If a scientist were to measure the seconds it takes a woman to go from saying “Yes!” to thinking “How do I want to look on my wedding day?” we would only quantify what we already know: We move from one to the other with lightning speed.
And so we should. We’ve dreamed about this day our whole lives and we want to look fantastic. But that’s when panic sets in. How will we do it when just around the corner are the engagement party, showers and then the bachelorette party?
If you are one of this year’s 1.8 million brides and are having these thoughts you can throw away the diet pills and relax. We spoke to local experts for the skinny on how to look your best ever and target the body areas most likely to be on show, namely your arms, shoulders and waist.
Ron Morel of Trainer To Go, who trains clients at their homes, says: “Spot reduction or spot training doesn’t work. That means you can’t just do specific exercises for one part of your body to change the way it looks. There is a layer of fat between your muscles and your skin. When you exercise, you use that fat as fuel but your body can burn fat from any part of your body. If you want to see more muscle definition, you probably need to work on some fat reduction exercises as well as muscle sculpting.
“The best thing to do is find a trainer and put a plan together. Figure out how much overall fat you want to shed through calorie burning workouts. Then identify the areas in which you would like to see more definition. Make your plan realistic and fun, so you stick to it. Reward your successes as you go to stay motivated and if you can co-opt a bridesmaid or guest to workout with you, it will be easier to stay the course.”
The next thing is to look at your nutrition. Working out and eating right go together like, well, love and marriage. Focusing only on one is like traveling at half-speed. It will take you twice as long to get there.
Barbara Blank of Clean Creations, a clean meal delivery service advises: “Brides are busy and have less time than ever to shop and cook healthy meals, plus they have lots of temptation around them. However, the worst thing to do is starve yourself, you’ll end up irritable and your body will go into starvation mode, which diminishes your muscle mass and increases your fat storage.
“Eating three clean meals a day is the best way to lose weight and maintain your energy levels. We’ve had great success with brides. We often provide meals for five days a week, this allows them to enjoy themselves at the weekends and still lose weight. A wedding is the happiest time of your life; no one wants to be miserable on a super strict diet.
“Brides often stay with us after their Big Day because it’s such an easy, affordable way to eat clean.”
If you are still thinking that your pre-wedding season is the hardest time to take on a new regime, try to recruit your fiancé. Remind him that exercise releases a lot of endorphins and is a great stress buster. He might just say, “I will.”
