Getting In Shape for your Wedding Day
Every bride wants to look her best on her big day. When you look good, you feel good, and your confidence and happiness are the most important factors on your wedding day. The best time to start a weight-loss program for wedding is early-on, which is why we send this email out now. It's time to get into healthy exercise and eating habits as soon as possible!
The way to get into shape comes down to four main components:
Cardiovascular activites to exercise your heart.
Resistance Training to burn fat and tone muscles.
Managing your diet to include healthy foods and reduce unecessary calories.
Getting enough rest & recovery time to allow your body to make the changes you want.
exercise
Regular exercise is an essential part of your weight-loss program. The benefit of exercise is that it increases your heart rate, oxygen intake and ultimately your metabolism.
Exercise can be broken down into two main types: Cariovascular and Resistance training. Cardiovascular exercises include running, cycling, swimming, brisk walking and other activites which get the heart pumping and burn calories.
It’s important to remember that you can’t target any ‘problem’ areas with specific stretches or exercises, instead the goal is to train your entire body to gradually change its overall composition. So cardiovascular activities are a main component of the overall approach. If you’re not used to exercising or have trouble finding motivation, join a gym or consider hiring a personal trainer who can tailor a plan to suit your fitness level and weight-loss goals for your wedding day. Regular appointments with a personal trainer before the wedding will force you to get motivated. Furthermore, you might like to start an exercise program with your partner or a friend.
The simplest way to get started is to go for a walk each morning after or before you have had a bite to eat. Having someone else with you will help encourage you to exercise consistently. Remember to build up as you progress- in other words as you become fitter you should try to challenge yourself by increasing your pace or distance covered each day.
Resistance Training is about exercising your muscles so they are toned and healthy. This can be done with light weight lifting, yoga, pilates and other activities. Resistance training actually has better fat burning and muscle toning properties then any other forms of exercise because you generally engage multiple muscle groups to perform the exercises and therefore use more calories to perform the exercises.
Keep in mind that there is a common misconception that if you lift weights, over-night you will explode into muscle and become a bodybuilder... This is simply untrue!
Gaining muscle mass has more to do with your diet then the excercise you do and also requires you lift very heavy weights that your body is not used to. We do not recommend this however wish to reinforce the benefits of a balanced exercise routine encompassing both resistance training and cardiovascular activities.
We also highly recommend seeking advice from professionals; there is a multitude of contradictory information on the internet and in the media about what does and doesn't work. Keep in mind that no two people are the same and what works for one person may not work for you. Have a few sessions with a personal trainer and remember that there is no quick-fix.
Getting in shape for your wedding is about setting long and medium term goals and working towards them slowly and consistently.
diet
What you eat before the wedding is just as important as how much your exercise (if not more important). You should aim to eat healthily, rather than simply cutting portion sizes. When you eat very little you can actually gain weight because your metabolism will slow down and go into starvation mode which can trigger extra fat storage. Don’t eat less than 1,200 calories a day and don’t force yourself to feel ‘hungry’ all the time. Remember that how much you need to cut your calorie intake depends on your age, size and current eating habits.
Once again, we highly recommend that you consult a professional nutritionist/dietician who can formulate a diet and eating plan for you which will take into account what you like and don't like as well as incorporating the necessary dietry components to compliment your exercise program. Remember that your diet and exercise plans should be designed together for best results.
We’ve compiled a list of some simple things you can do to improve your diet and calorie intake:
little things you can do
Radical changes to your diet are difficult to sustain. If you usually eat poorly you will find it hard to ‘change your ways’ overnight. Resolve to make some key changes you can incorporate into your current diet, for example:
Switch to ‘low-fat’ groceries – particularly dairy products. Many of the products you currently buy will also be available in a ‘diet’ or ‘light’ version.
Stick to whole natural foods - Fruits, Veges, whole grain breads and cereals
Stay away from anything with preservatives - these chemicals are unatural to the body and if cannot be broken down, will be stored in fat cells.
Stop drinking soft drinks and sweetened fruit juices and drink water or sugar-free diet drinks instead. Sugary drinks contain empty calories and do nothing to fill you up.
Aim to eat more at the beginning of the day and less at night. This means a full, nutritious breakfast and less snacking after dinner.
Change the way you prepare meals – this means less frying and roasting and more grilling, steaming and boiling.
Snack on fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts instead of biscuits, chips, etc.
Consider walking or cycling to work and take the stairs instead of the lift!
Try to incorporate high-fibre foods into your diet. Fibre helps ‘fill you up’ and will stop you snacking on junk food throughout the day.
Reduce your alcohol intake.
weight loss don’ts
We’ve also compiled a helpful list of “Don’ts” to keep in mind.
Don’t embark on any fad diets prior to your wedding. Rapid weight loss as a result of ‘crash’ dieting is not a healthy long-term solution. Even if you do lose weight, you’ll put it back on the moment you stop, and often you’ll gain even more weight afterwards.
Don’t starve yourself in the days or weeks leading up to the wedding. You need a balanced and nutritious diet to look your best. Healthy-looking skin, hair, nails and eyes all need nutrients to flourish. Starving yourself may leave you looking pasty and dull, and it will also ruin your mood and energy.
Don’t lose so much weight you no longer fit into your wedding gown properly!
Don’t buy a tight-fitting gown in the hope you’ll lose weight.
weight loss services
Often we eat poorly simply because we don’t know what we should be eating. Information about nutrition, dietary requirements and fat and calorie intake is easy to find and published widely in many books and websites however as we mentioned above, consult nutritional experts who can tailor plans for you specifically.
The weight-loss industry offers a variety of services with different approaches to weight-loss. Some offer classes and information about diet and exercise, while others deliver pre-prepared meals to your home. Preparing nutritious meals can be an effort, especially when it comes to shopping and creating new and interesting recipes however, going to this effort will certainly have its long term benefits.
A weight loss service will take into account all of your nutritional requirements and claim to do all the ‘calorie counting’ for you. This seems like an ideal solution for time-poor brides caught up in their wedding-planning process but be wary of these services, think of how many people attend their meetings who are in their desired bodilyshapes...
It will be much more beneficial to you at this stage and for the future to learn the healthy habits so you can manage this for the rest of your life.
most importantly
Above all whilst it’s important to eat well and exercise regularly it’s also important to accept that women come in all shapes and sizes and it’s not possible to lose weight beyond our natural limitations. No matter what your natural body type, a well-fitted gown and expert hair and make-up will ensure you glow with beauty on your wedding day. Remember your smile and radiant happiness is what your guests will really remember!
