While we all want to look beautiful all the time, life has an annoying tendency to get in the way. However, the one day we all want to look stunning is on our wedding day. So, how do we prepare for our big day? How do we ensure our skin looks amazing and we can fit into that dress without feeling too self-conscious? We prepare long in advance by eating ourselves beautiful.
The trend is very definitely moving towards the correct nutrition to look good rather than depend on cosmetics. To our mind, a healthy balance between the two sounds ideal. So here is a plan we put together to help you look your very best on your wedding day.
Three Months Before The Wedding
Preparation is key in most strategies and a wedding is a strategy. It takes planning, preparation and flawless execution to make it memorable and it starts right here. Our first suggestion is to either take up a yoga or Zumba class.
Exercise is the very best way to begin preparing for your wedding. Stress is the skin’s biggest enemy and what better way to combat it than with some relaxing yoga or energetic Zumba. Exercise clears the mind, clears your skins and lowers stress. It is the basis upon which we build everything else.
As well as exercising, begin drinking more water. Start with three extra glasses a day and build up to five. Don’t drink them all at once, spread them out throughout the day. Water helps your skin immensely and most top models use it to help with their own appearance. Many swear by it and attribute much of their success to drinking lots of water. It’s also essential to help your body recover from exercise.
Two Months Before The Wedding
If you’re serious about eating yourself beautiful before your wedding day, the hard work starts here. Now is the time to bin ready meals, junk food, snacks and fizzy drinks. All add to poor physique, bad skin and being overweight, so get rid of them right away.
Switch to healthier alternatives to continue your beautification. The principle here is to replace, not remove food. If you’re exercising, you still need fuel to keep your energy up and not feel tired and lethargic. Choosing the right food is what will make the difference. Also changing the way you eat can contribute a lot to your new figure.
Try to switch from big regular meals to grazing. It’s a tried and tested method of eating without getting fat and works in your favour. A constant intake of good food keeps your metabolism working, your stomach from feeling empty and your brain from making you want junk.
Try:
A breakfast of porridge, oats or muesli
A real fruit smoothie a couple of hours later
A healthy sandwich or pizza for lunch (yes healthy pizzas do exist!)
Brie and whole wheat crackers and grapes for mid-afternoon
A healthy dinner combining lean meat, fish, chicken and vegetables
Snacks of celery or carrot sticks to eat between meals
We’re not going to list recipes here because there are hundreds of places to get those. The main thing to do is avoid anything processed, anything made in a factory and to eat fewer calories than you burn each day.
A Month Before The Wedding
With your exercise regime and diet hopefully providing real benefits, it’s time to look at your skincare. Consider switching to natural products to help your skin looks it’s absolute best. Again, we’re not going to name names, talk to a cosmetics expert and find the products with the least chemicals possible. The rule is, if you need a degree in chemistry to understand what’s in it, don’t buy it!
At this point, it’s time to maintain the good work you’re doing with natural foods but not overdo it. We want you to tone up but not lose too much weight. You’re probably having fittings now and we don’t want to have any last minute alterations before the big day.
Stress begins to accumulate in earnest in the build-up to the big day so it might be a good idea to add comfort foods to your diet. Consider making a chilli with lean meat or meat alternative, try a stew with lean beef, or chicken casserole. Each takes a while to make, but can be made at the weekend and frozen in portions to make it quick to manage during the week.
We all know the healing power of comfort food and by proactively managing it, we can lower stress, make ourselves feel better and benefit from proper meals without the calories that come with them. Fill those dishes with good quality organic vegetables and you’re onto a winner!
Your Wedding Day
The big day has arrived, you’re stressed, excited, busy, overwhelmed, tired, tetchy and nervous. All things that don’t lead to eating healthily. Unlucky. Get a good breakfast into you as soon as you wake, even if you’re really not feeling like it. Eat porridge or oats before everyone arrives so you can at least settle your stomach before the stress rises. Your body will thank you for it we promise!
Get someone to make you a fruit smoothie and sip it throughout your preparations. Use a straw and sip little and often to keep your energy levels up. If you like nuts, have a bowl of shelled cashews or almost laying around to nibble at while you’re getting ready too as they are a great source of vitamins and energy. Eating something will also help soak up the alcohol which is always handy.
By starting early, you should begin to see real improvements from around week 3. Changing your diet rather than cutting it is the very best way to be able to sustain the effort. As you’re exercising more and replacing junk with nutrition, your body returns the favour by tightening what needs tightening and losing what needs losing. That’s exactly what the beautiful bride needs to look her best on her wedding day!