10 tips for an athletic body

Set a goal and work to it

The key to an athletic body is consistent training, so in order to maintain the training and stop yourself from getting out of the habit, it's a great idea to set a goal.

This could be as simple as timing one of your training runs once a week and working towards beating it each time, or you could enter a race. Work towards the local 10k, half marathon or swimathon.

Be realistic in your goal though, because if it is unattainable you will get demoralised. If you can get a friend to sign up to the same aim then even better, you can then support each other.

Eat protein with every meal

It is vital to ensure you eat good quality protein with every meal. 'Not only is this important for building lean muscle but it is also necessary for repairing tissue damage which occurs during training, to ensure you become fitter and stronger,' says sports nutritionist Claire Dunt of foodmentor.com.

Claire recommends the following as excellent sources of protein: fish, chicken, turkey, lean red meat, yoghurt and eggs. As a rough guide you should be eating a portion roughly the size of the palm of your hand with every meal.

Pulses, nuts and seeds are also good sources of protein, so snacking on hummus or a handful of nuts would be a good way of keeping up your protein intake.

Drink plenty of water

Making sure your body remains well hydrated at all times is essential if you are to maintain a healthy and athletic body. 'Water is necessary for the regulation of temperature, so keeping hydrated will allow you to train for longer and at a higher intensity, giving you maximum benefit,' says sports nutritionist Claire Dunt of foodmentor.com.

It is also necessary for many other functions in the body, in particular helping to flush out toxins and waste products which helps to keep the skin clear and aids digestion.

Claire recommends you to drink about 1 - 2 litres of water a day, but remember that fruit and vegetables have a high water content so including plenty in your diet will also help.

Antioxidants

These are nutrients which are really important for helping the body maintain good health, and repair damage from pollution, fried foods and exercise.

They help keep skin, hair and nails glowing as well as looking after those tissues which you can't see such as muscles, tendons and ligaments. There are thousands of different antioxidants, but the main ones are Vitamins A, C and E, Zinc and Selenium.

As a general rule they are all found in brightly coloured fruit and vegetables so make sure you include a variety of different foods in your diet. Sweet potatoes, red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, kiwi fruit, grapes, blueberries and mango are just a few of the many foods rich in antioxidants.

Resistance training

Resistance training (i.e. working out with weights) causes you to increase your muscle / fat ratio. In normal person's language; you burn more calories if you have more muscle.

The good news for women is that we don't typically gain size from resistance training (because we have less of the hormones that cause muscle hypertrophy). What you will develop however, is muscle tone and definition.

Importance of rest days

Having rest days, (i.e. days you do no exercise), is crucial to give your body a chance to recover and to rebuild itself.

'Over-training' results in weakening your body's immune system. When this happens you are far more likely to pick up colds and all sorts of nasties.

Build muscle in problem areas

Although it is harder for girls to gain muscle, it can be achieved using a hypertrophy plan.

Hypertrophy is muscle building through the use of weights. In order to achieve this you need to be performing 8 - 12 repetitions of each exercise, lifting enough weight for good form throughout.

Two sets are enough to start with. You need to rest for about 1 - 2 minutes between sets too. Although most ladies don't want to gain muscle this can be a really great way to target problem areas such as the dreaded bingo wings!

Exercise in the morning

By exercising in the morning you are jump-starting your metabolism and keeping it elevated for up to 24 hours, which means you will be burning more calories throughout the course of the day.

Not only will your metabolism be working hard but you will feel more energised throughout the day thanks to your morning's exercise.

And if that's not reason enough to set the alarm a little earlier, then what about the fact that research also shows that those who exercise in the mornings are much more likely to stick to their fitness routine in the long term.