W-Day Workout 101
Confessions of a Casamentos Bride-to-Be:
“Let me preface this by saying, I’m not a fitness professional. I’M A FITNESS ENTHUSIAST. Now that I am engaged, not only are there more demands on my time, but there seems to be this pressure (99% of it from me) to look hot on my wedding day. I know, I know he loves how I am blah, blah, blah, but there’s still this desire to make his jaw fully drop on our wedding day and think “DAMN, my wife is HOT!!” That and the fact that these are the pictures I’m going to be looking at for many, many years. Of course, I want to be and look my best! That means making sure I’m in the best shape I can be.”
W-Day Workout 101 training starts the moment he slips that diamond on your finger. Think of your wedding day as your W-Day marathon. Sometimes, I wonder if I need to remind my brides, “Let’s Get Physical”. I am always interrupted during conversations about photographers, reception halls, or flowers by my clients, “Gotta go workout this evening around 11″ (p.m. that is) or “Going to stop at the gym after work. I will call you later this evening”. Wow! What dedication! Obviously, my brides are going from stressed to stunning!!!
But don’t fret and panic because whether you have one year, 6 months or 12 weeks before your wedding day, just get started by taking part in the Buff Brides Fitness Challenge. It is a 24 week fitness challenge or 12 week total body workout laid out for you by Sue Fleming, fitness expert and author of the book, “Buff Brides”. Katie Holmes sought out her help on how to get rid of her post-baby bulge before her wedding day to Tom Cruise and didn’t she look absolutely glamorous!
Buff Brides fitness program was born out of the demands of brides who were ready to start a fitness regime with the goal of looking their best on their wedding day. Sue Fleming states, “Brides-to-be are the most committed clients I’ve ever had. They’re motivated. They’re focused. They’re ready. In this society, we’ve been brought up to believe that the most important occasion of a woman’s life is her wedding. On that day, all eyes are on the Bride!”
Get in shape and have a look at www.buffbrides.com.
Here are helpful tips I would like to pass onto you that I feel will put you in peak shape for that walk up the aisle.
1. Set Aside Time
You know how in your head at 12:00 it’s lunchtime and you generally stop what you’re doing and have lunch. Workouts need to be like that. You can’t wake up and say “I should workout today” and just assume that it will happen. Things come up, better offers come along. It’s easy to find reasons and excuses not to go. Schedule it in. Find a time that works for you in your day and block it in.
2. Make It Count
I read an article that suggested brides multi-task while they work out. Flip through magazines, make lists, prioritize. My advice – DON’T. This is your time at the gym to focus on YOU!!! Get in there, be focused at the task at hand and have a hard intense workout. You’ll see better results in an intense 20 minute cardio session than you would la-dee-da-ing on an exercise bike for an hour flipping through magazines.
3. Strength Training
Cardio is great, but strength training is where it is at! Not only do you tone up and look better, but muscles burn more than fat. As you increase the amount of muscle in your body, you are effectively increasing your metabolism. This means your body burns more calories at rest. Confess: So that one cookie you just had to have won’t sit on your hips like it used to (notice I said “ONE” cookie).
4. It’s Basic Math
A calorie is a calorie. They add up and you only lose weight if the number of calories is less than the number of calories you eat. There are websites out there to help you figure out how many calories you need to eat a day for your body type and weight. Find out how many calories you are currently eating and see if you need to re-evaluate food choices or portion sizes. A workout should burn 300-400 calories (depending on intensity).
5. Sometimes Numbers Lie
Don’t measure all your progress by your weight. Muscle is heavier than fat. As you are losing fat and gaining muscle, you may not see huge numbers on the scale. You could have lost 5 pounds of fat but gained 4 pounds of muscle. So the scale will only show 1 pound lost which can be discouraging. I always judge how I’m doing by the fit of my clothes. There is nothing more satisfying than moving your belt in by one notch (even if that naughty scale says I didn’t lose any weight).
On a final note, remember on your Wedding Day, You are beautiful inside and out.
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