The honeymoon is over. You trained for your wedding and looked amazing, and as a reward, you indulged on your honeymoon so that it was more like a butter/cream/sugar-moon instead. Don’t worry if you’ve put on all the weight you lost for the wedding. We’ve got 10 tips to help you get back in shape and stay that way for many anniversaries to come!
1) Partner up with your spouse and motivate each other. As the adage says, “You are the average of the five people you hang out with the most.” So plan your entertainment, meals, and workouts as a couple and motivate each other when you’re having a tough or lazy day.
2) Set specific, realistic goals and have a set time period. Then identify and eliminate your barriers to exercise and eating well. With an easy-to-accomplish plan, you’ll even be able to exceed your goals.
3) Get on the scale. Studies show that if you weigh yourself each day, you’ll keep your fitness and nutrition goals in mind. Skipping the scale for weeks at a time may lead to unconscious weight-gain. A weigh-in a day keeps those pounds away.
4) Try something new. Never took a spin or Pilates class? Never gone cross-country skiing or hiking? What are you waiting for? Surprise your body and learn something new together to keep things fun and your fitness on track.
5) Cut workout time in half. Don’t waste time standing still and doing biceps curls! Multitask instead by combing arm, leg, and abdominal exercises, like a curl, lunge, and twist. Then add a cardio interval. Multitasking workouts cut time while boosting metabolism, heart rate, and perspiration. Check out NikkiBeachBride.com for sample cardio moves and four challenging multitasking workout DVDs that take only 30 minutes to complete.
6) Eat more. Think of food as a fuel, not as a gift, which means passing on food that’s high in fat and sugar, and taking just half of the portion you’d normally heap on your plate. Also, keep the tank half-full at all times with several small, healthy meals. If you never get famished, you’ll make wise choices with your head, not your belly.
7) Put one sneaker in front of the other. Many of us waste too much time saying we need to work out, dreading the process all the while. Trick yourselves by just getting dressed for it, putting on your favorite workout music, and not really thinking about what you’re about to do. If you take it one step at a time, before you know it, you’ll finish the cool-down and feel amazing.
8) Too cold to go outside? The chilly weather and lack of daylight make this time of year tough on fitness resolutions. Heat yourselves up with a healthy slow-cooked meal and break a sweat inside with a new fitness DVD or a fitness channel on TV.
9) Reward yourselves when you stick to these resolutions with something free or inexpensive that makes you both happy and inspires you to look and feel good. Maybe it’s a combined personal training session or a mini fitness vacation together.
10) Subscribe to motivational fitness sites or magazines. Whether it's a new and healthy dish you can make, news about a recent medical study, interesting moves to try at home, or another person's story about how they reached their goals, an inspiration will help you keep fitting in your fitness!
Nikki Glor, creator of the 30-minute multitasking toning and cardio DVD series, Beach Bride Destination: Wedding Workout, The Fit Travel Workout, and Booty Camp available on Amazon.com and NikkiFitness.com.