How to Get a Lean, Toned Body for Women
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How to Get a Lean, Toned Body for Women

How to Get a Lean, Toned Body for Women
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Updated on July 31, 2025
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The days of staring at the scale and willing it to change seem to be lessening as more women look for ways to achieve a toned body. Through a combination of strength training, healthy eating, and the right amount of cardio, you will find the best way to get lean and toned.

Healthy Eating for a Toned Body

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that a woman who is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 126 pounds consume anywhere between 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day. Where you land in that wide range of calories depends on your age and activity level.

For example, a 31- to 35-year-old sedentary woman is on the lower end, needing only 1,800 calories a day, whereas a woman of the same age who is moderately active or very active might need 2,000 to 2,200 calories each day. Looking at those numbers, you might be surprised by how high they are. After all, many women have been conditioned to believe that getting a toned body is equated with a very-low-calorie diet.

However, eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats, and taking in 2,000 calories versus 1,200 may actually lead to greater fat loss. Make sure to include protein such as chicken, fish, beans, and low-fat turkey and beef in a lean muscle diet program for women.

General Exercise Guidelines

Eating right is only part of the equation. To get a toned body, you also need to include exercise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Additionally, you should include a minimum of two days a week of strength training activities that involve all of the major muscle groups.

 Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise programs.

Cardio Exercise for a Toned Body

If you're new to exercise, starting with the minimum recommendations is smart. But if you've been at this for a while, you might need to up your game and boost the amount of time you spend exercising each week. In fact, for additional benefits, it's recommended that you increase your aerobic activity to 300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity or 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise.

In addition to steady-state cardio, try to include one or two days a week of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This form of cardio increases the intensity of a workout without increasing the volume. In fact, including HIIT workouts at least two times a week will help you cut back on the total time spent exercising. Doing a 30 seconds on/30 seconds off series of intervals will help you increase your overall calorie burn and train your body to be more efficient. For example, if you're on the treadmill, run for 30 seconds at a higher intensity, then walk for 30 seconds and repeat.

Strength Training for a Toned Body

Cardio or aerobic exercise, such as running, cycling, swimming, and the elliptical, all work to help get you to your 300 minutes. Unfortunately, if you're doing only cardio, you might find it difficult to get a toned body.

The best way to get lean and toned is to include strength training in your overall fitness plan. While the CDC recommends two days a week, in order to build lean muscle, you need to add in more sessions of weight-bearing exercise.

 Even adding one more day to the mix, for a total of three days each week, will make a difference.
And before you start worrying about your biceps bulging out of your T-shirt, remember, women don't typically bulk up like men do. Why? Because they lack the level of testosterone needed to get huge. That said, it is possible for women to build some solid size and mass, but they are likely strength training several days a week with very high weight.

Aim for three days a week of strength training and include full-body workouts that focus on compound exercises (movements that work multiple muscles at one time, rather than single movement lifts). Examples include squats with a shoulder press, deadlifts with a bent-over row, lunges with a lateral raise, push-ups and planks with a one-arm row. Make sure you give each muscle group at least 48 hours to recover before exercising that muscle group again.

The Takeaway

  • For women, achieving a lean, toned body involves a combination of strength training, healthy eating, and the right balance of cardio exercise.
  • The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise combined with two days of strength training per week — increasing exercise intensity or incorporating high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can further enhance results.
  • A balanced diet rich in fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats — along with appropriate calorie intake based on activity level — supports women's fitness goals.
  • It's essential to include strength training sessions in your fitness regimen to build muscle mass effectively.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. U.S. Department of Agriculture. December 2020.
  2. Klemm S. 4 Keys to Strength Building and Muscle Mass. American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics – Eat Right. May 10, 2024.
  3. Adult Activity: An Overview. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 20, 2023.
  4. American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. American Heart Association. January 19, 2024.
  5. Corliss J. Interval Training: A Shorter, More Enjoyable Workout? Harvard Health Publishing. June 1, 2024.
  6. Does Lifting Weights Make Women Bulky? International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). December 9, 2021.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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Sara Lindberg

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Sara Lindberg is a mental health and fitness expert who enjoys writing about health, wellness, online therapy, nutrition, parenting, and education. With a bachelor's degree in exercise science and a master's degree in counseling, she's spent the last 20 years helping people improve both their physical and mental health.

Her writing career began after spending 17 years as a middle school and high school counselor. She takes a special interest in providing readers with easy-to-understand, factual health information that is grounded in science and research.

Her work has appeared in publications such as Healthline, Self, VeryWell Health, VeryWell Fit, Livestrong, Men's Health, SheKnows, Runner's World, and many more.
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