Lose Weight Before The Big Day: A Bride’s Guide To Fitness

Every Bride's goal is to look stunning on her wedding day. The diet industry is full of programs to help you lose weight quickly, but is it safe or effective? Studies show that crash dieting is not effective for long term weightloss. You may have even experienced it some yo-yo dieting yourself.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, healthy food choices and exercise are the best way to achieve a slimmer look and maintain it.

Common mistakes that brides will make include severe calorie reduction or cutting out certain foods that can help you drop lots of lbs in a small amount of time. The problem with that is the second you have a glass of wine or piece of bread and return to your old lifestyle, the weight just comes right back.

Our friends at Boutique Fitness in New Bedford have shared a Fitness Guide for brides.

• Hydrate: Proper hydration is key for a lean healthy body.

• Drink Green Tea: Boosts metabolism!

• Protein: Essential for building lean muscle and proper recovery. There should be protein at every meal.

• Eat Your Veggies: The missing link! High in fiber, vitamins & minerals (including calcium), and good source of proteins, every meal should be 50% veggies.

• Strength Train: Only doing cardio can waste away your muscle tone. For a sleek, defined physic and revving metabolism, strength train for increased muscle tone.

•Do Your Cardio: The perfect compliment to strength training. Cardio will burn calories and strength the heart. When done properly it will also increase metabolism!

• Get Your Rest: As hard as we train, we also need to give our bodies a rest. Recovery is key to getting the results we want from our workouts.

• Pamper: Indulge in all the pampering that comes with being the bride. Stress raises cortisol levels which makes us store fat. Keep the stress down with some pampering! Massage will increase blood flow and relieve sore muscles (from all your working out!). Facials are great for relieving sinus pressure and helping your facial muscles prepare for all the smiling you’ll be doing on the big day!

• Recruit Help: Accountability is everything! Whether it’s a best friend, your fiance, or a personal trainer - ask for help to stay on track. Don’t go it alone!

• Detox: We can all use a little detoxing now and then. If you’re getting ready for a big event - say a wedding - a periodic detox is a good way to keep you in check and help alkalize your body.