Without exception, every bride wants to look her very best on her wedding day. Even if you’re not naturally sporty or bothered by looks, this is the one day that breaks all those rules. If you look good you feel good, and your wedding day is all about feeling great.
Today’s post is all about looking fantastic and feeling even better.
We do not advocate fad diets or the latest celebrity fitness craze. They do not always work, and they rarely provide long-term benefits. Instead, we promote an overall lifestyle change brought in incrementally so you and your body can adapt to the changes without any big shocks.
Getting fit is about two main aspects, diet and exercise. Make improvements to both of these, even incrementally, and you will begin seeing the benefits. That’s what we’re all about. Pro cycling teams call them marginal gains. The little things that make a little difference, but when combined, make a big impact.
If you want to look your best on your wedding day, you’re going to have to start early and keep to it. Begin making small changes as soon as you set the date. Then you will not have a huge rush to tone up before your big day.
Getting fit for your wedding has two simple tenets. One. Burn off more calories than you eat. Two. Make all the big physical changes as early as possible so you do not give your wedding dress maker a headache!
Diet
With the best will in the world, we all eat a little too much of the wrong thing. Righting this wrong as early as possible will have the most impact. It’s also where you’re going to have to use a lot of willpower to achieve the changes.
From as early as possible, cut out energy drink, fizzy drink, as much chocolate as you can manage. Also cut down on ready meals and snacks. Rather than removing them completely from your diet, slowly reduce the number of each, then stop buying them altogether.
Replace them with juice, fruit, vegetables and home-made meals. It takes a little getting used to, which is why it’s better to make small changes and build them up. Once your taste buds have adjusted, you’ll wonder why you ever ate those packaged foods in the first place!
By replacing one food type with another, you’re not depriving yourself of food altogether. While you will feel painfully conscious of the changes to begin with, food replacement is much more effective longer term than food reduction.
While we do not usually advocate using guilt as a motivator, putting a picture of a model in your ideal wedding dress on your fridge door can be quite an effective deterrent. If that is likely to work for you, it’s something you can try.
Exercise
Exercise is a very subjective pastime. What works for one won’t work for another. Some girls like to run, others like aerobics, others like cycling, while swimming is the only sport for some.
If any exercise is to work, you have to find one you’re happy with. Getting fit for your wedding day is motivation enough sure, but you have to enjoy yourself while you’re there!
You could begin by walking to work or to the shops if practical. Walking the dog more, walking the kids to school instead of driving or even taking the stairs in the office instead of the lift. As the advert says, every little helps!
Find an exercise class first that will show you the basics of your chosen exercise. Here you will learn the technique and learn how to safely exercise without hurting yourself. If you want to continue the classes, then feel free. If you think you would keep it up without the class, then it’s entirely up to you.
As we mentioned at the beginning if you’re planning to make significant changes to your physical appearance, it’s best to make them as early as possible. While dressmakers are used to adjusting wedding dresses to fit trimmer brides, big changes may need a new dress altogether. Plan accordingly when making big changes.
Nobody is pretending to get fit for a wedding is easy because it is not. What we would say it that it’s another lifestyle change that can make a big difference in your life. Just like the wedding itself!