Summer Wedding? 6 Things You Should Start Doing Now to Feel Your Best on the Big Day

Summer is one of the most desirable seasons to host an outdoor wedding, but you probably want to be looking and feeling your best before one of the most memorable days of your life. For the best results, be sure to give yourself a few months to prepare and ease into a new fitness and nutrition routine.

During the months leading up to the wedding, you should consider trying your wedding dress on several times just in case your weight fluctuates as a result of your new workout routine. Checking how the dress fits on a regular basis will save you from the chaos of a last-minute fitting and adjustment. To help reach your goals before the wedding date, try to integrate these healthy routines into your everyday life.

1. Incorporate Healthy Foods into Your Daily Diet

In order to live a truly healthy lifestyle, you should focus on both your diet and your exercise routine. Before you can develop a new diet for yourself, spend a few days writing down what you eat throughout the day to help you take notice of any bad eating habits that you may want to cut out of your life. If you find yourself snacking on chips late at night, this might be a good habit to ditch before the big day. Try to include veggies into every meal and be mindful of how much you eat in one sitting. Many of us accidentally overconsume food during most meals because we’re conditioned to think that we must finish everything on our plate. Slow down while you’re eating and it will be much easier to recognize when you’re full but not stuffed.

2. Cut Down on Alcohol Intake

Alcohol can take a toll on our bodies in many ways, from adding unnecessary calories to causing long-term health effects. If you’re looking to lose weight or just get yourself into better shape before your big day, cutting down on alcohol is a great way to shed excess pounds and keep yourself in optimal health. For those who do not want to cut alcohol out of their life completely, you can try tactics that will help you drink less such as alternating alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, counting and keeping track of how many drinks you have in one sitting or limiting yourself to one drink per hour.

3. Develop a Regular Workout Routine

Once you’ve established a healthy nutritional plan for yourself, you should focus on your fitness objectives and determine what type of exercise will help you to reach this goal. You should always try to include cardio-centric activities into your routine if you’re looking to lose weight. Others may not be interested in dropping pounds but want to focus on developing a more toned body. In this case, you should spend time working your core strength as well as upper and lower body. Alternate days for focusing on specific muscle groups and try to begin your workouts with some type of light cardio or dynamic stretching.

4. Recover from Your Workouts with Protein Shakes

Building a sculpted, fit figure takes time as your body is breaking down your muscles and re-building them over time. Nearly every part of your body is made up of protein and the amino acids that form to create it. Ingesting a protein shake immediately after a workout will encourage your muscles to absorb the amino acids, helping your muscles to rebuild and recover more quickly. Drinking protein powder will also provide your body with a necessary amount of protein but much fewer calories and other macronutrients. Many people will invest in a protein shaker that they can bring to the gym to ensure that they consume their drink within 20 minutes after a workout. Others like to drink half of their shake prior to exercising and the other immediately after to boost stamina in the beginning and speed up recovery time.

5. Indulge in Small, Healthy Snacks

To help yourself stay satiated throughout the day without munching on unhealthy snacks filled with empty calories and highly processed ingredients, surround yourself with nutritious snacks. Nuts are one of the best healthy snacks to incorporate into your daily diet because they are high in protein as well as vital nutrients like omega 3 fats, calcium, iron and magnesium, amongst others. Made from chickpeas, olive oil and tahini, hummus is another easy alternative that offers health benefits. Focus on purchasing these types of simple but nutritious snacks, consuming them a few times a day to avoid overeating during meal times.

6. Experiment with a Juice Cleanse

Kick off the beginning of your new diet and exercise routine preparation for your wedding day with a three- or five-day juice cleanse. The purpose of a cleanse is to remove toxins from the body and hyper increase your intake of fruits and veggies that results in higher energy levels, a boost in immune health and build up beneficial stomach enzymes. Though every juice cleanse line varies slightly, most require you to consume nothing but the scheduled juices, which differ in ingredients and tastes, during the cleanse period. Some programs do allow for small snacks like nuts. Research some of the most popular juice cleanses to find which is right for you beforehand. Beginning your wedding prep with a juice cleanse may make you feel more motivated, empowered and healthy–ready to take the next step.