Getting fit for your wedding day is not just about your physical shape although clearly every bride, groom and bridesmaid wants to look their best, it is also about your emotional and psychological wellbeing in the run up to the wedding and on the day itself.
Here are some of the best tips and suggestions to getting yourself in all round good shape ahead of saying, “I do” and surviving all those stressful moments and pre-wedding nerves.
Getting into shape for your wedding
Getting into good physical shape is something every bride wants to do – there isn’t a bride alive who won’t say she that she doesn’t want to shed a few pounds before her wedding. Plenty of exercise and a healthy diet will also help your sleep patterns and emotional wellbeing, managing those pre-wedding jitters and nerves and the stressful moments that accompany any wedding, however, there are some pitfalls to avoid before you embark on a health regimen that would shame even an Olympic athlete.
- Never buy a wedding dress in the hope that you can slim down into it – this can be a recipe for disaster and will put you under a lot of pressure in the weeks leading up to the wedding if your diet isn’t going according to plan. Also, don’t buy your dress too early as if you do lose a lot of weight before the big day, then it won’t fit you
- Try and get fit with a wedding buddy or buddies, maybe one of the bridesmaids, it’s much more fun and if you feel your commitment or stamina is lacking, it can be helpful to share the journey with someone else to help boost your spirits
- General exercise releases serotonin in the brain which is the ‘feel good’ hormone and a wedding could be just the excuse you need to change your diet and get fit. If you are interested in honing in on certain key areas of your body, a specific fitness class or personal trainer can help you improve those bits you really want to change without losing curves that you want to keep
- If you get bored easily then compile a varied exercise programme to help you maintain interest and commitment
- Exercise doesn’t have to be all about going to the gym, it can involve outdoor and fun activities like walking and cycling and these can also be really sociable. Make sure your programme is realistic and your fitness regime involves things you actually enjoy doing. Planning a wedding is a busy time with lots of extra work to do and creating an unrealistic exercise routine will be hard to stick to, particularly if you dread doing it
Dieting for Your Wedding
Dieting is never far away from a bride’s mind but try and avoid crash dieting which won’t keep the weight off; it will also compromise your mental wellbeing if you don’t eat good and nutritious food in an even and regular way.
If you have increased your exercise levels before the wedding then expect to eat more, you shouldn’t gain weight but there does have to be a balance between diet and exercise for the most effective results.
Concentrate on superfoods so plenty of fruit, vegetables and pulses but don’t feel guilty if you have to have a night on the sofa with a bar of chocolate. Weddings are a stressful time and not everything will go according to plan – allow yourself some parachute moments to keep your sanity.
- Make your food look and taste nice – if your diet is sparse and unappetising, you are going to find it much harder to stick to
- Understand that changes take time so you may not see instant results if you are trying to lose weight, it’s important to keep the faith
- Allow yourself a forbidden treat every so often – if you diet is all about denial because you have decided to cut out chocolate, it can be very hard to maintain enough willpower, particularly if you are under pressure with wedding plans and arrangements
- Make sure your calorie intake is appropriate on a daily basis – a diet which is too low in calories will stall quite quickly and also suppress your fat burning hormones so you can end up working against yourself. And if you are hungry all the time, then it is much harder to keep up the willpower
- If you can’t do without carbohydrates then concentrate them in the 90-minute window before you work out or exercise to minimise the impact
- Dream big but start small, diets which work on this basis are far more likely to endure and produce the desired results. Starting small will encourage you with little steps and make you feel you have achieved something
- There are lots of healthy substitutes for favourite foods, try Prutella instead of Nutella which has the same great taste but is packed full of protein rather than fat and sugar, also high-protein chips instead of crisps
Mental and emotional wellbeing for your wedding
A well-balanced and healthy diet plus plenty of exercise will go a long way towards promoting a positive and happy mental state, essential for dealing with all the emotional ups and downs of planning a wedding. However, every bride will feel the pinch at some time so here are some extra coping strategies:-
- Nerves and doubts are all part of the process and perfectly normal, try and focus on the reasons why you have decided to get married and use techniques like mindfulness and meditation to help manage anxiety
- Spend time with your close friends, they will be one of the biggest sources of support for you
- Make sure you always have plenty of sleep, life is much harder to cope with on inadequate sleep or broken nights, try and have a couple of early nights every week and implement a good sleep routine an hour before bed – relaxing music, a warm bath with scented candles and no phones or gadgets are just some of the recommended techniques
Getting fit for your wedding is a life affirming decision, a chance to make some changes for the better which can last long after your wedding day has become just a distant memory.