Of the 2.3 million American weddings that occur every year, 80% of brides will try to change their eating and exercise habits to prepare for the big day! (Brides.com) So, if you’re looking to amp up your fitness routine and alter your diet, you’re in good company, and you’re not going to do it alone. We are here to help you with the best tips for whipping yourself into shape before your special day!
1. First, focus on the healthiest YOU not the skinniest YOU.
It’s tempting to pressure yourself into reaching a particular size by your wedding day; however, that’s not the most practical or healthy plan for you. Nobody is the same, and not everybody is meant to be a size 2. Trying to alter your body to fit a certain size may cause you to overlook the aspects of your body that make you standout and may result in losing the curves and imperfections that your fiancé fell in love with. Instead, focus on toning the areas of your body that you want to showcase in your wedding dress. Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and adding a few extra strength exercises to your workout routine is the best way to stay focused on a healthier you!
2. To showcase your assets in your wedding gown, design a workout plan that fits your dress!
If you’re rocking a strapless dress on your big day, try exercises that tone your arms, shoulders, and back. Close rows, bicep curls, shoulder presses, reverse flies, and pushups will achieve those toned arms, shoulders, and back you’re looking for. Additionally, yoga positions like downward dog and side arm balances are also great for toning your arms.
If you’re wearing an elegant soft bodice sheath or A-line silhouette dress that calls for a toned torso, you should try planks, push-ups, and mountain-climbers.
For those of you who are wearing a princess ball gown on your special day, you’ll want to strengthen your waist and core so that the ball gown’s cinched waistline perfectly accentuates your gorgeous curves. Some great exercises to strengthen your core are Russian twists, stability-ball crunches and twists, toe-touches, and planks. For something a little more active and fun, try Zumba or Hip-Hop dance classes!
For A-line and empire waist dresses, shoot for tight abs and a toned upper body with exercises such as leg lifts, reverse crunches, oblique v-ups, and push-ups.
With mermaid or fitted gowns, your focus should be on your booty. Step-ups, squats, and lunges will be your best friends when toning your assets for the big day!
3. Eat WELL not LESS!
Getting fit for your wedding day requires both exercise and a healthy diet, but don’t fall into the trap of crash dieting. When you starve yourself, your body will cling to the calories you do consume and will store them as fat. Consequently, you’re actually making it more difficult to get healthier and toned.
4. One way to eat well without starving yourself is to eat smaller meals more often.
Fitness Magazine actually recommends eating 5 small meals a day instead of 3 square meals a day. For active women who want to maintain their weight, they should try to consume 400 calories every 3 hours, which adds up to 2,000 calories per day. Active women who want to lose weight should aim for 1,600 calories per day with meals every 4 hours totaling to 4 meals a day. Here’s a sample meal plan from Fitness Magazine for brides who want to try eating 5 small meals a day:
- 7:00 a.m. ¾ cup oatmeal with 1 tablespoon of honey topped with 2 ounces of blueberries and 1 ounce of almonds. Plus 1 cup of coffee with skim milk.
- 10:00 a.m. 5 celery sticks, 5 carrot sticks, and 1 medium apple with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Plus 1 cup of fresh OJ.
- 1:00 p.m. Pita Pizzetta made by toasting 1 whole wheat pita, spreading the pita with 1 tablespoon of pesto, topping it with mesclun greens and 2 ounces of grilled chicken breasts, and finally adding 3 grape tomatoes halved.
- 4:00 p.m. 1 ounce of Brie cheese, 1 small bunch of grapes, 1 ounce of walnuts, and 6 whole wheat crackers as a snack.
- 7:00 p.m. Grilled salmon with tomatoes, eggplant, and quinoa. Prepare by adding ¼ cup of quinoa and ½ cup of chicken broth into a medium saucepan, covering it, and bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Lightly coat the 3-oz salmon fillet, ¼ eggplant cut into ½ inch thick slices, and 1 large tomato cut into wedges with olive oil. Grill these until the salmon starts to flake apart and the veggies are tender. Season all of this with salt and pepper, and add the quinoa to your plate. You can add basil leaves as desired.
5. Another tip for eating healthy is to practice food combining.
Fill your plate with both proteins and carbs, but eat the proteins first. When you save the carbs for last, you fill up on proteins and eat less carbs as a result. Reducing carb intake can reduce undesired bloating leading up to your wedding day.
6. Lastly, do your research.
There are lots of great fitness plans to prep for your wedding day, but you have to find the one that works best for you. We suggest checking out
The Knot’s 6 Month Wedding Fitness Plan and
Martha Stewart Wedding’s Fitness Routine.
Happy Sweating for the Wedding!