Pre-wedding health & fitness tips to help you stay sane
HE went on one knee. In fitness that would equal a stationed lunge. It works the legs and glutes. And she said ‘Yes’. Pop that champagne, we have a wedding to prepare. Planning, planning and planning. Okay, before I lose you, let’s talk about fitness, love, weddings and health.
Show me someone who’s not bothered about how they look on their wedding day. Exactly. Let’s not forget the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Let’s be honest, everyone wants to look their best.
Once the news comes in, all of a sudden a panic button appears. Colours, hair, make-up, invitations, food, and and and (long pause) bodies. OMG I need to diet. And that’s when all the stress comes crashing down. DIET? The word itself is just stressful. It has “die” in it. The question is, where to begin?
Confidente spoke to Meke Namindo, CEO and founder of Mekenificent, to ask for tips and tricks to help brides, grooms and their wedding crew feel good during the preparations, on the big day and after the wedding.
This is what she says
First things first! Fitness and health are as personal as the wedding you are planning. So be very careful about passing comments without a thought to it. It can go south real fast. If one spouse is the only one who wants to go on the lifestyle change and the other is not on board, it can be hard to know what to say and how to say it. Although a little support from each other goes a long way, remember what one spouse might prefer might not be a preference to the other. My advice is, do it for yourself. That way, no one is under pressure.
Second thing is to acknowledge your current lifestyle state. If you had gained weight before the marriage proposal, start by acknowledging the fact that you gained that weight over a period of time. Accept it! And be honest with yourself. Accept the arms, thighs, bum and mostly accept the stomach. Because it is the abdominals which most people complain about. Too often I hear this “Oh Meke, I don’t have a problem with my body, I just want to lose the belly, the thighs, the arms.” *giggles*
Now, take five minutes to face yourself in the mirror and decide what you want to do about the current state. Again, not for your spouse or your friends, but for you.
Great! Let me tell you something. No one can make you change old habits without your consent. You must want to do the work, the sacrifice and all the efforts. I can coach and mentor you. But you must do everything. Once you’ve made up your mind, you are ready for a Mekenificent transformation.
One thing I can assure you is that it is possible and it is do-able to improve from where you are now, however, do not resort to desperate short fixes. They will bring you nothing but trouble, depression and sadness. And you risk gaining the weight back, fiercely.
I have various programmes which anyone, men or women, and the entire family can follow either at our private studio or in the comfort of your homes or any gym of choice. These are programmes that you can do anytime, anywhere, with videos and daily eating guides to help you achieve your goals.
Here are some tips to help you as you count down to your special day:
Start early: do not wait until there’s less than a month to your big day for you to rush into a fitness and health routines. It will stress you out and you might be grumpy on your wedding day. We don’t want that. Start as early as you realize that you want to do something about your weight or lifestyle.
Get the whole crew to be involved; getting into a fitness and health routine is fun alone but it’s even better in a group. However, get consent. There is nothing worse than someone doing something they don’t enjoy. If one of your crew says ‘no thank you’, do not take it personally. They are saying no to this option but not to you. They still love you.
Consider getting a personal trainer; you are bound to get faster and better results when you have a trainer who will hold you accountable and help you stay on track.
Combine cardio with strength training; a good routine should consist of cardio and strength. That’s heart pumping workouts like running, skipping, cycling combined with weights.
Do not do crazy diets: do not get too desperate to lose weight fast, it bites back badly, plus your blood sugar levels – if they become inconsistent – you might become moody and fatigued due to fast cut food benefits.
Eat right, Eat smart; I can never stress this enough. Eighty percent of your journey is about what you eat.
Do not stress about the scale too much; it’s good to take before and after images just to see where you started, but try not to become a slave to a scale. Rather focus on how you feel, and how your clothes fit on you.
* Meke is a certified fitness instructor and runs Mekenificent Fitness Studio for one on one or group workouts, Mekenificent Healthy Café for all your dietary needs, a mobile spa with accredited massage therapists. For more info call 0814417900 or mekenificent@gmail.com or follow @mekenificent on all social media pages.