To get the most from your fitness plan you'll need to combine 5 elements:
1. Supportive Nutrition
2. Resistance Training
3. Cardio Training
4. Mental Training
5. Social Support
1. Supportive Nutrition
Eating the right foods to support your weight loss and toning efforts. You don't have to make a science out of it.
Just eat 5 or 6 quality meals with lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and healthy grains here and there and you'll quickly look your best for your Wedding.
2. Resistance Training
Any form of exercise that adds an external load on your muscles. That load can be your body in the form of squats, push-ups, sit-ups, or it can be dumbbells. 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes is plenty to tighten and tone your muscles so you can slip in your dress and look great.
3. Cardio Training
Any moderate activity that raises your heart rate for 20-30 minutes. Swimming, jogging, sports, hiking, or any other activity you enjoy. This will help condition your heart and burn extra calories helping to trim off body fat for you wedding.
4. Mental Training
A significant portion of wedding fitness is purely "mental". Keeping yourself motivated to stay on track and continue to make progress no matter how discouraged you may get. Staying on track and making continual progress toward your goal, knowing that as long as you keep making progress you will reach your goal and look fabulous on your wedding day.
5. Social Support
Whether it's from friends, family, a coach, church or your neighborhood women's group, research shows that programs which include social support always have better outcomes than those without.
Why is social support so effective - one word, accountability. In one study participants in a fitness program were 22 times more likely to stick with it when held accountable through weekly contact.
When negative stress and pressure drag you down, you can reach out to your support group members for encouragement.
If you're not getting social support for your Wedding fitness endeavors from your family, you can enlist the support from outside influences such as friends, like minded groups or a coach. One of my good friends a Newport Beach Personal Trainer has had great success with fitness models and more using these techniques.
The best piece of advice is - start now on your Wedding fitness plan, and keep going. It may take you 10, 20 or even 30 weeks, depending on where you're at right now.
Aim for 1-2 pounds of "fat loss" per week. Now mind you this isn't "weight loss". Anyone can lose several pounds a week of "weight" (mainly water and muscle tissue). That's not what you're after. That will just cause you to look like a skinnier fat version of yourself.
Losing fat will help reveal your shapely figure so you can look lean, toned and sexy in your wedding dress.
So if you want to lose 20 pounds, then aim for at least
10-12 weeks to allow for some breathing space in your plan.
Remember, this is a once in a lifetime event - your Wedding. Just ask yourself, "how do you want to look on your wedding day". Answer that question and then take the necessary action.
If you need help with your wedding fitness or nutrition plan, hiring a Fitness Coach or Personal Trainer can be just what you need to kick start your program and guarantee your fitness success.
And most of all start today and expect success! And when your wedding day comes you'll jump with joy about how your body looks in your wedding dress.
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Zach Hunt is the head Wedding Trainer of Physzique., a high-end personal fitness coaching service in Spokane, WA.
He helps his clients to quickly and permanently drop unwanted fat to look their best for their wedding. He helps brides and bridesmaids get in better physical shape then they ever thought possible. Go now to:
