You are planning your wedding…congratulations!  How many hours spent thinking about the flowers, music, invitations, seating arrangements, the cake, the dress, the list is endless! How many hours have you spent on the most important part of that equation?  YOU!  If you do not take care of yourself, satisfy your wants, needs, desires, I can assure you no one else ever will.  You cannot take care of anyone or anything else to the best of your ability if you don’t take care of you first.  It was best said by Lucille Ball, “Learn to love yourself  first, and everything else will fall into place”.

When it comes to your health, we all know that exercise is key to maintaining your ideal weight, body fat and lean mass percentages.  Strive for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise everyday.  This could be team sports, running or walking outside or on a treadmill, biking, skipping, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, resistance training, rollerblading, the choices are many.  You just need to make a decision to do it – then do it every day. 

What I have discovered as a professional trainer is that 90% of people do not realize the impact diet has on how the body looks.  You can train as hard as you want but if your food choices don’t support your goal, you will never get the body you desire.

I will share with you my top 10 simple rules

1. Visualize yourself as already having the body you want to achieve.  Then live to maintain it. Eat to support that newly acquired form, exercise to keep it strong. Be in a state of gratitude for achieving your wonderful lean and healthy body.

2. Eat every 2-3 hours.  This is one of the most important changes you can make to your diet.  Regular and frequent feeding will stimulate your metabolism, balance blood sugars, improve your health and body composition.

3.  Eat complete lean protein with every meal.  Typically, that’s around 20 – 30 grams of protein per feeding for women.  You could have turkey, beef, salmon, tuna, egg whites, tofu, low fat dairy, cheese, yogurt, or protein supplements.

Eat Vegetables with every meal. That’s around ½ cup to one cup of veggies with every meal.  Veggies (and fruits) provide an alkaline load to the blood, which is important to balance the acids of proteins and grains.  Too much acid and not enough alkalinity means the loss of bone strength and muscle mass.

5. Save “other carbs” for only after exercise.  Eat non-fruit and non-vegetable carbohydrates during and within the few hours after exercise only.  Want to eat bread, pasta, rice, simple sugar sports drinks? You can, just be sure you save them until 1-2 hours after you exercise. During the rest of the day, stick with carbohydrate sources like vegetables and fruits.  These are more alkaline, contain more fiber, richer nutrients, and better manage blood sugars.  No exercise equals no heavy carbs.

6. Eat health fats daily. Fish oils, flax oil, primrose oil, Udo’s Oil, are essential to body composition. They will help you lose fat and look leaner, protect against heart disease, and more.  Approximately 25% - 30% of the diet should come from fat.

7. Stay hydrated.  Minimum of eight 8 ounces glasses a day. Do not drink beverages with more than 0 calories.  Sugary beverages, pop, fruit juices should be eliminated from the diet. They contain virtually no nutritional value whatsoever and are loaded with sugar.  Water is your best friend; add lemon to it if you want some flavour.  Green tea or herbal teas are fine as well.  Proper hydration is key to peak energy, mental clarity and healthy cells.

8. Take your Greens daily. I suggest using Innerlight greens.  You can find information at www.innerlightinc.com/wellnessnow

9. Surround yourself with positive energy.  If you do not feel good about yourself within a relationship, perhaps it is time to re-think the purpose of the relationship.  Be true to yourself.  Ask not what can I get out of a relationship but what can I bring to it?  Enjoy the company of others who empower you, support your goals and you can laugh with.

10. Be authentic every day.  Know who you are, what is important to you, what you can’t live with and what you cannot live without.  Take time to dance, listen to music, stretch, meditate and truly enjoy life daily.

I wish joy much laughter and fun on your wedding day.  May you always look at your husband and feel like you are in love for the first time but with the wisdom of a 45-year-old woman. – in my humble opinion, this is the key to a happy marriage.

Be well,

Sandra O’Brien