There are three simple rules that you can follow to ensure that you tone up rather than bulk up. The first and most important rule is to concentrate on a healthy eating plan. Without a balanced diet, you can exercise all you want and not lower your body-fat. A good starting point is to eliminate foods that are high in fat and refined carbohydrates and to limit the size of each meal. Secondly, a structured cardiovascular routine is important to help burn off some extra calories. To get good results you will need to perform a minimum of 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three to five times each week. Lastly, you will need a specific strengthening workout that concentrates on light to moderate weights with higher repetition sets. Start by performing one exercise for two to three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions on each body-part.