The Perfect Bridal Diet

The Basic Rules

• Always eat breakfast. Eat within 60 minutes of getting up for maximum energy-boosting benefits.
• On average, aim for 1700 calories a day. This is the ideal amount but avoid eating empty calories with no nutritional value.
• Eat a small amount of protein with every meal as it leaves you feeling fuller for longer. Try fish, lean chicken, skimmed milk, eggs, nuts, and seeds.
• Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Choose dark-green, leafy vegetables – high in fiber, it’s a natural source of iodine, which helps to boost your metabolism. When it comes to fruit choose grapefruit, plums, and pears.
• Don’t add sugar or salt to your food. Sugar is high in empty calories and salt encourages bloating and water retention.
• Introduce plenty of fiber into your diet. This is good for digestive health. Whole grains and high-fiber foods also take longer to digest, burning more calories in the process. Go for brown bread, pasta, and rice.
• Timing is everything. Aim to eat every three to four hours to keep your metabolism stoked up throughout the day. Eat no later than 8 pm or at least three hours before bed and 30-45 minutes after your workout.

Super Foods

• Avocados are high in healthy monounsaturated fats; they help you get plump, youthful-looking skin. Aim to eat a couple per week.
• Brazilian nuts work wonders for hair, skin, and nails. Have two or three days.
• Pomegranates are high in vitamin C and rich in antioxidants, these help improve skin tone, texture, and clarity. Drink a glass of juice a day.
• Carrots are high in vitamin C and beta-carotene, carrots naturally help protect against the sun’s harmful rays.
• Grapes contain 20 antioxidants, black and red grapes help prevent wrinkles and protect against thread veins and skin sagging. Have a small bunch each day.

Mini Moves

 Altering your routine to up your daily activity is a simple and effective way of burning more calories without having to hit the gym.

• Tone your hips and lift your bottom by performing pliés morning and night while you brush your teeth. Two minutes twice a day will make all the difference to your derrière.
• If you take public transport to work, get off one stop earlier, and walk the remaining distance. As you get fitter, get off sooner, increasing your morning walk.
• Use half your lunch-break for a brisk walk – just 10 to 15 minutes will make a big difference to your fitness levels and improve your circulation, helping to get rid of cellulite.

Timing

Here’s how to maximize your metabolic output with a little time management:

• Exercising 3 hours before or after 6 pm is best for both endurance and building muscle mass.
• Exercising at the end of the day can also help regulate how this time of day can help aid weight loss.
• Post-work workouts can also help lower high-stress levels, a common factor in weight gain.
• If you don’t work out regularly, you won’t get the maximum health benefits from exercising. As a rough guideline, aim for at least 20 continuous minutes of aerobic exercise, three to four times a week.