3 Steps to Pre-Wedding Fitness
If you’re concerned about the state or shape of your bod, take heart: getting started is much easier than you may think! Here are three steps to getting fit, healthy, and happy for the big day and beyond.
Step 1 – Upgrade Your Fuel
. In order for your muscles to make themselves known, you must first reduce body fat. Food is fuel, and the absolute best way to lose excess body fat is to watch what you eat and upgrade what you’re putting in your tank. You are worth premium, aren’t you? The trick is knowing how many calories you should be consuming. As a general rule, if you are somewhat active and you exercise daily, 1,500 calories should be sufficient for you to safely lose one to two pounds per week. If you are mostly sedentary (for instance, if you work at a desk all day) and only exercise a few times a week, then 1,200 calories would be more appropriate.
The second most important part of your pre-wedding eating program is making sure you don’t starve your body. You can do this by splitting your calories into five small meals spaced about three hours apart from one another. Not only is this kind of eating schedule more likely to keep you feeling well fed throughout the day, but it is the most effective way to boost your body’s metabolism.
Step 2 – Burn, Baby, Burn
! Cardiovascular exercise is the best activity for burning fat. As with all things, there is a right way and a wrong way to do cardio. You must burn more calories than you consume in a day to lose weight, but the difference in burn vs. consume can’t be too much or your body will start to store fat. There is a balance that has to be maintained. A general rule is to burn about 300-500 calories per day with your cardio workout, at least two days per week. The best time to burn fat is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The second best time is immediately AFTER a weight-training session. Any kind of cardiovascular exercise is fine as long as you get your heart pumping. Try taking a Zumba class (an aerobic workout set to upbeat Latin music). You’ve never had so much fun obliterating 500 calories in a single session!
Step 3 – Build and Shape.
There’s nothing more gratifying than looking in the mirror and seeing your lean, long muscles flexing back at you. The only way to get that svelte, sculpted look is through resistance training. Check in at your gym to meet with a trainer to get a routine started that fits with your schedule and strength level. No time? Search videos online or browse the DVD and home equipment in the fitness section of your local big box retailer to get started.
