Bridal Nutrition - Ways to Stay Fit and Energized in the Weeks Before the Wedding

staying fit and energized before the wedding

Although crash diets are a common choice for brides-to-be, they are not only a detriment to before wedding weight loss, but also to the development of healthy habits needed in the years that lie ahead. Every bride wants her day to be perfect, but with all the stress one endures during these times, many women find they lose track taking care of themselves. 

When plans for the big day begin to unfold, every bride feels the pressure of making decisions that she'll remember for a lifetime. However, as the day creeps closer, that stress often rises, causing many women to overeat, become irritable, and lose touch with positive thoughts. This hinders one's happy pre-wedding existence as well as overall health, energy, and weight maintenance. It is for this reason that the two-week period before the ceremony is crucial to a bride's health and energy as well as her ability to look spectacular.  

 

Make Time for Exercise

Since exercise is a great promoter of health and stress reduction, going to the gym in the days before the wedding is of utter importance. Whether she's looking to tone her abs, thighs, arms, or rear view, a bride can keep herself in top shape, reduce stress, increase positivity, and boost energy levels all in one place. Despite that exercise is an important ingredient to mind and body health, it does not stand alone in such efforts. 

Eating Right

Eating right is also quite critical to pre-marital wellbeing. Between the stress, anticipation, worry, and excitement, the bride-to-be often loses focus on a healthy diet. Exercise may be part of looking and feeling good but if a bride expects to radiate with beauty on the big day, she must take time to focus on her diet.

What a bride really needs during these weeks is energy to help her deal with the hustle and bustle going on around her. Unfortunately, all too often that energy is sought in the form of lattés or energy drinks that pack a lot of calories and cause a lethargic crash. These drinks are not the answer. When aiming to sustain energy levels in the face of significant stress, one should consume foods that help revitalize the body, provide healthy carbohydrates, and include plenty of lean proteins. Foods like oatmeal, salmon, eggs, nuts, carrots, and fresh fruits can provide significant improvements in all-day energy.

Importance of Hydration

Of course, energy is not the only need during periods of high activity. Staying hydrated is also very important as it can mean the difference between looking like a turtle and beaming like a firefly. Put an end to sluggish feelings and dull, dry skin by drinking lots of water and eating foods like tropical fruit, iceberg lettuce, celery, tomatoes, and cucumbers. A healthy complexion may need a lot of natural moisture but it also needs to be nourished.

When it comes to flawless skin, antioxidants are key. Composed of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, antioxidants work to repair damage, improve blood flow, and reduce facial swelling. By consuming whole grains, oily fish, soybeans, nuts, and green tea as well as purple, green, or dark red fruits and vegetables, a bride can increase her chances of blemish free radiance. These are all of great importance to a bride; however, foods that assist in weight loss and maintenance are also essential. 

Eating Healthy from Morning till Night  

The most crucial part of eating to benefit weight is thinking natural. Processed products and fast foods may taste great but it is sustenance in its least natural form. Filled with preservatives, fillers, excessive calories, and high cholesterol, the food products that many people consume actually damage the body and hinder its optimal function.  

Fatty or greasy foods should be an occasional treat, not a dietary staple. In order to lose or maintain weight for an impending wedding, a bride should be sure to consume naturally filling foods that are high in lean protein, antioxidants, fiber, monounsaturated fatty acids, and amino acids. There are many foods that fit this profile; however, the following focuses on those considered to be the most beneficial.

Breakfast for Energy

Breakfast is truly the most important meal. What one eats in the morning is the basis for her daily fuel; therefore, it should not only include significant nutritional value but also the highest level of carbohydrates. Because carbohydrates are used most in the periods directly following their consumption, eating a greater amount in the morning allows for time to convert those products to useable energy before nightly revitalization turns them into fat. Spectacular breakfast foods include oatmeal, blueberries, grapefruit, whole grain bread, oranges, nuts, granola, natural peanut butter, and braised or boiled eggs. 

Lunch as a Midday Refresh

At lunch, slightly lessen carbohydrates and portion size. A mid-day pick me up is essential, but one should not consume more food and carbohydrates than her body can use before she winds down in the evening. Eating foods like tuna, salad, chickpeas, fruit, cottage cheese, and raw vegetables as well as small portions of beans, baked whole grain crackers, and lean lunch meats is best in the afternoon. 

The Importance of Snacks

Snacks are another important addition to any diet. Consuming regular snacks in between small meals is most important to maintaining a healthy metabolism. Exceptional snacks that reduce hunger, provide energy, and promote healthy digestion are key. Eat small portions of yogurt, almonds, corn nuts, jello, pears, bananas, and grapefruit in between meals, or after an early dinner, to stay revived and satisfied. Believe it or not, dark chocolate is also a great snack for weight maintenance. A few nibbles here and there helps to slow digestion, boost metabolism, and keep one fuller longer.  

Healthy Light and Lean Dinners

Despite that fact that most people believe dinner should be the largest meal of the day, the bodies usage of daily fuel speaks to the contrary. By dinner time, most people are ready to relax and rejuvenate from a long days work. Up to this point, the body has been using foods consumed earlier, and although energy is wearing thin, the body is by no means in need of excessive fuel. To successfully control weight, it's important to keep dinners light and lean. Pairing a small portion of lean meat with fresh vegetables is probably the best choice, but minimal portions of healthy carbohydrates such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, or whole grain pasta can be acceptable for more active individuals.

Drink Options for Health and Fitness

Drinks are another important aspect, and the most important part is calories. Just as it's best to consume more carbohydrates in the morning, it's also best to consume more calories during that period. However, it's important to make sure those calories aren't empty calories either. Put aside lattés, whole milk, soda, and energy drinks in favor of green tea, low-fat milk, vegetable juice, carrot juice, or fruit juice in order to keep your figure. In the evening, opt for a low-calorie drink like wine instead of that sweet mixed creation.

Of course, revamping one's diet to include these choices will not only lead to better health and proper weight maintenance but also will put an end to bridal blues and negative stress reactions. Managing pre-nuptial pressures is vital in the weeks leading up to the wedding, but on the big day the bride is sure to be most concerned with looking her best and feeling comfortable. Because certain foods can cause bodily upset, planning one's wedding day menu is also important to getting through without a hitch. 

Meal Planning for the Big Day

The last thing any bride wants is to be standing at the altar feeling uncomfortably puffy, or worst yet, fighting to hide a horrendous stomach ache. Great wedding day do's that provide energy, reduce bloating, minimize gas, decrease sweating, and increase libido include oysters, salad, tropical fruit, dark chocolate, yogurt, carrots, red wine, celery, asparagus, chicken breast, and fish. Wedding day don'ts, on the other hand, include white pasta, fatty cheeses, spicy fare, coniferous vegetables (like broccoli and cauliflower), soda, artificial sweetener, excessive caffeine, cabbage, and onions.

All of the suggestions mentioned here to stay fit and energized are just as important to the future as they are to wedding day bliss. Habits formed during major life changes tend to last longer than those made amid routine. By making healthy changes part of her lifestyle, a woman can not only set herself up for a lifetime of health and happiness but also for the productive and loving marriage of which she's always dreamed. 

Not that we're suggesting it, but if you do decide to lose weight for your wedding day, read up on the best way to do it - Guide to Losing Weight for a Special Occasion.

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