5 Habits To Get You In Shape Quickly

Ever feel like you're doing all the right things to get in shape and get healthy, yet you just aren't getting results as fast as you thought you would?

Yeah, we've all been there. While you should never expect to magically lose weight and get fit the second you start working out and eating healthier, there are ways to speed up your results.

Here are five habits that have helped me get in shape quickly, and will help you, too:

1. Don't be afraid to push yourself.

If you want to get the most out of your workout, the key is to focus on intensity. Doing quick, focused, HIIT-style workouts will help you get in shape faster than slow, moderate ones will.

If your goal is maximum efficiency (aka fastest possible results), you should be sweaty and exhausted by the end of your workout — or you're not working hard enough.

2. Focus on full-body exercises.

Including full-body exercises like squats, burpees, push ups and triceps dips in your workouts will help you get fit in less time than simply focusing on isolation muscle exercises (think biceps curls and calf raises) will.

Full-body exercises are more functional, anyway, and will help you more in real-life situations (like lifting a suitcase over your head in an airplane or playing with your kid at the playground).

3. Do plenty of plyos.

If you ever played sports growing up, you'll probably remember practice being full of plyometrics: exercises like long jumps, tuck jumps, jump lunges, sprints and more.

Plyos are great because not only will they help you get conditioned for whatever sports you enjoy in your free time, they'll help you burn fat and lose weight as well and are a great habit to build into your workouts.

4. Set (athletic) goals.

Even if your ultimate goal is to lose weight, it's much more motivating and satisfying in the long run to work toward an athletic or fitness goal of some kind.

Whether your goal is to do your first handstand, learn a cool yoga pose or complete 100 burpees in a row, making it a habit to regularly set and work toward athletic-focused goals will not only help you get fit quicker right now, making it a habit to create fun and challenging fitness goals will help ensure you make health and fitness a priority for life.

5. Stop making excuses.

Want to know one of the best habits you can adopt to get fit quicker? Stop making excuses not to work out.

Because it doesn't matter whether you don't have access to a gym, have no workout equipment available, or have less than 15 minutes to work out — you can still get a good workout if you set your mind to it.

You'll be amazed at how quickly you start getting in shape once you become consistent with your workouts and quit your excuses for good.

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