It’s summer time and wedding time… and whether you’re the bride, the maid of honor, or just a guest bound for a beach wedding, you want to look your best! But don’t fall for crash diets and 8-hour workout sessions… instead turn to Brides.com to find out what the fitness experts suggest.
Here are some of their secret weapons to help you get sexy for the season!
Plan toward your Goal
Chris Gaines of Equinox Fitness in Palo Alto, California offers these key steps:
- Set a goal: Get specific about what your goals are, write them down and make a firm commitment to achieve them. (For example: Loose 10 lbs in the next 6 weeks)
- Set a plan: By creating “stepping stones” or short-term goals, we give ourselves the opportunity to celebrate minor victories, which help us stay motivated. (For example: I will aim for 1.5-2 lbs a week.)
- Practice time management: It is critical that we set aside the appropriate amount of time in each day to accomplish daily goals and schedule it in like an appointment with the same urgency and priority as a dress fitting. (For example: I will go running in the morning twice a week, work out at the gym 3 afternoons a week, and go swimming twice a week.)
- Reward yourself: Set specific rewards for your accomplishments, such as spa treatments or favorite treats, when you achieve a short term goal. This way you will have incentives to look forward to. (for example: After every 2 lbs lost I will celebrate with a girl’s night out at the movies!)
Don’t Starve– Diet Smart
“Every bride wants to look her very best on her wedding day, but when they pursue drastic weight loss at any price they traditionally end up walking down the aisle with lackluster energy and a haggard look,” says Oz Garcia, PhD. “The best diet is eating frequent healthy small meals and snacks throughout the day consisting of fruits and vegetables of every color, fish and lean protein.”
If you omit carbs completely, you will lose weight initially because carbohydrates make you retain water. However, a carbs-free diet often backfires because it increases your desire for carbohydrate-rich food and it’s quite hard to stay on track. Instead, Oz Garcia advises that you replace breads, pasta and potatoes with one small serving a day of basmati rice, millet, squash or sweet potatoes, which are digested more slowly and are therefore more filling. Brett Hoebel suggests the following substitutes: agave (for white sugar), whole grain (for white flour), brown rice (for white rice), almond milk (for white cow milk), Celtic sea salt (for white salt).” Alcohol is also filled with empty calories and should be avoided.
One glass of raw vegetalbe juice a day has also been show to help dieters loose weight, according to celebrity trainer Marco Borges “Besides the weight loss, juicing will also significantly increase your Vitamin C intake along with many other important vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. Juicing also reduces your appetite and you’re much more likely to meet the recommended three to five servings of vegetables daily. Increased energy, stabilized insulin levels, improved immune response and too many more benefits to ignore.”
A 3-Part Workout
Here’s a 3-step routine, designed byPJ Stahl, an elite personal trainer in Los Angeles:
1. At each workout, start with strength training exercises. This will kick-start your workout by burning a large amount of calories and will get your body tight and toned for your wedding day.
2. Move as many joints as possible: During your strength training workout, do multi-joint exercises, which work more muscles and burn more calories than the traditional isolated exercises.
3. Finish with cardio. Even if it is only 10 minutes (20-40 minutes is ideal), cardio exercise will burn additional calories and decrease your percentage of body fat.
Partner with your Partner
“When you have someone to help motivate you or someone else relying on you to make good on the evening jog or workout class, you are much more likely to stick to your goals,” says Peter Park, trainer to cycling champion Lance Armstrong. If you can grab your fiancé as your workout buddy, that’s great! Otherwise, ask your maid of honor or a good friend, and setup a few workouts a week. It not only forces you to stay focused, but exercising with a buddy is a lot more fun that doing it alone!
image from effortless movement