1 // Get yourself some sexy gear
When it comes to exercising anything that gets us excited about working out is a major bonus, and one of the easiest ways to motivate yourself is to invest in some sexy gear. While simply wearing your new digs wont help you get fit and fabulous, if you look and feel great you will want to work out for longer and more often. It’s a win win!
My favorite stores to shop for fab gear are Urban Outfitters and Free People (both ship to NZ and usually for free)
2 // Join My Fitness Pal
I have recently joined My Fitness Pal and I love it! The perfect and oh so easy way to track your food, exercise and weight loss goals. You can hook up with friends for extra motivation and any exercise you do gives you extra food (or wine) points while still keeping you on track. You learn what nutrients you are lacking and it also shows you what you need to cut back on. Use it via your laptop or as an app on your phone, My Fitness Pal is perfect for getting fit and fab!
3 // Switch out your coffee for green tea
Most of you will already know how good green tea is for you but here is a little reminder. Not only does green tea contain antioxidants but it does wonders for your skin, focus and can help aid your digestion which in turn can help with weight loss. It is the perfect replacement for caffeine lovers (most brands still contain a little caffeine so you wont be going cold turkey) and if you don’t like the taste of traditional green tea there are a whole bunch of flavor combos now to suit everyone!
Want to learn more about the benefits of green tea? Shimmy on over HERE.
4 // Eat off a side plate
Most of us kiwi’s have been brought up to eat everything on our plate which is not doing us any favours when it comes to portion control. My hubby does half the cooking in our house and usually the servings are gigantic! I always think, oh I will just eat some and save the rest for lunch tomorrow, but often without even realising it I have devoured the whole lot.
A great way to lose a little weight is to cut down your portion sizes using a side plate (making sure you still get a balanced diet). It makes you that little bit more conscious about how much you are eating, and will stop you from eating beyond being full (guilty!). These fab plates are from Little Green Sub.
5 // Up your water intake
We all know water is good for us but most of us don’t drink enough of it! The benefits of drinking water are endless, my favorite being fabulous skin and improved digestion (which of course can help you lose the pounds) but it also helps flush toxins from you body (especially alcohol) and can help you focus more, by fighting fatigue of the body and mind! Yay!
Drink water with squeezed lemon in the morning to really get your metabolism cranking and invest in a fab water bottle and carry it everywhere you go (you will be surprised how much of it you will drink) Room temperature and hot water are also great for those who find the cold a little hard going (my tummy gets a little grumpy if I skull it cold!)
6 // Get more sleep
Sleep is often not at the top of our priorities when it comes to daily life… but it should be. According to the crew over at Web MD “When you don’t get enough sleep, leptin levels drop. Result: people who are tired are just plain hungrier – and they seem to crave high-fat and high-calorie foods specifically.”
Not only can sleep help you maintain your weight, but your skin, immunity, memory, mood, focus, energy levels and libido (yup) will be all better off for it. Aim for 8 hours of unplugged sleep (sitting in bed using your mobile does not count) and feel the benefits! Image via ZME Science.
7 // Take time to de-stress
While getting married is without a doubt a very exciting time in your life, it can also be extremely stressful. The team over at Huffington Post tell us that “Stress can contribute to chronic conditions like hypertension and headaches, as well as mental health concerns like depression and anxiety disorders. What’s more, stress can make other conditions — like asthma, irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia — worse.”
Therefore it is the perfect time to invest in your wellbeing AND to get your self primped and pretty for your big day. I don’t know about you, but for me getting any kind of beauty treatment is a great way to take a break and relax so why not reduce your stress levels and increase your fab factor at the same time. Sold? Bet you are!
Do you have any great tips for getting fit and fab for your big day (or everyday?) I would love to hear them in the comments below!
Have a fit and fab day beautiful people! xox
