Pre-Wedding Fitness & Nutrition Tips by BHealthyBmore

16:00 Steampunk 0 Comments

You’re getting married – congrats! You’ve surely got a lot on your to-do list, but health and fitness should be close to the top. While you may have procrastinated getting into stellar shape in the past, now you have some excellent motivation coming your way. From the dress fittings, to the photographs, to feeling confident and beautiful on your day, there are 101 reasons to get serious about exercise and nutrition now that your wedding is on the horizon.

Here are the top ten things you should be doing to be your best YOU before you say “I do.”

1. Make an exercise schedule and stick to it. You don’t have to hire a personal trainer (though it’s not a bad idea) but you should get serious about exercise. Whether it’s joining a gym or committing to a thirty minute jog five days a week, there is no time like the present. Your wedding day will come whether you are prepared or not. Keep this in mind to push you through the more difficult workouts.
2. Amp up your water intake. If you’re used to drinking soda, juice and other calorie-packed liquids, this is the perfect time to switch out some of those for good old fashioned H20. Not only will you likely lose a couple pounds just from cutting calories here, keeping hydrated gives your skin just what it needs for that wedding day glow.
3. Strength train. Even if you aren’t trying to bulk up (most of us girls are not), you should still strength train. Adding a little muscle goes a long way in terms of your metabolism. Not only will you be able lose weight quicker, you will be burning calories at rest, not only when you’re working out. More muscle=a better calorie burning tool to get you into shape fast.
4. Meditate or begin a yoga practice. If the stress hasn’t hit already, it most likely will. Planning a wedding should be about you, but a lot of times what other people want begins to weigh on the bride and groom. Keep your vision of how you want your wedding to be in mind. Meditation or beginning a yoga practice may help you to de-stress and stay centered in this stressful time. Even a few minutes of quiet meditation helps to clear your mind, decrease stress hormones and help you get a good night’s sleep.
5. Sneak in exercise. So you already did your workout for today? Great! But that doesn’t mean you can’t sneak in a few power moves if you have five minutes to spare. Moves like jump squats, jumping jacks, mountain climbers and push-ups go a long way in just a few minutes. Remember, an extra five minutes a day comes out to be an extra 35 minute workout a week and in terms of your weight loss or tone-up goal, that’s a whole lot.
6. Lose the booze. If it hasn’t started already, there will likely be a lot of people who want to congratulate you, maybe even take you out for celebratory drinks. If this is the case, be careful how many calories you’re consuming. You can’t very well workout (properly) when you’re hungover and you’re likely to feel extra hungry the next day as your body struggles to replace the nutrients it’s lost. Remember, you’ll have plenty of time to celebrate soon and if you’re feeling good about yourself, you’ll be able to enjoy it all the more.
7. Squat ’til ya drop. Lower body moves like squats and lunges are great for burning lots of calories because you are targeting large muscle groups. Be sure not to neglect these kinds of moves in your workout plan. Even if lower body is not your trouble area, you still need to burn calories to lose weight over all. Yes, squats burn belly-fat.
8. Get enough sleep. This is hard to do when your stressed, but making time for eight hours of sleep (some of us only need seven) is crucial. When we are tired we eat more fat and calories, workout less and are about 1/3 less productive than when we are rested.
9. Eat your greens (or drink them). If you’ve never been a big veggie-eater, now is the time to start munching. Adding spinach, kale, broccoli or other leafy greens to your diet will help to fill you up and keep you full. It will also improve the function of several major organs and often aid in weight-loss. If you aren’t a bit fan, you can drink your greens in some delicious juice forms such as Naked Juice or Odwala .
10. Get your partner involved. A life filled with happiness comes from healthy living. If you and your partner can embrace eating right and exercising together, you can expect to be more dedicated to your health individually and have greater success overall.

A huge thank you goes to Sarah Bregel of BHealthyBmore.com for this awesome guest post! Photo: Image Source .