Get in Shape For Your Wedding!

One thing that worries many brides is how they will look on their wedding day. The biggest concern for most women is how to lose weight and firm up so that they look their absolute best in their wedding gowns. This is your guide to how to get in tip-top shape for your wedding.

The first thing to assess is how much time you have left before the big day. If you have only a couple of weeks, any changes you see will be slight, because the only healthy way to shed pounds is gradually, over weeks, not days. Crash diets rarely work, and are never healthy. When your wedding is only a matter of days away, the best you can do is to avoid those foods that will make you feel bloated or puffy, such as salt, carbonated beverages, fast food, and heavy carbs like bagels or oatmeal. Other than that, when time is short, your best bet is to stand up nice and straight, wear some glamorous bridal jewelry that makes you feel fabulous, and not to worry about any perceived flaws.

If you do have some time in which to make changes, you will be able to really re-shape your figure if you are willing to make a real commitment to lifestyle changes.

This can be difficult to stick with around the time of your wedding, so it is best to get into good habits long before the final crunch time when you might think you are too busy to hit the gym.

It is not just exercise that will help to get you in shape for your wedding. For most women, changes in diet are at least as important, if not more so than physical activity. Think of a sensible meal plan as the path to shedding pounds, and a consistent exercise routine as the way to firm and sculpt your physique. Neither one will be as effective alone.

The key to changing your diet is to start by assessing your starting point. Keeping a detailed (and honest!) food diary for a week will help you to see your weaknesses that are keeping you from meeting your weight goals. Most people grossly underestimate the number of calories that they consume in a day; things like snacks and drinks can completely sabotage an otherwise decent daily menu. Ditch the juice and soda (even diet soda), and watch out for all of the hundreds of calories in beer, wine, and cocktails.

I knew one young woman who lost forty pounds after she stopped drinking soda with every meal. And don’t think that diet soda or other foods with sugar substitutes are doing you any favors; some studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can trigger cravings for more sweet foods. Additionally, people tend to eat more “low fat” cookies or snacks, often to the point where occasionally indulging in one really good cookie would be the less fattening and more satisfying option.

Regular exercise (at least three times a week) will go a long way towards helping you tone up your figure. It can be a really smart idea to meet with a personal trainer to come up with a fitness plan with the perfect combination of cardio plus body sculpting exercises to help you look your best in your bridal gown. The most common trouble spots are the arms, upper back, and the waistline. The great thing about a trainer is that she can push you to work harder than you might on your own. In addition, a trainer will not let you fall into the trap of thinking that if you exercise, it is okay to eat whatever you want.

A final tip to keep you on track is to put daily motivation into your fitness and diet routine. The food diary can keep you honest, but positive reinforcement is just as valuable. Get an exercise buddy, pin a picture of your wedding gown to your office bulletin board, and reward yourself for reaching goals with non-food treats, like a pedicure or a special piece of bridal jewelry. Before you know it, you will be walking down in the aisle feeling your absolute most beautiful as you marry the man of your dreams.

Find your guide to getting in shape on TheKnot.com at wedding.theknot.com Want to get in shape before your wedding day? TheKnot.com visits celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins at a Crunch gym in New York City to find out the best bridal fitness tips and techniques. These simple exercises will have you on your way to an hourglass figure in no time and can be done right in the comfort of your own home. Work your stomach with roll ups and ab extensions, and focus on obliques with the bicycle crunch. Performing three sets of each exercise will ensure you get top results and look fabulous in your wedding dress. Find more great fitness tips here: wedding.theknot.com Plan your wedding at www.theknot.com with inspiring images from real weddings, 13000-plus local vendors, personalized planning tools, modern advice and a 24 community!
Video Rating: 4 / 5