When you are in shape you can walk up a flight of stairs without breaking into a sweat and breathing hard. Whereas out if shape you would most likely be breathing hard you may be obese a little and cannot walk very far without having to stop and take a break. You may also be in shape because you might be starting to get abs and muscles from the exercises. If you are out of shape it might take you a while to get a body where your muscles start to show because you had fat that was taking up your muscles.