Get Your Summer Body With This 4-Week Plan

Summer is oh so close, and you are probably trying to get your body ready.

Are you beach ready?

If not, here’s the ultimate shape-up plan to flatten your belly, firm your thighs, sculpt your butt, and get you fit in no time.

The Summer Body Plan

Obtaining your best summer body ever is easy to do when you have a plan.

A well-thought-out plan of action will keep you focused and help you to see your progress as you move along.

There will be two components: combining a 28-day workout plan with a healthy diet.

Aim to eat as healthy as possible (anywhere between 1500-1800 calories daily) with plenty of clean foods and minimal refined flours and sugars.

Week One

The easiest way to kick-start your plan is to go heavy on cardiovascular activity.

Most people feel like they're getting more of a workout when they do cardio versus strength training. It's more of a mental thing than anything else, but it's good to begin your plan feeling like you're accomplishing something.

Aim to do six 45-minute high-intensity cardiovascular workouts during the first seven days, plus an additional 30-minute walk every single day.

To accomplish this, plan to do the walk at one end of your day and the workout at the other end. You might find it easier to work out heavily in the morning instead of in the evening (or vice versa).

Your high-intensity workouts can be anything that really gets your heart going - kickboxing class, a run, bike riding, hiking, Zumba class, or anything else you prefer.

Also, remember to avoid SALTY foods during these four weeks. Eat more fat-burning foods with only one cheat day every two weeks. For a list of fat-burning foods, click here.

Week Two

Now that you've kicked your workout into full gear, the next phase is to start adding some strength training sessions.

Plan to continue with your 30-minute walks every day and six workout sessions, only this time plan to do only two of the workouts strictly cardio.

The other four can be strictly strength training or interval training, where you do a combination of cardiovascular activity and weight lifting. Interval sessions are very effective ways to get in shape quickly.

Taking interval classes will give you a great workout. Look for classes like Boot Camp, Body Conditioning and Body Sculpting. Many classes will give you a free week of classes or at a discounted rate, so your investment will be low.

If you prefer to do things at home, check out a number of HIIT fitness videos on YouTube--just remember to be consistent. For sessions strictly concentrating on strength training, lift weights in reps until you experience muscle failure.

Summer Body Week Three

When you want to get in shape fast, it's important to concentrate on building muscle.

Therefore, you'll want to use this time to repeat last week's workout plan.

Summer Body Week Four

By now you should be seeing some changes in your physique and feeling more energized.

It's time to tailor your workout to your liking. Continue taking daily 30-minute walks. Make sure to do at least three high-intensity workouts and three strength training sessions or interval sessions.

If there are certain areas you want to target, like your thighs or biceps, lift weights to target muscle tone in those areas.

This plan will get you in great shape. Continue working out like this for another two or three months for optimal results. You can do it!