure that you’re eating the right way and doing the proper workouts. Trust me, there is nothing more frustrating than going on a hamster wheel, doing all the “right things” and not seeing results. If that’s you, keep reading. This is a review of the best workouts to lose weight and keep the curves.
Strength training is key
One thing is true about workouts to lose weight and keep the curves: building muscle mass should be the main focus. By maintaining lean mass, you’ll increase your metabolism. When you increase strength training, you build more muscle, which is what burns body fat. Also, this helps to make weight loss more sustainable and healthier. So, before you jump to the treadmill for hours, start prioritizing resistance training.
The best thing about strength training is that you can target each body area. There are exercises to build more toned arms, legs, chest, back, hips, butt and to strengthen your core. You should exercise all body areas! This will not only make you lose weight effectively but it will also be proportionate all over. You don’t want to have slim legs and flabby arms, right? Please, don’t be scared of lifting weights. Doing this will not make you look like a man, at all. As a matter of fact, increasing weights and repetitions gradually will help you progress and get you in a nice shape. Trust me, you will not look like a man… our metabolism is very different and genetically a woman will not be bulky like that, unless there’s use of substances. However, you will be toned and have beautiful curves.
Read more: The Ultimate guide to lose body fat and bloating
Make sure you start with the kitchen!
What does this mean? Well, as always, I can’t stress this enough: nutrition is key when it comes to losing weight and keeping your curves. You can’t outsmart a good workout with a bad diet. Seriously, no matter how good you perform your exercises, how consistent you are with your repetitions, if you don’t eat well, it won’t work! So, always check your food choices, make sure you’re prioritizing quality protein, healthy fats and fiber.
Check your pantry and your fridge regularly. What types of protein are you eating regularly? Whether you’re vegan or not, making sure that your main sources are lean protein is essential to get results. You can find more about protein food sources here. Stay away from the over processed foods, especially the ones that are high in saturated and trans fat. Choose healthy oils, eat more nuts and seeds. Just remember that by swapping your fats with healthy oils, you’ll burn more body fat. Fiber is also essential to control your digestion, help boost your metabolism and help you stay lean. The rule about eating more fruits and veggies, never grows old.
Read more: Healthier Pantry Swaps to increase your energy and health
What are some of the best workouts to lose weight and keep the curves?
Now that we understand why strength training and targeted cardio are key to keep the curves, there are some exercises that will help you achieve this in an effective way. The best thing about these workouts is that they are relatively easy to perform, with little risk of injury. You can also perform them at home or at the gym. These exercises also require little to no equipment. I personally do them regularly and have achieved results, that’s why I recommend them. So, without further due, let’s dive into the best workouts to lose weight and keep the curves.
Workouts to lose weight and keep the curves: Smart cardio!
If you had the idea that the more hours you spend on the treadmill, the faster results, think again. Here’s the common misconception about cardio: the more you workout, the more you lose fat. But the reality is, you need to exercise cardio effectively. Doing cardio 5 times a week without practicing some strength training can cause serious burnout. Not only that, but too much cardio can make you release cortisol, which is a hormone that causes your body to store fat.
Have you ever noticed someone close to you trying to lose weight that does tons of cardio? Yet this person still struggles with weight loss? That’s the main reason why. You have to ensure that the cardio you do is consistent, targeted and combined with strength training. Apart from that, high intensity training in short intervals is more effective in terms of fat loss. You can learn more about HIIT in this blog post. Did you also know that walking is the most underrated form of cardio? You can still have weight loss results by going on a 30 min walk daily. Add some dumbbells and you’ll strengthen your muscles.
Read more: Best full-body at home workouts to try now!
Workouts to lose weight and keep the curves
Now, just remember that proper training and a routine are essential for you to get results. Eating healthier without exercising the right way can lead to weight loss, but you will also lose muscle. It’s very common. So, to avoid this, make sure you add the proper exercise regimen so you can preserve muscle while losing weight. You’ll surely get a nice, toned body. These are some of my favorite exercises from my routine and what experts recommend to build your body. Here are some of the best exercises to lose weight while you still keep those nice curves.
Lower body (butt and legs):
With these exercises, instead of having a flat butt and flabby legs, you’ll have a nice rounded booty and strong, toned legs. If you do them regularly, the muscles of your booty will grow bigger and firmer, while your legs will be more defined.
Squats (add weights or resistance)
Deadlifts
Lunges
Bulgarian split squats
For these types of workouts, I regularly use resistance bands to enhance my lower body. Resistance bands are excellent to give more tension on your muscles while performing those exercises! You can increase the resistance as you progress in building your muscles. My favorite Amazon lower body resistance bands are anti-slip and roll. They come in 3 levels, from light to heavy. Below, I left you the ones I’m using. You’ll get a discount on your purchase here.
Read more: Do resistance bands for fitness exercise work?
Upper body (chest and arms):
In terms of your chest area, usually losing weight implies losing body fat. Breast tissue is composed mainly of fat tissue and muscle. However, don’t worry. You can keep perky, firm breasts by doing pectoral exercises. These workouts will help to improve size and shape.
Your arms and shoulders will also get thinner as you lose weight. So, pay attention to this area in the body, as you may get hanging skin, especially close to the underarm. To avoid this, focus on working your biceps, triceps, shoulders and full arms. This will get you that nice upper body and prevent the hanging arm skin after weight loss.
Flat bench press
Incline bench press
Close-grip push up
Read more: How to train your body and keep the curves (pt.1)
Core:
One of the main targets of working the abs is to lose that belly fat and get that nice toned flat stomach. However, you must bear in mind that as women, getting a fully flat stomach is unrealistic. If you’ve seen IG models with amazing toned abs, most of the time it is because of picture posing, angles, lighting, fasting and even esthetic procedures. Therefore, don’t obsess with getting a super flat stomach, as this could be counterproductive.
Women have more fat tissue around the lower belly area, due to our sex hormones and organs. So, that being said, you need to get used to having some belly fat in that area. You can get your waist reduced and your core toned, but it’s also important to be realistic about body composition. Let’s take a look at how you can trim your waistline, eliminate those “love handles” and get toned abs.
Planks
Ab crunches
Twisted planks
Side crunches
Compound exercises to strengthen core, like squats or deadlifts
A final word,
These are some of the best workouts to lose weight and keep the curves. By combining effective cardio and resistance training, you will be able to reduce body fat and preserve muscle tissue. Besides that, you will have a more proportional body shape, with better tone and higher metabolism for sustainable weight loss. Are you currently doing these workouts to enhance your weight loss journey? Comment below. Sharing is caring!
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.
