How can a personalized fitness plan help you prepare for your big day? Trainer specializes in helping bride shape up…..
You’ve chosen the date, the venue, and the dress – now the number one priority is looking absolutely stunning on the day. After all, all eyes will be on you, lots of pictures will be taken and the way you look will always be remembered. This provides most brides-to-be with an immense amount of motivation to get into shape!
How to do it, though? Having worked with a number of beautiful brides, here are my tips:
1. Set Yourself A Realistic Timeframe.
The sooner, the better. Give yourself at least 12 weeks to lose weight and tone up. This allows for the odd hiccup along the way and takes into account the last couple of weeks, which may be very busy, giving you little time to exercise.
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2. Set Achievable Goals.
Keep it smile! If you want to weigh a particular amount on the day, make it attainable, otherwise, you will end up stressed out when you don’t reach it. Most brides aspire to overall body fat reduction and toning, but it does depend on the style of your dress. Traditional dresses, for example, often show off your arms and neckline, and if that’s the case, you may want to work on these areas more closely.
3. Posture.
The easiest way to improve your appearance is through better posture. It is possible to look taller and slimmer just by holding your body well. however, this does require some work in the weeks prior, so that you feel relaxed and natural on the day.
4. Resistance Training.
Don’t be afraid to start on a resistance training program. You will not suddenly look all bulky and muscled up. Women have naturally low levels of testosterone, other hormones inhibit the extent of muscle development too.
A regime designed by a professional will simply ensure you get the results you want, building long, lean, strong muscles, which increases your metabolism and helps you burn fat faster. It will also strengthen your joints and bones. Basically, this is the best way to enhance body shape and tone.
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5. Cardio Training.
One of the most effective types of cardio workouts is interval training. Short, sharp, and to the point, intervals are fantastic for those who don’t have lots of time. In contrast to continuous long, slow walking or jogging, intervals are short bursts of high-intensity exercise, followed by lower intensity recovery periods.
They can also be applied to any activity. For example, sets of 30 seconds of running fast, followed by one minute of slow jogging can work wonders. remember, though, it is really important to warm up thoroughly for this type of exercise.
6. Up The Ante.
Ideally, your program will change every 4-6 weeks. It’s really important to increase the intensity of your workouts so that you continue to get a training effect and don’t plateau.
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7. Healthy Eating.
You are what you eat, so a healthy, balanced diet is important at all times, but especially leading up to your wedding. The key is planning and preparation, especially as you get busier in the lead-up to the big day. Unfortunately, one of the first things to go out the window when we’re stressed is our eating.
Brides tend either to lose all interest in food and struggle to maintain weight or go totally mad on junk food, sabotaging all the great work they have done! Keep it simple and healthy. Have a lot of lean meat, fresh veggies and fruit, yogurt, and nuts on hand. Try to avoid processed foods and restrict sugar.
If you can keep a food diary, it really does keep you honest. Alternatively, there are some great phone apps that are very easy to use, even allowing you to scan the barcode of a product you are unsure about.
8. Hydration.
What bride doesn’t want beautiful skin? Make sure you drink plenty of water. This replenishes your body, aids in recovery from exercise, and helps you stay energized. Reduce your intake of caffeine and alcohol – you will feel and look so much better for it!
9. Have A Support Network In Place.
Often, one of the hardest things about adhering to a fitness regime is a lack of support and having no one to be accountable to. For many people, having a trainer or training buddy, or going to a group exercise class, helps keep them on track.
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10. Stay Focussed.
Planning a wedding can be stressful. You want everything to be perfect; there are other people besides yourself who need to be considered when organizing things, and family tensions can often boil over. You need to stay focused on the bigger picture and what the ultimate outcome will be. Remember to take time to relax, breathe and visualize yourself on your wedding day.
Benefits of a fitness trainer:
- They keep you on track and accountable.
- You have someone else to plan and oversee your programme – it’s one less thing for you to have to think about.
- They have expert knowledge on hand if something isn’t working or needs to be adjusted to suit you.
- You have the support of someone with a vested interest in achieving your desired goals.
However, if attending a gym doesn’t suit you, there are plenty of other options. There are group boot camps, outdoor group exercise classes, or you could even take up a home-based program.
Exercise that will have you looking great in a halter, strapless, or open-back dress includes single-arm dumbbell rows, seated rows, and reverse flys. And when your arms and shoulders are going to be exposed, it’s also great to include exercises such as dumbbell bicep curls, dips, and dumbbell shoulder presses to tone the muscles in your biceps, triceps, and deltoids.
If your dress draws attention to your chest, then press-ups and Swiss ball dumbbell chest presses are a must! Form-fitting gowns that cling to the body, emphasizing the tummy, butt, and thighs, benefit from a variety of squats, glute raises, and crunches. If you’re wearing a short wedding gown, then you will want your legs looking extra-toned, so go far sumo squats, lunges, and calf raise.
