Last Updated on March 16, 2022 by Local Trainer

How fast can you get in shape?

This question obviously depends on a lot of factors but there are some keys you should follow if you want to get in shape quickly. It’s going to be different for everyone but let’s assume we were looking at an average 40-60 year old person with 15-25 lbs of weight to lose.

First, the calories. Total calories for 15-25 lbs of weight loss would add up to a 52,500 to 87,500 calories they need to burn.

Second, if they’re older (around 60 or more) they can’t workout as hard when they start and throughout their program. They just won’t have quite the capacity of our 40 year old person.

Finally, if you’re going to put in the time to burn off 50,000-80,000 calories, you want to put in some permanent changes so you don’t gain it all back.

So how fast can you do it?

Here’s a list of some of the best things to do to get in shape quickly. 

1) Start something more than once a week

And make sure it’s exercise. Yoga, Pilates, walking and keeping busy at work or around the house do not count as “exercise” in this case. They count as mild exercise which won’t really get you in shape very quickly. They’re beneficial to do but don’t count them as part of your main exercise program.

Try slightly more challenging activities such as:

  • Jogging, Running, Swimming, Cycling, Skiing, Sports, Snowboarding, Boot Camps, Mountain Biking, Racquet Sports etc.

These activities shouldn’t be too hard for you but they will get you doing two very important things at the same time: Sweating and breathing heavily. Next time you’re wondering if an exercise is challenging enough, ask yourself it will make you sweat and breath heavily at various times while you engage in it.

2) Start Weight Training

Nothing changes the body like weights. There are basically no other activities that take us through progressive overload and muscle work like weight training does. It adds muscle to our frames and that means we cost more calories each and every day. Wouldn’t you rather workout less down the road? If you would, start investing in some weight training. It will burn those calories off you over time and it will add muscle to keep the fat off you as well.

3) Clean The Easy parts of Your Diet

  • You don’t need a treat every night.
  • You can have whole wheat bread and skip the cheese in your sandwich, it won’t have a big impact on your day.
  • Add a big glass of water between alcoholic beverages and or cut the alcohol back by finding an new activity for the times you find yourself drinking.
  • Avoid packaged snacks. Protein bars, granola bars, protein drinks and alike are generally just sugar glued together with fat and more sugar. Just have regular foods. They’re cheaper and much healthier.
  • Watch out for baked goods. Baked goods are another dangerous combination of sugar and fat. They’re dense and small which means you can eat a lot of them and really pack on a lot of weight.
  • Have an afternoon snack so you don’t over eat at dinner. Many of us still skip our afternoon snack which leaves us starving at dinner. This often make us take in excess calories. Adding a healthy snack in the afternoon will not only help you avoid crashing, it will also help you from having a big dinner that ends up adding more fat to your body.

Finally, understand that you can’t really figure out how fast you can get in shape, you can only figure out actions that will help you get in shape. The more actions you take to get in shape, the faster you’ll reach your goals. So, don’t just decide you need to lose 10 lbs. Figure out 3 things you’re going to change to lose 10 lbs.

Best of Health,

Local Trainer