Shaping up for your Big Day

So you’ve set the date, the wedding planning is in full swing, you are busy writing the guest list, sorting the flowers and booking a photographer (hopefully, Tina Downham Photography!) But wait, what have you forgotten, oh yes! You!!!!

You have been so busy organizing the wedding and getting your dress you forgot to get in shape. You will want to look and feel your best on your special day, because, lets face it; all eyes will be on you! Or maybe it is your significant other that needs to get in shape?!

Either way don’t go on a mad crash diet a few weeks before the wedding, it will add to your stress, get you irritable and zap your energy and inevitably once the wedding is over and the honeymoon begins the diet will go out the window and you will pile on all the weight you lost and possibly more.

Instead, plan your fitness and weight loss goals ahead of time just like you are planning your wedding. I have recently launched www.thefitbride.co.uk specifically to help 'brides to be' get in shape for their wedding day by offering fitness packages tailored to your specific goals. With the help of www.thefitbride.co.uk you can get fit and lose weight so you look and feel amazing on your big day.

Here are a few tips to help you on your way.

Set achievable and realistic goals. Some goals can be reached fairly quickly, if it is say, minimal weight loss but some goals need longer to reach e.g. a significant weight loss, increasing muscle mass.
Make fitness a priority, set yourself a calendar appointment and stick to it as if it were an appointment for a dress fitting.
Use a food tracker like www.myfitnesspal.com to track what you are eating, weight loss is alot to do with diet so tracking your food intake is a good way to keep an eye on things, especially if you are sampling menus for your wedding.
Eat breakfast, it will give you energy to keep you going until lunchtime, hopefully stopping you snacking. Studies have actually shown that people trying to lose weight will lose more if they have breakfast.
Remember to get plenty of sleep, 7-8 hours per night so you have the energy the next day to stick with your plans.
Generally, be more active, invest in a fitness tracker to monitor your steps and set yourself daily goals to reach, take the stairs instead of the escalator or walk instead of taking the car, lots of little things all add up.
Do a cupboard detox. Give away all the food in your kitchen cupboards that are unhealthy or will lead to binge eating and remove the temptation (donate your food to The Food Bank).
If you are the type of person that can’t go it alone then get support; recruit your bridesmaids or some friends to do a workout a couple of times a week with you, they will benefit too and you can motivate each other.