Throughout this week the team at Total Personal Training, the fitness and weight loss experts in Surrey, will be updating you with our 5 Top Daily Tips to help you get in shape for your big day. Now is the perfect time to focus on your goal, whether it be weight loss, toning the wobbly bits or sculpting your waistline!
Day 1
Your first day is all about planning and preparation! Get yourself a diary or a calender and write down a plan for the next 7 days, starting with cardiovascular (CV) exercise. Regardless of your starting fitness level, decide on which 3 days you are going to do some CV activity. This could include brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming or even step-ups at home! Today should be the first of your 3 CV days over the course of the week. 30 minutes, that’s all you need to perform whichever activity you have chosen.
The key to weight loss and exercise is intensity. During your workout and after spending 5 minutes warming-up, you should aim for an effort level of at least 6 out of 10, i.e. you are warm, a little sweaty and starting to get out of breath. You could do more if you needed to. Stick to this intensity throughout your workout. It’s amazing how quickly the weight and calories start to disappear. The harder you work, the more fat and calories you will burn!!
CV exercise is a great starting point to boost your energy, increase your metabolism and burn that stubborn fat.
Check back tomorrow where we start building on your weekly plan and cover how to tone your muscles. For more information on our ‘Be Your Best’ Bridal Fitness and Weight Loss Package, click here.
Day 2
Today’s top tip is all about strength training for weight loss, toning and good posture! As a bride, when you walk down the aisle you can look toned, confident and very elegant. As a minimum level, this type of training should be done at least once-a-week, so when you add this to your CV training, your body will be getting total benefits…protection of your joints, further calorie expenditure and increased fat burning. Our weight loss experts in Surrey offer the correct guidance on how to perform strength exercises to avoid injury and promote good posture.
Brides, don’t panic about ‘bulking-up’. Physiologically, it is extremely rare for females to build large amounts of muscle tissue. With the right training however, you CAN look trim, toned and fabulous as muscle tissue is very lean without being bulky.
Day 3
A flat stomach, a sculpted waistline and a back that is pain-free. Today’s top tip is all about core work… that lovely area around your middle that never seems to go flat…no matter how hard you try! At the end of your CV workout and strength training sessions, add on an extra 10 minutes to dedicate to core exercise. Of course, you could spend more time doing this type of exercise, but I’ll let you into a secret…the better quality workout you have during the other two areas, you will burn more fat around your middle that will naturally make your stomach look flatter.
There are so many core exercises that you could do, it would take me a while to list them and give you instructions. However, the top tip that I can offer in one simple sentence is, “Stop doing any kind of ‘crunch’ or sit-up.“ Why? The mechanics of this exercise can put a lot of pressure throughout your spine and will promote poor posture. There are lots of other exercises which are much more effective! Instead of ‘crunching’, practice standing tall and ‘bracing’ your core muscles to strengthen from the inside out.
Day 4
Today’s Bridal Fitness Package is all about recovery. During the exciting preparations for your wedding, it’s easy to get tired and even exhausted (I was and got sick 2 weeks before!)
Take some time out and rest. Easier said than done, but what is the point of all of the planning if you cannot enjoy it? You will not acheive your wedding weight loss will if you are stressed as the physiological effect could inhibit fat loss. So, rather than concentrating all of your energy on losing weight for your wedding, take some time out for YOU. Did you know that you get the benefits of your exercise when you are resting? In order to allow the positive changes to take place in your body, you must give yourself recovery time.
Day 5
Our final top tip is probably the biggest of all. Nutrition for weight loss AND health – food that helps you lose weight whilst giving your body vital nutrients to support the ‘systems’ within your body. Does that a little daunting? It needn’t be. With the right support, guidance and planning, you can reach your weight loss and toning goals.
