Prince Charming proposed? Here’s how to get wedding fit!

You have dreamed your wedding for your entire life. The love of your life is down on one knee, presenting the most gorgeous ring you’ve ever seen, and asking you spend forever with him.

You are on cloud nine, elated, ecstatic! You’ve been dreaming of this day forever and now you finally get to make your dreams come true. Every little detail from the venue, the food, the flowers, the dress, and yes, even your body – getting wedding fit!

Every bride wants to look and feel their very best on the happiest day of their life and every bride DESERVES to look and feel their best, but fitness & health can be complicated. There is so much noise in the industry that it can be hard to tell the fads from the fabs, the HIIT’s (you see what I did there?) from the flops. So, allow me simplify it all for you right here, right now, with my top 5 tips for getting in shape for your big day!

1. Start Early

As soon as you get engaged and set a date for the wedding, if you know you want to lose weight or get in shape, start right then and there, BEFORE you go dress shopping. One of the biggest mistakes I see brides make (ahem, and made myself), is waiting to start on their fitness goals. If you have any significant amount of weight or size to lose, (I’d say anything more than 1 full dress size), you want to get a head start before you shop.

Most seamstresses will be able to take a dress in 1.5 to 2 dress sizes. Anything more and you run the risk of extremely costly alterations, AND losing the shape of the dress you fell so deeply in love with. Trust me on this one! It was 5 DAYS before my wedding and my dress still did not fit. Their proposed solution? Take away the sweetheart neckline. NOPE! :::Enter Bridezilla moment::: NOT HAPPENING!

Luckily, they were able to work some magic and keep the neckline I was so in love with but it definitely was a very stressful moment that I would never wish upon another bride. So, start EARLY! Once you’ve lost about half of what you plan on losing, then it’s safe to start shopping so you can purchase a dress in a more appropriate size. Now that you’re ready to start, “WHERE THE HECK DO I START!?” This brings me to point number 2.

2. HIIT the Weights

Yes, I know, I know. “Weights will make me bulky & manly.” I got news for you sister, weights will allow you to burn MORE fat than cardio alone and a bonus is you will get that toned, sculpted, sexy wedding fit look every bride is after, standing at the alter.

I recommend at LEAST 4 days of weight training per week and done in a circuit style. This means doing 3-4 moves back-to-back without a break. You rest after all moves are complete and the repeat 3x through the entire circuit. Circuits are effective because they keep your heart rate up the entire time to maximize fat burn. Most workouts should have 3 to 4 total circuits and target one specific area of your body.

My favorites are: Back & Biceps, Chest & Triceps, Shoulders, HIIT the Core, & Total Body (compound movements simultaneously working the upper & lower body) plus one day of active recovery like yoga. I also highly recommend adding in at least 3 days that incorporate HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts. These are amazing because of the after-burn effect. I mean, who doesn’t want to burn fat for 48 hours after their workout?

If you’re more of a workout class girl, totally fine! Try to create a well-rounded schedule for yourself that has you in classes 4-6 days a week including an active recovery day like yoga or Pilates.

3. Fuel for fast results

It’s no secret that food is a huge part of reaching any fitness goals and it’s one of the most common struggles for everyone, more so if you’re looking for that perfect wedding fit body. Remember, food should be used as fuel for your body. The higher quality foods you put into your body, the better your body will function, feel, and be able to burn excess fat.

I recommend a well-balanced diet of clean foods. Lots of fresh vegetables, some fruit, complex carbs like whole grains, quinoa, or steel cut oats, lean proteins, and healthy fats such as avocado and nuts. How can you tell if a food is clean? The easiest way is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store where you can find fresh fruit and veggies, meats, dairy etc.

When shopping in the aisles, look at the ingredients, if it has more than 5 ingredients and some of which you cannot pronounce, look for a different option. Also stay away from foods with sugar listed as the first or second ingredient.

4. Hydrate to feel great

Water is one of the most important parts of your wellness. It has so many benefits, such as boosting energy, giving you clearer skin, reducing bloat, removing toxins, assisting in detox etc. Aim to drink ½ of your body weight in ounces each day. For example, a woman who weighs 180 lbs should drink 90 oz of water per day.

Bored with water? Try sparkling flavored water, (as long as it has no added sugar), or adding in lemon, cucumber, mint, or other herbs to create your own flavored water.

5. Stress Relief

Planning a wedding is so much fun, but it is also a ton of work. Between coordinating different vendors, budgets and yes, family member drama, it can be one of the most stressful times in a bride’s life. And stress can wreak havoc on your fitness goals. Without getting too technical on you, stress releases a hormone in your body that triggers the storage of fat, AKA not what we want when trying to get in shape.

So, take some time each day or week for stress relief and make sure you are getting enough sleep- seriously; lack of sleep can cause stress too. Some of my favorite stress relieving activities are: yoga, meditation, reading, hot bubble bath, glass of red wine, watching my favorite shows, going for a walk, face mask, getting my nails done. Take some time to write out a stress relieving list with all of your favorite activities for you to refer to as needed!

All the tips and tricks in the world aimed at getting you ready to be wedding fit will never truly work if you don’t have the right mindset. Your mindset is THE most important factor in whether or not you actually hit your goals and typically, this is the missing piece in so many workout plans. So, how do you ensure you have your mind primed for success?

Start with a specific, measurable, and emotional goal. The most important part of this is the emotion. What negative feeling is causing you to want to make a change? What negative response are you trying to avoid? Maybe it’s being uncomfortable in your own skin or in a bikini, maybe it’s constantly comparing yourself to other women or not feeling pretty enough. The deeper you dig, the more fuel you will be giving yourself for motivation later on.

Once you’ve identified your negative feeling, you need to identify what positive emotion you are seeking. Are you wanting to feel confident? Sexy? Strong? Envision yourself after you’ve met your goal, what does that FEEL like?

Next, switch up your language. As women, we tend to be very hard on ourselves and regularly engage in negative self-talk like “I’m so fat.” “I’m gross.” “No one likes me.” “I’m not pretty enough.” “I can’t do this.” We need to flip the script here! Change the can’t to can and practice belief in yourself. Yes, I said practice. It’s something we need to work on every day. To get started, take your most common judgement of yourself and turn it into a positive one.

For example, if you commonly say things like “I’m not pretty enough”, switch it to “I am a beautiful and confident woman”. Repeat this to yourself multiple times every single day. It might feel weird at first, but eventually it will start to feel amazing, and you will start to believe it. And when you start to believe it, the confidence and the actions you need to take to reach your goal will all fall right into place so that you eventually do get the perfect wedding fit body. It all begins in your mind!

So, if you’ve got big goals for your big wedding day, set a goal, make a plan, and get after it! And remember, everything you need to succeed is already inside you. You are beautiful. You are strong. You will succeed.