There have been multiple times when you have known that you should get in shape but lack the motivation and discipline to get there. Whether your objective is to lose weight, build muscle or just improve your cardiovascular health, most of the people fail to follow a fixed regime which will help them to achieve the aforesaid goals. However, few small changes in your daily life will help you in incorporating fitness training into your busy schedule.

Here are few tips which can be followed by busy people to stay fit and in shape:

1. Commit to a specific plan: The most easy and important way to stay fit and in shape is to develop a plan and stick to it at any cost. It is best to write down a plan so that you can refer to it time and again. Complicated plan is not advisable and a simple exercise regime will do. It can be 5 push ups each morning or 6 mile jog. The exercise regime may vary depending on where you are at present physically and what do you want to become within a specific period of time.

2. Become a morning exerciser: Evening events, late meetings, happy hours with colleagues and various other things may come in the way when you decide to go for evening workouts. It is always best to do exercise in the morning when there is less engagement, less excuses, more freshness all around. Though the initial few days may be difficult but continuing to do it for certain days will result in it becoming a habit. Also making exercise a priority helps in doing it regularly.

3. Drink water before each time you eat: This is a very simple yet effective technique. Drinking 2 glass of water about half an hour before meals will not only help in suppressing hunger it can be of immense benefit to the digestive system as well. As per experts there are many times when we think that we are hungry and eat more when actually we are thirsty and require just a glass of water to quench that.

4. Track calories: If you are thinking of getting back in shape and shedding those extra kilos it is very important to track calories. To make matters easy one need not keep tracks of goals, progress, exercise and calories in a journal using pen and paper. There are sites online which will do it on your behalf once you enter the portion size. In most of the cases it has been observed that even though people eat nutritious diet they often end up eating more that the required quantity as they do not have an idea about the right quantity which they should be in taking.

5. Utilize the weekends: Usually our week days are packed with various tasks leaving very little time for exercise or any other body care regime. However, fitting in some time to work out especially during weekends can work wonders and make a big difference to your body. One can follow the regime of going for less intense workouts from Monday through Friday and more intense work out during weekends.

6. Plan and pack your lunch: It is always good to carry home cooked food to office as the food will have higher nutritional value and will be cooked in measured quantity of oil. Having outside food results in having more calories and also having food which is not good for your health. This will result in compromising on your health and fitness level. Also planning for the whole week’s lunch in advance preferable on Sundays for the entire week ahead helps in saving from a lot of hassle.

7. Eat healthy and good portion breakfast: Breakfast being the first meal of the day should be healthy and one should try to eat sufficient quantity of breakfast. There are several healthy options available when it comes to breakfast. Like lunch, one can plan for the entire week’s breakfast in advance. However, care should be taken never to skip it as skipping it will do more bad than good to the body.

8. Plan workout dates with others: It is best to ask for support from people around you so that they can help you in staying committed to your fitness training plan. Forming a buddy system is also a good way to stick to your goals. With the help of buddy system you and your friends can help each other achieve your goals.

9. Do not beat yourself up: There may be times when you won’t be able to stick to your schedule due to work commitments or simply because you are feeling lazy. However, it is important not to give up at any stage and continue with your schedule despite breaks in between.