Wedding Day Body

Every bride, and let’s not forget the groom, would love to look their best on their wedding day. Whether you want to have toned arms and shoulder or a flatter tummy, you have to be committed to making a conscious change in your lifestyle in order to get the desired results.

We spoke with the inspirational Bbira Kafumbe of the Lose It Africa fitness movement for some pointers on how to get your dream body for your wedding.

1. Track what you eat

It is recommended to always write down what you are eating in a journal/diary. Tracking what you eat will help you lose twice as much weight as not doing so. This is because you are always aware what you are putting in your mouth.

Hint: Food journals, food tracking apps ‘myfitnesspal.com‘

2. Portion Control

We are what we eat! This is more than a tired cliche because how much you eat is key for weight loss. It is recommended to eat five times a day in small portions preferably every 2 to 3 hours.

Hint: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner.

Snacks need to be healthy so avoid doughy and sweet foods such as biscuits, bread, mandazi and the like and instead snack on fresh fruits, low fat yoghurt, or raw veggies such as carrots, celery sticks etc. Carry snacks in your bag to avoid situations of temptation when you are hungry and are tempted to eat the forbidden kind.

3. Water Water Water

Skip the processed juices and drinks and fill up on water. Water will help you keep full and thereby lessen the frequency of your eating. Most importantly it will help you get rid of toxins in your body. Eight glasses of water a day is recommended.

Hint: ‘Water your Body’ app can help you to up your water intake.

You can add oranges, lemons and cucumber to your water for flavour. Avoid booze during weight loss as it’s very high in sugars which equals to calories.

4. Fruits and vegetables

Add these to every meal to help you stay full for longer, and you won’t have room for making unhealthy choices. Steam, broil or bake your veggies for a different dining experience.

5. Exercise

A daily workout of no less than 30 minutes will boost your energy levels, help with stress management etc.

Effective exercises for a bride are HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and Tabata exercises as they are high intense workouts (planks, burpees, mountain climbers,etc).

Hint:  Do exercises that are targeted to your problem areas.

Aim to exercise in the morning. This helps keep you accountable and drives what food choices you make the rest of the day.