Even though the stress of wedding planning is known to everyone, it still seems to happen to all brides! Perhaps you found the perfect dress months ago and the event details are starting to evolve, but is it really all about the dress and the party? Yes, but no! Here’s why:
Yes, you want the perfect wedding that you have always dreamed of celebrating with all your family and friends. It WILL be a perfect day and you WILL look stunning in your wedding dress.
No, because how you feel on the inside reflects how you look and feel on the outside. All the planning and emotions that go into this special day are fun, but occasionally stressful. Therefore, feeling good through the whole process and on the big day is what really matters!
So get motivated to start a bridal maintenance program that will fine-tune even your best attributes. Diet and exercise are key components to making a physical difference in your body. Making a few changes to your diet and incorporating a consistence exercise program will get you to your goal.
DIET TIPS
Looking great and feeling amazing on your wedding day is important. It’s part of the complete wedding package! However, it will take effort, planning, and motivation to make it happen.
Here are some dietary tips that you can adopt into your current eating habits that will make a notable difference in the way you look and feel:
- NO WHEAT: Eliminate breads, pastas, noodles, rice, & limit grains.
- NO DAIRY: Ditch dairy products! It causes bloating and extra weight around the middle.
- NO SUGAR: Sugar is sweet and tasty, but it’s the enemy! It’s very addicting. Lose the sugar, and you will lose the weight.
- EAT GREENS: Eating leafy greens and other colorful vegetables provide vital nutrients for health and body maintenance. Vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals that help you feel energized and will assist in weight loss. Eat a variety of greens, such as: kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, peppers, bok choy, broccoli, green beans.
- EAT LEAN PROTEINS: Protein is used to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. It builds and repairs muscle tissues, tears down fat, and boosts your metabolism. Consume lean proteins; wild caught fish, chicken breast, legumes.
- DON’T STARVE: You have to eat, but in small, frequent doses. If you deplete your body of nutrients by not eating, your body can go into starvation mode and hold onto fuel, which could have a reverse affect for weight loss.
- EAT TO FUEL, NOT UNTIL FULL: When eating your meals, eat in small doses to provide energy. Avoid over eating so you don’t feel ready to explode!
- EAT REAL FOODS: Eliminate processed foods that contain no nutritional value. Instead, consume foods consisting of colorful fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins in small portion sizes throughout the day. By doing this, you will start to notice a difference in the way you look and feel.
- HYDRATION: Hydrate, replenish, & cleanse by drinking water, coconut water, or add lemon to your water for a detoxing effect. Water will help with weight loss as well.
- DETOX & CLEANSE: There’s nothing better than feeling good on the inside as well as the outside of your body. Doing a juice cleanse together with your groom will keep you both accountable and aiming towards the same weight loss goal.
A clean diet is more than half the battle, but you also need a good workout plan to shed off the extra fat and calories through specific movements.
EXERCISE TIPS
Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your workouts:
- REV IT UP: Include energizing cardio drills to ramp up the calories and fat burned.
- FIND BALANCE: Planning a wedding takes up a lot of time, therefore, it’s important to balance your schedule with a healthy diet, regular exercise, along with the other things that make you happy. Everything can be enjoyed in moderation so you do not deprive yourself from what you love.
- SWEAT REGULARILY: Keep your muscles guessing and your body sweating by varying your workouts. Sweating is a way to release stress, takes away extra sodium from your diet, and helps you feel better.
- GET ON THE BALL: Including stability ball exercises in your workout helps strengthen the core, improves posture, and balance. It also burns extra calories since the entire body is activated while stabilizing throughout the exercises.
- LAUGH OUT LOUD: Laughing is healthy. It strengthens your abdominal muscles and releases stress by creating good endorphins!
Changing old habits into new ones takes time, effort, and patience. It takes 21 days to adapt to a new habit. With the right mindset, and the determination to change, you can accomplish your wedding goals.
SWEAT IT OUT WITH YOUR GROOM
Working out with your significant other is a great way to enjoy exercise jointly, support each other’s health goals, and spend quality time together. It’s great to engage in an activity that both people can equally take part in and enjoy, even if it’s an activity that you wouldn’t necessarily do yourself.
Training together can be fun, but maximize your efforts to accomplish your specific goals. For instance, if you both are trying to lose weight, then your goals are similar, but if one wants to lose weight and tone up, and the other wants to gain muscle and get bigger, the training routines will be structured differently.
Regardless of the exercise or activity, your goals can be met by simply adjusting various components of intensity, resistance, reps, sets, or duration specific to meet your individual needs.
Brides, here are some great activities your groom would probably love to do with you! Make it fun, enjoy each other, and create new memories, workout style.
TENNIS MATCH: Most guys are more into playing a sport for exercise rather than taking a fitness class. So why not chase each other around on the court for a challenging one-on-one game of tennis. A little competition never hurt anyone! Tennis is an excellent cardio workout to burn off extra calories and a great way to take out some aggression from the stress of planning.
HIIT CLASS: High intensity interval classes are challenging, effective, and can be as intense as you can push yourself. It’s seriously a hot sweaty mess, but worth it! This type of workout targets every muscle leaving your body invigorated and energized.
KICKBOXING: Head to a kickboxing class to sweat out stress and condition your entire body by putting on gloves and making contact with a bag. It’s an excellent cardio interval workout that tones your entire body and a great way to take out aggression!
SWIMMING: Swimming is an amazing way to train and tone up your physique. Suiting up in swimwear could be a motivating factor to get into shape quicker! It’s a way to get some sun, condition your body, and it’s easy on your joints, plus the water has a detoxifying effect for your lymphatic system!
ROLLERBLADE: Rollerblading conditions your cardiovascular system, tones your muscles, and allows you to enjoy the outdoors by covering a lot of ground!
GOLFING: One of the best activities you could do with your man is to head to the rolling greens, tee it up, and drive a few balls down the fairway. So ladies, gear up in your cutest golf attire and head to the links. You can get caught up with wedding plans while you walk, play and enjoy the day together. (No golf carts allowed!)
THE WEDDING WORKOUT
So if you’re a bride getting ready for your big day, loosing weight and feeling great definitely need to be on your priority list! I’ve created an excellent wedding workout that will tone, define, and help u sweat off those extra pounds. It’s a bridal boot camp that combines cardio, strength, and core exercises using your Total Gym.
Check out the video to see how these exercises are performed.
Please ‘share’ and ‘like’ to motivate other brides.
NOTE: I suggest learning the exercises prior to beginning the workout so that the circuit flows quickly and transitions are smooth. It’s also helpful to print and hang the workout for quick exercise reference.
Incorporate this workout into your fitness routine two-three days a week. Feel free to add exercises or create new ones using the workout style as a template. It’s an efficient and effective workout that maximizes your time for your busy planning schedule. This is your ticket to a toned, wedding-ready body!
Congratulations to you and your groom.
Love, laughter, & luck,
Maria
