Similar Leggings Here // Medium Impact Sports Bra // Adidas Boost Uncaged (cheaper and similar option here too)
I think a lot of us are motivated to lose weight and tone up when we have a big event or trip coming up. While I have always loved working out and have always made fitness a priority, I most certainly felt a “surge” of aggression in getting after it in the gym. I began to really research the science behind weight loss and was determined to find the right equation and balance to make sure my fitness goals came true by the time of the wedding. I wanted to lose a few pounds but I really wanted to tone up and lose fat in certain areas that have always annoyed me. Inner thighs, hips, back, those places I feel most women aim to lose in. While all of our bodies are different and we all have different goals, I thought I would share 10 wedding workout tips!
1.) Set your Goals: When you change anything drastic in your life, physically or mentally, you have to formulate a specific, concise plan. I want to X by X. I want to tone up my thighs and slim my hips before April 11th when we leave for our wedding. I want to lose 10 pounds before the wedding in June. I want to be able to squat 150 pounds by the end of summer. Be realistic, you need to be able to attain these goals so you feel it was well worth the effort you put forth. Challenge yourself though, you want to see progress, that is why you’re going about a change!
2.) Formulate a Plan: How are you going to achieve the above? If you want toned arms when you’re wearing your dress, then you wouldn’t want to only be doing legs and butt work outs. If you have specific areas of your body that you are focusing on to tone, to lose, to lengthen, to strengthen, they need to be a part of your plan. If you’re overall goal is to lose 15 pounds and tone up, then your plan would be to work different areas of your body each day and to have a mixture of cardio. If you’re starting out for the first time and you have no idea to start- you have to research. That sometimes involves paying a professional who can really lead you down the right path. Pat and I always say, don’t ask someone whose body you don’t admire-seek information from educated professionals or from someone who is built similarly to you and has made the progress you want.
3.) Research, research, research: This is a tough one because I feel a lot of us fall too quickly to try something but not understand the why behind it or look into the source. Pat and I are always researching online, speaking to others at the gym, always trying to understand our bodies better and modify our plans so we can see real changes! Bodybuilding.com is a great resource- I would highly recommend starting there. They have an app and there are a ton of free fitness plans on it, you can select a trainer’s body to follow their plan, they show you how to correctly do a workout if you are unsure, great starting point!
4.) Understand the equation: Calories consumed must be less than calories burned so there is a deficit. This is super basic but you need to realize that every single thing you put in your body is a number, and you have to be in the negatives to see weight loss. Obviously, if you are trying to gain, you would want a surplus.
5.) Calculate Everything: MyFitnessPal is my life. I count every single thing I eat, even if it’s a bite of a lunch date’s brownie- I input it into the app. I think I have had great success because I actually eat by my macros. Macronutrients are what gives us energy: carbohydrates, fats, protein. You need all three in your diet to maintain a healthy balance and to give your body what it needs. There are a ton of calculators online, an example can be found here. My macros can be drastically different from yours, that is why I don’t share them, you need to input your information and answer from what your lifestyle is to be able to get an accurate breakdown! Typically, if you eat exactly to your macros- then you are right on the mark for calorie consumption. Another major thing to remember is water. I try to drink around 140 ounces of water a day. I do this with out tracking, I am a huge water drinker, carry bottles of water with me everywhere. If you are not like this, I would just go ahead and track it too. The tracking is really just to make you aware of what is going into your body and to make sure you are giving your body what it needs!
6.) Meal Prep: I am sure we all have been here, we say we will bring our lunch and then end up eating something unhealthy, or we will go out to eat and plan on salads and instead get a burger and fries. Pat and I are really big on meal prepping. I map out what dinners will look like, what extra meal we will have each day, and the quantities needed to make sure we have 5-6 meals a day. We do one large shopping on Sundays and then he and I usually stop once or twice more through out the week for fresh produce. Everything has really become second nature at this point, but at the beginning we found we were much more successful in hitting our macros if we had meal prepped. It’s easier to make healthy decisions when you already have everything set in motion- no scrambling for throwing whatever together for a meal if you already took the guesswork out of the equation!
7.) Take Progress Photos: I’m actually kind of bad at remembering to do this but I am really surprised how much of a difference I can notice in my body if I go back several months and just look. I really suggest you stand in front of your mirror in a swimsuit or whatever so you can see the progress you are making! It is incredibly motivating!
8.) Switch up your cardio: The amount of cardio needed on a daily basis really depends on many factors. What do you do for a job? What are your goals? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to build muscle? For me, at the beginning I was doing 35-45 minutes of high intensity cardio. This is where you are doing intervals of elevated heart rate for a set amount of time to bring it back down for a period of time to spike it back up. For an example, you sprint for 30 seconds, you walk for 30 seconds. I am at the point where I am no longer doing the 35-45 minutes, I am at about 15 minutes of high intensity each day I work out, and then about once a week I do high intensity for 45 minutes because it’s my favorite cycling class and I love it for the mental challenge. I think switching up what you do for cardio provides more of a mental benefit- it keeps things feeling different and new and not so much a chore!
9.) Think about how you can add activity every day: This is something I have really ingrained into my brain. I take the stairs whenever I can, I’ll take a walk during lunch break, I make plans with friends walking our dogs instead of meeting for lunch-same with workouts, ask a friend to catch up over doing something active instead of binge watching a show. Every little step counts!
10.) Begin your Fitness Plan: Don’t delay it a single day. Start now! Don’t wait for Sunday, start today!
Would love to hear your thoughts! Know I am always here for you and would love to cheer you on!
xx, Brittany Ann
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