5 Easy Steps to Get Back in Shape Quick

Let me start off by saying for the past two months I’ve worked out about 10 times. It wasn’t planned. I just kind of fell off.

And to be honest I feel pretty bad about it. For someone who talks a lot about health and fitness, I didn’t think getting back into shape would be a topic for me. But it is.

Two months ago I was enjoying the break. I had been going full speed for so long that it felt great to just relax. A few extra snacks here and there, and spending more time on the couch watching Netflix. Self care right?

In my head I justified it by saying it’s just a few weeks. I’ve taken a break before and I was fine.

Which was true. But this time, I had stopped all forms of cardio aside from a couple of yoga sessions and home workouts here and there. And without burning off the extra calories like I did before I stopped working out, I was gaining extra fat in my waist and my face and arms.

Even though there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s not the look I prefer for myself. I missed my workouts. I missed the feeling of satisfaction after a challenging exercise. And I missed my toned body.

So recently I’ve been creating new habits to help me get back in shape.

If you’re looking to get back in shape too, here are some positive changes that have been essential to reaching my fat loss goals and bring back my muscle tone.

5 Easy Steps To Get Back in Shape Quick

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Cut back on snacking.

Food is so important when it comes to losing any type of fat. Because no matter how healthy you’re eating, if you’re taking in more calories than you can burn everyday, you’re going to end up gaining a little extra weight.

One way I’ve really been able to work towards fat loss has been by cutting out my usual morning and mid-day snacks. As well as any other extra snacking in between. Because although some of my snacks were healthy, they still provided extra calories that I didn’t really need. To prevent snacking, I’ve been making meals that have more protein and less carbs to keep me feeling full longer.

Plan healthier meals.

During the break, I ate whatever I felt like eating, whenever I felt like it, and had as many servings as I wanted. I went from eating 80% healthy foods to about 50%. I stopped planning my meals beforehand so I pretty much ate what was available at the last minute. Now that I’m getting back in shape I’ve gone back to making conscious decisions about the foods I’m eating.

I don’t really promote calorie counting when it comes to fat loss because it can promote some bad habits. I’m all about making simple changes that I can stick to. Such as choosing more protein rich foods and eating less carbs. In this case, I’m eating more lean meat like chicken and turkey. And eating more fruits and vegetables. I’m also eating minimal amounts of pasta and rice by having much smaller portions, or substituting it with beans and other vegetables.

Follow an eating schedule.

This has been a game changer in my progress. I’ve completely changed my eating schedule from eating every 2 – 3 hours to eating within a certain window of time. For me, I’ve been doing intermittent fasting and following a 16:8 schedule. That means that I fast for 16 hours straight (including the time I’m sleeping) and then I have an 8 hour time period where I will eat my meals. I start eating around 12pm and I stop eating at 8 pm.

The reason this works is because your body isn’t constantly digesting food. After a few hours past your last meal, your body needs to get a source of energy. And since you’re fasting, it can’t get it from food. So the next source of energy will come from your fat stores. You’re body will start to burn the fat as energy until you eat again.

Intermittent fasting has really helped me cut down the bloat and slowly burn fat, which is my goal for the summer season.

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Do more cardio based workouts.

I’ll be honest. I don’t like cardio. It feels like a chore. So I don’t do much of it. Not in the traditional sense anyway. I prefer to do cardio based workouts or workouts that really make me sweat and require me to move a lot.

Vinyasa yoga and HIIT workouts are great for that. Using your own body weight is great for building a strong core, burning fat, and building lean muscle. It also helps keep your mind and body connected.

So I’ve gone back to working out 4 – 5 days a week, alternating between at home workouts like the ones I put together here and yoga flows. I also throw in some weights and my resistance band to continue to build muscle. All of these different types of workouts keeps my body guessing and leaves my muscles sore and my body very sweaty.

Do more full body workouts.

Full body workouts are really good for toning up because they focus on overall toning and functionality, rather than focusing on one muscle at a time. Which is another reason why I’ve increased the amount of HIIT workouts I’ve been doing.

The best way to go about doing full body workouts is by doing exercises that work multiple muscles at one time. Even better, you can do exercises that include a lot of movements. A very common one is a squat-to-press because your working your legs when you squat and your arms when you press up.

Other types of full body workout styles include yoga and Pilates, both of which focus on using your own body weight to build strength, balance, and flexibility.

And that’s it! That’s all I’ve been doing to see progress. Remember it may take time to reach you goal but you’ll see progress quick. Getting back in shape is all about creating healthy routines you can stick to.

5 Easy Steps to Get Back in Shape Quick