7 Best Body Toning Exercises for Women at Home

Toning exercises are aimed at reducing your body fat percentage so that your muscles become more visible, and your body appears slim and taut. It's natural to want to have a toned look, which will make you feel more confident in life.

It's a myth that toning can only happen through lifting weights or using fancy machines at the gym. Tou can start your weight loss journey at home by sticking to a consistent workout routine that includes toning exercise to work out various muscle groups in the body.

Bodyweight exercises are simple exercises that can be done at home to tone the body and shed those unwanted pounds. However, for quicker and more sustainable results, you must combine your workout routine with a healthy calorie-deficit diet. That will be the icing on the cake.

Body Toning Exercises for Women at Home

Try these seven exercises at home to get a sculpted and toned look:

1) Bird Dog

The Bird Dog is a full-body exercise that strengthens the hips, core and back muscles. It's especially recommended for those who suffer from a weak lower back or lower back pain. When performed regularly, it can help you get toned and taut muscles.

Here's how you do this body toning exercise:

Begin by getting into the tabletop posture on all fours.
Place your hands under your shoulders and knees beneath your hips.
Engage your core muscles to keep your spine neutral.
Bring together your shoulder blades.
Raise your right arm and left leg while maintaining parallel shoulders and hips to the floor.
To look at the floor, lengthen the back of your neck, and bury your chin into your chest.
Hold this position for a few seconds, and return to the starting position.
Raise your left arm and right leg for a while.
Retain the initial position to complete one rep.
Perform two to three sets of 8-12 reps each.

2) Glute Bridge

This is an excellent exercise to strengthen the muscles in your lower body, especially the ones that support the back. Your thighs, glutes and hips are all worked in this exercise.

Here's how you do this body toning exercise:

Begin by lying on your back with legs bent at your knees, feet flat on the floor and arms at your sides.
Engage your abdominals; clench your glutes; press into your heels, and elevate your hips towards the ceiling till your shoulders and knees make a straight line.
Hold the position for two seconds, and return to your initial position to complete one repetition.
Perform three sets of ten repetitions.

3) Single Leg Deadlift

This exercise primarily targets your hamstrings but also strengthens your glutes, erector spinae, obliques and abdominals.

Here's how you do this body toning exercise:

Begin by standing with your feet together and arms at your sides.
Tilt the chest forward while elevating the left leg behind the body (with the foot flexed) and extending the left arm forward till they are parallel to the floor.
Return to the starting postion to complete one repetition.
Perform three sets of ten repetitions on each side.

4) Superman

This exercise targets the muscles you use daily in various activities. It strengthens your lower and upper back, shoulders, hamstrings, glutes and abdominal muscles.

Here's how you can do the Superman body toning exercise:

Start by lying on your stomach with your arms and legs extended on the floor so that your body forms one long line.
Place your forehead on a mat.
Engage your abs; compress the glutes, and elevate all four limbs, chest and head a few inches off the ground while maintaining a neutral neck by staring towards the top of the mat.
Hold for three to five seconds, and slowly return to the starting position to complete one repetition.
Perform as many reps as possible in 30 seconds.

5) Deadbug

This exercise is as interesting as its name. It targets and strengthens the deep core muscles and improves coordination and concentration.

Here's how you do this body toning exercise:

Begin in a prone position, with arms stretched over the chest and legs elevated and bent at 90 degrees (knees above hips and shins parallel to floor).
Your lower back should be pressed to the floor and core braced.
Slowly and simultaneously extend and lower the right leg so that it hovers just above the mat.
Pause, and return to the starting position, and repeat on the other side to complete one repetition.
Perform as many controlled repetitions as possible in 30 seconds.

6) Leg Lowers

This is a dynamic core-strengthening exercise that targets the hip flexors and external obliques. It also stabilises the spine and tones the lower back.

Here's how you do this body toning exercise:

Begin by lying on your back with your legs extended straight towards the ceiling, feet over the hips and arms by your sides.
Lower the left leg as far as possible without arching the lower back off the mat.
Return to the starting position, and repeat on the opposite side to complete one repetition.
Perform as many controlled repetitions as possible in 30 seconds.

7) Plank

End your session with this excellent full-body exercise that can strengthen your arms, legs and core muscles.

Here's how you do this body toning exercise:

Begin by kneeling at the back of the mat, with your toes tucked and your butt on your heels.
Walk your hands forward into a stance on all fours, with the knees beneath the hips and wrists beneath the shoulders.
Raise your knees to create an imaginary straight line from the heels to the head.
Maintain a high hip position and an engaged core. Hold for 30 seconds, and resume.

Takeaway

Losing fat through body toning exercises alone takes a lot of time. If you want to lose weight more efficiently and quickly, you should also follow a calorie-deficit diet that's rich in nutrients like proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals and also some carbohydrates. Balance is the key to get a truly toned and slim body.