How to tone 30 days before your wedding

It’s the countdown to a slimmer body, as your wedding day is just approaching. On your big day, you would want to look the fittest and an amazing version of yourself. Many people attempt to lose weight before wedding by diet alone, but exercise is the key. Not only does it help you shed the extra kilos, but will also boost your mood and keep your skin glowing.

This workout regimen by fitness expert Althea Shah can work wonders for you in just 30 days.

Warm-up

Begin your workout with a 10-minute warm-up session. Include side stretching, jogging on the spot, skipping and jumping.

Strength training

For your thighs:

Chair squats: Grab a chair and place it behind you. Standing in front of the chair with your feet hip/shoulder width apart, bend your knees and slowly squat towards the chair. Let your butt lightly touch the chair and slowly come back up. Do this for 10-15 times.

Step ups on stairs/platform: Keep one foot completely on the platform and bring the other foot up, tap and come back down. Do ten repetitions per leg. Rest for a moment and then repeat. Remember to keep the chest high while you do step ups.

For your upper body:

Push-up: Get down on all fours and place your hands a little wider than your shoulders. Keep your feet together and strengthen your arms and legs. Make sure that your entire body is in one straight line, from head to toe. Keeping your elbows close, lower your chest till it’s just one inch above the floor. Hold this position for a second and bring your body up. Do this for 10-15 times to complete a set.

Bicep curls: Stand with feet shoulder width apart, arms by sides, shoulders back, and elbows tucked. Bend the elbows and lift weight toward shoulders. Bring back down for a full range of motion and repeat. Repeat this 10 times.

For your abdomen:

Upper abdomen crunches: Lie on your back and raise one leg mid air. Support the back of your head with your hand and raise the head to the knee of the raised leg. Alternate the leg and repeat. Do 10-15 repetitions of this exercise

Oblique twists: Lie on the floor. Bend both the knees, keeping the feet flat on the floor. Lock your palms behind your head. Now, instead of crunching the regular way, crunch sideways by bringing the elbow to the opposite knee. Keep your lower back pressed onto the floor, and crunch by lifting the shoulder blades off the floor. Twist the upper body diagonally while crunching.

Plank: Lie face down with forearms on floor keeping elbows under shoulder, place feet together with legs straight out behind you, tighten your core and lift up keeping back and head in straight alignment. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds or as long as you can. Here are some  more exercises you can try for a flat stomach.

Cardio: Depending on how much you have to lose, you can start the first week with 10-15 minutes of a cardio workout then increase it to 30-45 minutes in the next two weeks. If you are new to exercising, you could start with walking and slowly graduate to jogging.

Exercise for 45 minutes to an hour with moderate intensity for four to five days a week. Any activity will help you burn 50-100 calories in 15 minutes.

Diet: You also need to combine your exercise with a proper diet to achieve your weight loss goals.

•    Eat every 3 hours and incorporate lean protein and complex carbohydrates into your diet.

•    Avoid sugary and highly processed foods as these can lead to weight gain.

•    Don’t skip your meals and focus on what you eat: Maintain a food diary for two weeks, and you will soon find out where you are going wrong.

•    Don’t starve yourself in the weeks before the wedding. It is not only unhealthy, but it can also affect the way you will look on the wedding day, including your skin and your hair. This is the time to eat healthy and not starve to a size zero frame. You will need loads of energy before, during and after your wedding.

•    With guests frequently coming, with people to visit and places to go, it is easy to gorge on everything that is offered to you. Avoid fried food, sweets, caffeine and colas.  Instead, eat lots of fruits and veggies and drink tons of water. Here is another weight loss diet plan for brides to be.

Useful tips  for to-be brides and grooms

• Get at least 8 hours of sleep, as research shows that stress and lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain.
• Althea says, ‘Do not overtrain yourself before the wedding. Trying to do too much, too soon, and continuing to do too much too close to the wedding day can make you exhausted and get you injured. Don’t try to lose more than half a kilo a week. So, if it’s a four-week countdown, don’t look for losing more than 3 kg.’

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