et Fitness: Health and Wellness Tips Before Your Big Day

Cairo – 14 October 2017: As a fashion designer and performance training specialist, I get a lot of questions from my brides during their fittings about what they could do to get more fit and toned before their weddings.
As a bride, you’re most likely running around from place to place trying to meet the wedding planner, photographer and caterer for your big day. Then you’re trying to fix up your house and running to meet the carpenter, plumber, architect, and somehow in between all this, you’re thinking about trying to get your body toned and to lose weight to fit into that dress you’ve always dreamed you’d be wearing for your wedding. What you want to do is this: Make sure each workout is designed in a way that you are using your whole body, not just focusing on one or two places at a time. It’s important to try to exercise as much of your body as you can during each workout to maximize results in your limited time.

Burpees:
Nobody likes burpees. Period. But they are incredible for working out a very large group of muscles in your body and most importantly, your core.

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Core:
Your core is one of the most important and often-neglected parts of the body. If you have a strong core, then there is nothing you can’t do. Having a strong core prevents injuries from occurring throughout your body because your core is the pillar that keeps your body strong. Not to mention, a strong core means you’re going to be able to boogie for hours on end to your heart’s content. You can do planks with the different variations of each plank, such as a spider plank, plank hand raises, jack planks and side planks. Each of these will work out different parts of your core while also giving your arms a workout.

Squats/Lunges:
Squats are great for those thighs and that butt you’ve always dreamed of. Try and do a variation of 10-15 reps with 3 to 4 sets of each, every day. You can also pause at the bottom of your squat for a few seconds to real feel the burn. Lunges are another great way to work out your lower body. Try to do the same variation and reps as the squats.

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Push-Ups:
Push-ups will inevitably give you those toned arms that you know will go fabulously with your dress design. You can choose to do full push-ups, on your knees or on the wall. Try to do a variation of 10 reps of push-ups and 2 to 4 sets of this every day.

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Glute Bridges:
These exercises are a super easy way to work out your core and your hips and can be done absolutely anywhere. You start by lying down on the floor, knees bent and then you push your hips upward and squeeze your glutes (hips), hold that stance for 2 seconds and then drop your hips and repeat.

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Now, just as taking care of your body is very important, so too is taking care of your mind and your emotions. During wedding preparations, there are major high levels of stress from just about every angle. Sometimes, you end up feeling stressed and frustrated and you really don’t give yourself a few moments in the day to even understand why it is you feel this way. I think it’s very important during the months leading up to your wedding to be as conscious of your feelings and your mental state as possible. Get a small notebook and before going to bed every night, write down just one thing that you are thankful for. In the midst of the stress and chaos, it becomes easy to slip into a negative mindset. It’s always important to take a moment and get some perspective to realize that there really are a lot of wonderful things in the world to be happy about, one just needs to open themselves up to the power of positive thinking.

Take some time to yourself, whether it’s just 10 minutes in the day you can sit alone with a nice cup of coffee at your favorite café, or a few hours once a week at your favorite pool or with some friends--it’s important to give yourself those moments of pleasure.

It’s important to remember to be kind to ourselves. To be kind to our bodies, kind to our minds and kind with the way we view ourselves and then patient throughout all of it. I’ve noticed that a lot of women are very harsh with their self-image, whether physically or mentally, and throughout heightened levels of stress, that harshness with oneself becomes even more difficult. If we create little daily habits that help us see the world and ourselves a little more differently, we can ultimately change our perspectives permanently, so much so that the default becomes kindness with ourselves and the world before we even begin to criticize either. In doing so, the process of getting married, picking a dress, designing a wedding venue and designing our homes, becomes a source of enjoyment rather than a stressful source or a burden.