From Beginner to Fitter in Just 6 Weeks!

Everyone has to start somewhere! Learn healthy habits that will last a lifetime and go from beginner to fitter in just 6 weeks!

Getting healthy takes time; it’s not something that’s going to happen overnight. Contrary to popular belief, there are no quick-fixes. You shouldn’t think about diet and exercise as temporary, but instead consider it to be a new way of life from here on out. This mindset will help you turn healthy choices into healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Below you will learn how to go from beginner to fitter in just 6 weeks!

The beginning of any journey is important, especially a fitness journey. In the first six weeks you will learn healthy habits relating to diet, exercise, and beyond! You will realize that making small, healthy choices each day, will add up to big results in the long run! As each week passes, your diet will become more fine-tuned and your exercise regimen will get more challenging. After the 6 weeks is over, you will be able to apply these tips to your new lifestyle.

Before beginning a new diet or exercise regimen, you should check with your doctor to make sure you’re healthy enough to begin. Are you ready to get started on your journey?

Track Your Progress

Before beginning your new healthy lifestyle, you should take note of your weight, circumference measurements, and body fat percentage. You can track all of them or choose just one. Just remember, weight can fluctuate up to 5 pounds each day from water, sodium intake, bathroom habits, etc… For this reason, you should try to weigh yourself once a week, at the same time each week, right after waking up.

If you choose to take circumference measurements, I recommend measuring your chest, waist, and hips once a week. In order to measure the same place each week, your chest should be measured just below the nipple line, your waist should be measured around your belly button, and your hips should be measured at the widest section of your booty.

Checking body fat is a little bit more difficult. You need to have access to calipers or a body fat reader. Most gyms will have this equipment available to you.

Improving Your Eating Habits

First off, it’s important for you to understand that maintaining a healthy diet is the primary component to getting and staying in shape. You must realize that eating the appropriate amount of calories each day will make or break you. Eating too little or too much will be detrimental to your progress. The calories that you consume each day are made up of macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

The first thing you must do is figure out: How Many Calories Should You be Eating Each Day?

Now that you know how many calories, and thus protein, carbs, and fats, you should be eating daily, we can address healthy sources of each of these things. The basic weight loss ratio for macronutrients is 30/40/30, but you can feel free to adjust depending on your preferences. We’ll explain in detail, below.

Protein:

A general rule of thumb for daily protein intake is to get 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. For instance, if you weigh 130 pounds, you’ll want to aim for 130 grams of protein, each day. Protein is vital for maintaining and building muscle mass, and also keeping your metabolism up. Instead of focusing on grams each day, you can also just aim to get 30% of your calories per day from protein. Check out these 44 High-Protein Foods that you should incorporate into your daily diet.

Carbohydrates:

This macronutrient is vital when it comes to having enough energy to get through your day and your workout. You should aim to get 40% of your calories from carbohydrates each day. You’ll find carbohydrates in fruit, veggies, and whole grains. Check out this List of Whole Foods.

Fat:

Your body utilizes dietary fat to fill you with energy and keep your metabolism pumping each day. There are good and bad fats, or fats with higher nutritional value than others. You want to avoid saturated and trans fats. 30% of your daily calories should come from unsaturated fat. Check out the Top 5 Healthy Fats to include in your diet.

In order to get the appropriate amounts of macronutrients each day, you need to know How to Read Nutrition Labels. If a food doesn’t have a nutrition label, you can always find the information on the internet.

Meal Plans that will Teach You How to Eat Properly

Now that we’ve got your diet in check, it’s time to move on to the fun part: the workouts!

Kicking-Up Your Exercise Routine

The 6 weeks will be split up into 2-week increments. As each week passes, the workouts will get more challenging. Each week will have a flexibility, cardio, and strength element to improve your overall fitness. We’ve also included an equipment list, below, to ensure you have everything that you need!

Equipment Needed

  • Interval timer
  • Yoga mat or Towel
  • Jump rope
  • 2 sets of dumbbells (one light, one moderately heavy)
  • A bench, chair, or step
  • Medicine ball (optional)
  • An open space to run or a treadmill

