Simple Ways That Will Help You Get Fit For Summer Fast

It always sneaks up on you; one minute you're surrounded by chocolates on Valentine's Day, then before you can say "I'm going on a diet" you're suddenly accepting invites to beach barbecues and pool parties.

Only, you're not quite looking forward to slipping into your swimwear just yet, because as of late you've neglected your diet and exchanged time spent exercising with after-work happy hours and decadent weekend brunches. As a result, you're feeling a bit ... fluffy.

But summer is calling, and you want to get fit and you want to do it fast. You've searched through Google for juice cleanses and promised yourself that you'd work out every single day from now until you finally feel confident enough to hangout by the beach in your favorite bathing suit.

These expert tips will help you learn how to maximize your calorie burn, clean up your diet and make the most of every day from now until it's time to start lounging by the pool. Oh, and before you start your quest for a buff beach body, don’t forget: getting fit means getting healthy, so make a vow to commit to these tips for life and come this time next year you'll be ready for the beach without having to put in any extra work.

Use Your Body

Getting fit fast doesn’t require an expensive gym membership or fancy equipment. “Good old push-ups, sit-ups and squats go a long way,” says Johnson. She suggests trying a workout like this: Perform two rounds, do 10 reps of each exercise (push-ups, sit-ups and squats). Work your way up to 5 rounds, then add max efforts on alternating days -- 2 sets of as many push-ups as possible with a 3-minute break in between. When you're ready advance sit-ups to leg lifts.

Hire a Health Coach

"The newest trend in fitness isn't a tech gadget or new pair of shoes," says Cedric Bryant, Chief Science Officer for the American Council on Exercise. A recent study conducted by Bryant and his colleagues found that weight loss candidates who worked with a professional health coach over the course of 24 weeks lost an average of more than 9 percent of their total body weight. "Part personal trainer, part nutritionist, part everyday cheerleader -- health coaches go far beyond helping you exercise. They address behavior change, physical activity and nutrition to empower people to positive, long-term healthy change," he says.

Find Your Circadian Rhythm

According to the National Sleep Foundation our biological circadian clocks regulate periods of sleepiness and wakefulness throughout the day. NASM certified personal trainer Samantha Isaacson recommends that you become more in tune with yours in order to make the most of your workouts. "Figure out at what time during the day you have the most energy,” she says. "Capitalize on that peak time when your body temperature and muscle strength are at their highest levels, which in turn leads to improved performance and results."

Sleep More

Missing out on sleep can be quite detrimental to your health and can certainly hinder your weight loss goals. Not only will a lack of sleep make you less likely to work out, but it can also affect your appetite; a factor that very few people with weight loss goals fail to consider. "Sleep helps to regulate appetite, metabolism and energy expenditure. When we sleep too little, we produce more ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that tells the brain that we want to keep eating, and less leptin, a hormone that tells the brain we’re full and satisfied,” says Rebecca Q. Scott, PhD, a sleep specialist at the New York Sleep Institute and an Assistant Research Professor in the NYU School of Medicine.

Avoid Carbs at Night

Both Gunnar Peterson, a celebrity personal trainer with more than 20 years of experience, and Isaacson advise avoiding carbs (especially the processed kinds like white bread, white rice and added sugars) at night. “Make breakfast bigger than lunch and lunch bigger than dinner. Avoid complex carbs after dinner,” says Peterson. "Complex carbohydrates are great for energy, but they have to be used at the right time, during the day. If you are craving a snack after dinner, go with a handful of almonds to keep you satiated through the night." Isaacson adds: "Towards the latter half of the day, your metabolism naturally begins to slow down, which makes it more likely that those recently digested carbs may be stored as unnecessary fat. In addition, your insulin sensitivity is believed to be reduced at night, which may also lead to fat storage."