Simple Slim Tips

There’s nothing quite like the thought of fitting into your form-fitting dream wedding outfit to motivate a bride to get serious about weight loss, but the time and effort poured into planning your wedding can sometimes take over your best intentions to get in shape for the Big Day. We've come up with some simple tips and tricks to help you look your best before you tie the knot.
 
1: HIIT Training
Most people think achieving their perfect physique means hours upon tiring hours of sweating it on cardio machines at the gym, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Incorporating small bursts of exercise throughout your week could be all you need to help slim you down before your nuptials. HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training - is a great way of gently introducing your body to high intensity cardio workouts without overwhelming you. The idea is to sandwich breaks between short sessions (30 seconds) of intense exercise. for instance, you can start by simply taking a 20 minute walk and alternating each 2 minutes of walking with 30 seconds of running. This will raise your heart rate, burn fat and improve your fitness while not shocking your body into overworking itself.
Virgin Active run a number of HIIT - 24 and Gear3D, to get the heart pumping and the fat burning - fast.
 
2: Eat Regularly
Food is the number one regulator of your metabolism. Eating four or five well balanced meals a day - consisting of equals parts carbohydrates, protein and fat - will help regulate your blood sugar levels and curb those urges to snack on junk. A common misconception with the process of weightloss is that you need to cut yourself off directly from treats – but this isn't the case. We're from the school of 'A Little Bit of What You Fancy..', after all! Indulging in a bar of your favourite chocolate (just the one, mind you!) or a treat once every few days will not hurt your efforts to shift the weight, and you'll be a lot happier than if you just stuck to celery and cottage cheese. In fact, an occasional treat could help keep you on track with your healthy food regime.
 
3: Weight Training
A lot of ladies make the mistake of focusing solely on cardio-based workouts at the gym in the quest to shed a few pounds. However, incorporating a light weight training programme alongside your cardio will help keep your body guessing and work different body sections. Simple weighted lower body exercises such as squats and lunges helps tone legs and bums while weighted bicep curls or push ups give your upper body a workout. There are hundreds of short yoga classes on YouTube which show you how to use your own body as weights. You don't need any specialist equipment - just a mat or towel, a laptop and half an hour.
 
4: Give yourself a break!
As much as the body loves to be kept active, it also needs to have its down time for repair and recovery. Allow yourself at least one or two rest days a week, swapping gym workouts for casual strolls or stretching. Recuperation is key for change, as your muscles require rest time to be given the opportunity to relax and re-heal from your workouts.