Week 1 and 2

Upper Body – Day 1: 10 X 10 Climb and Descend Upper Body Workout

HIIT – Day 2: Lean Body HIIT Workout Challenge

Lower Body – Day 3: Abs, Butt, & Legs Home Workout

Rest – Day 4: Stretch It Out

Core – Day 5: At-Home Beginner Ab Routine

Cardio – Day 6: 30 Minute Melt Off the Weight Cardio Workout

Rest – Day 7: Stretch It Out

Week 3 and 4

Upper Body – Day 1: Fat-Blasting Upper Body HIIT Workout

Cardio – Day 2: The Ultimate Fat-Blasting Cardio Workout Plan

Lower Body – Day 3: Long & Lean, Lower Body Challenge

Rest – Day 4: Stretch It Out

Core – Day 5: Ab & Core Home Workout

HIIT – Day 6: Total-Body HIIT Workout

Rest – Day 7: Stretch It Out

Week 5 and 6

Upper Body – Day 1: Best Arm Moves = Toned & Jiggle-Free Arms

Cardio – Day 2: No Running Cardio Workout

Lower Body – Day 3: 10 Best Moves to Tone Your Legs

Rest – Day 4: Stretch It Out

Core – Day 5: 20-Minute Core Strength Workout

Tabata – Day 6: Jazzed Up Jacks and Jumps Tabata Workout

Rest – Day 7: Stretch It Out

After the 6 weeks are over, you can choose to start the workouts over again or pick your favorites and incorporate them into your routine regularly. Keep in mind that eventually your body will adapt as it becomes more conditioned. With that being said, you MUST continue to challenge yourself each week. We have plenty of workouts to choose from on SkinnyMs!

Healthy Lifestyle – BONUS Tips

Before we wrap this up, there are a few extra bonus tips that will help you succeed!

1. Stay hydrated.

Make sure you drink plenty of water. You should consume at least 64 oz. each day, but when you’re participating in a workout program you’ll need even more. Staying hydrated will allow your body to function at its very best and let go of excess fat. You should also cut out soda, diet soda, and other sugary drinks. Soda and sugary beverages are loaded with calories but offer no nutritional value. Even diet soda can cause you to crave sugary, processed foods. Stick to water if your want to hit your fitness goals!

If you want, you can spice up your water with these Fruit-Infused Recipes!

2. Invest in comfortable gym clothes and shoes.

The importance of comfortable clothing and footwear should not be underestimated. You need to make sure you have durable, flexible clothing that will not rip or constrict your movement during your workout.

Related: 10 Smartest Ways to Buy Workout Clothes on a Budget.

Having the proper shoes for exercising are even more important. The right shoe can help you avoid injury and get the most out of your training.

Check out: 5 Tips for Choosing the Best Cross-Training Shoes.

3. Create a workout playlist.

Most Popular Workout Playlists On Youtube Right Now

I don’t know about you ladies, but I need music while I’m working out! Pick your favorite playlist on youtube, itunes, or spotify, put in those earbuds, press play, and get to work!

4. Stop comparing yourself to others.

This is by far, the most common reason that women (and men) give up on fitness. Comparing yourself to others can, at times, be extremely discouraging. Start competing with yourself instead! For instance, if you ran your first mile, aim for two the next time! Maybe you couldn’t lift that weight last month, but you just did it five times! Perhaps you’ve realized you’re more flexible now than you were before. Whatever goal you choose, remember, it’s YOU vs. YOU. Crush your goals and feel more confident than ever before.

5. Get plenty of rest.

Last, but definitely not least, you need to make sure you get enough rest. I know that can seem difficult, especially when you have a packed schedule. Luckily, prepping your food ahead of time and planning/scheduling your workouts the week or month before, will save you tons of time. Use this time to rest up instead! Sleeping is your body’s primary time for recovery, and since you’ll be working out regularly, it will need all of the rest it can get!

You can go from Beginner to Fitter in Just 6 Weeks by following the steps in this guide! A healthy lifestyle has no end date, but each of these steps will turn into lifelong habits if you practice them consistently. You don’t have to use the eating plans and workout routines included in this guide forever, but they’re an excellent place to start. As you become more knowledgeable about healthy food choices and exercise regimens you can expand your horizons! At SkinnyMs, we’ll always be here to back you up with the best eating and exercise routines out there!

What did you think about our beginner to fitter 6-week plan? Do you have any special health and fitness tips to share? Let us know in the comment section.

Also, follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of our future fitness tips, recipes, eating plans, workout routines, and more!

This post may include affiliate links.

Erin Miller

Erin is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist. She is also a Performance Nutrition Coach, certified through the Clean Health Fitness Institute. Some of Erin’s favorite hobbies include hiking, kayaking, and hanging out at the beach, although weight lifting is her greatest passion. She says, “Weight training is one of the most empowering things a person can do. Not just seeing, but feeling yourself transform… There’s just nothing else like it.”

More by Erin

2 Comments

  1. Hi! Sorry, but what weight would be appropriate for the light and moderately heavy dumbbells?
    Thank you

    1. Hi Maria,
      That’s totally up to you, as “what is considered light/moderately heavy” varies from person to person. If you can perform 15+ repetitions with a dumbbell (while maintaining proper form) it is probably safe to say that it’s considered “light” for you. If you can’t perform any more than 10-12 repetitions with a dumbbell, it is usually considered “moderately heavy”. Regardless of the weight you are using, always be sure to watch the instructional videos, as maintaining proper form should be your highest priority. Hope that helps! 🙂

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