As the big day draws closer, most brides start to think about how to look their best when the day arrives. For many, this means taking those few extra steps to get their body into the shape they hope for. Losing a couple of pounds can make many brides feel amazing as they walk down the aisle, and of course more confidence oozes more sex appeal. It’s important, however, to take care to do so in a safe and controlled way- overdoing it can be very dangerous, not to mention exhausting.

Diet

Dieting is the most popular way to lose weight. However, there are so many faddy diets that it can be difficult to work out which are the safest, healthiest options. Experts generally agree that a well balanced diet with three proper meals a day is the best way to do it. It’s especially important not to skip breakfast. You may think that the less food you eat the better, but in fact this causes the body to go into starvation mode and cling onto the fat in food, making it a lot harder to lose weight. Breakfast gives you the energy and nutrition to last until lunch time- you’ll find you function much better in the morning after eating a low fat breakfast such as muesli. For lunch, try a light meal with a low calorie count. Examples include tomato soup or chicken in a granary roll with salad. Snack twice a day on portions of fruit to keep your appetite low and your metabolism running at full speed. As for dinner, grilled chicken breast is a perfect choice with new potatoes and green vegetables. Keep a varied diet, with a healthy mix of carbohydrate, protein and healthy non-saturated fats, and you should lose up to two pounds a week.

Exercise

As with dieting, there are hazards to exercising so you need to be very careful. However, it is a great way to lose weight and tone up at the same time, and exercising releases endorphins which makes you feel fabulous afterwards… even if you feel less than amazing halfway through the regime.

If you are completely new to exercising, it’s best to start gently. Try swimming or a low impact aerobics class to get your body used to exercising. If you try to do too much too soon, you can stretch or sprain yourself and hobbling down the aisle is not a good look! Those with more experience can try high impact dancing or running. Running burns more calories than any other exercise, but it’s a lot harder than you may think! Whichever exercise you choose, it’s important to remember to stretch, stretch, stretch. There are a whole host of short term and long term injuries that can come from not stretching properly.

There are so many forms of exercise that you are sure to find something that appeals to you. The key is to find exercise that you enjoy- this way you are much more likely to keep it up and reap the benefits.

With just a little bit of work and will power you can look, and feel, a million dollars on your big day.