I think I speak on the behalf of most Newlyweds when I say that marriage makes you put on weight. I don’t know whether it’s because you’re no longer worrying about looking like the perfect version of yourself on the big day. Or if it’s just because you’re happy and want to indulge. But, this week we are reigning it in because we want to get our pre wedding bods back! I hate the word diet and this is anything but that. We’re just making smarter food choices and moving more.
There’s only a couple of pounds between then and now, but for me it was never about the scales anyway. It was about how I looked and felt. I felt much stronger and had a lot more muscle definition back then. So I have decided to work towards getting my pre wedding body back!
If you feel like you’re no longer moving forward with your training, have started to put on weight or can’t run anywhere near your PB, have a look at what your diet and exercise routine was like when you were performing at your best, and compare it to what it is now. That’s exactly what I have done and here is what I am going to change.
Compound lifts
Saturday used to be the day where I focused on doing the big lifts: Squats, Cleans and Deadlifts (as shown above). But since summer has arrived, my Saturday’s are now reserved for Park Run. And I think the reason why I noticed such a change in my body is because I’m no longer doing heavy compound lifts. Compound lifts are ideal for those of you who are looking to generate power or don’t have a lot of time to train each day. They use a large amount of muscle groups which means you can really load up the weight and lift heavier which helps to speed up your metabolism and sculpt your entire body. The reason why I love doing Squats, Cleans and deadlifts is because they work every single muscle group. Trust me, after a heavy lifting session even your eyelids will have doms!
Preparing meals
I’ve never been one to meal prep, even in the run up to the wedding. Just because when ever I did meal prep I’d always manage to leave it at home. But I’m going to make more of an effort with preparing my meals. I usually cook my own breakfast and dinner but lunch can sometimes be my downfall. An expensive downfall. I often find myself buying and eating everything, simply because I don’t know what I fancy. And even if I do buy a salad, the sauces that go with them are calorific and those calories are frankly better spent else where. I usually train in the morning or immediately after work, so I have quite a carb heavy lunch and this works well for me. It helps to fuel my workouts and keeps me feeling satisfied until after I have trained. My lunches will be full of leafy greens, a carb source and some fish for protein. Let’s just hope I remember to take it to the office with me.
Snacking
I am a serial snacker. I should probably say that I am going to cut down on snacking rather than stop completely because that would be a huge lie! Growing up my mum always told me to eat proper food instead of snacking. And I’m going to get back to doing just that because it keeps me feeling fuller for longer. I’ll probably save a lot more money too as buying things like Grenade bars or Snack pots from Pret do eventually create a hole in your bank account.
Walk more
I wear my Apple watch daily and I’ve set myself the task of achieving 15,000 steps a day. Yes I train but like most of you I have a desk job so unless I go for a run, I sometimes don’t even get half those steps in. I have started to swap parts of my underground commute for walking. And at the weekends I always try to cover as much of my journey on foot as possible. Obviously this can’t always be done but setting a new steps goal has made me become more aware of my activity outside of the gym and this is helping me to have a more well rounded approach to fitness.
Have a clear workout schedule
Before the wedding I had a solid training plan in place. Now I just leave my house with my gym bag and the intention of training at some point during the day. This lack of structure means that I simply haven’t progressed. Some people hate structure but when you’re looking to achieve results, t’s essential. I hate training on my own. I prefer to do a group exercise class but my workouts are a lot more focused when I’m on my own. I’ll be planning all of my workouts a week in advanced and I will be walking in to the gym with a game plan.
Let me know if you have any more tips on how to get back into the swing of things after a holiday or a wedding!
Outfit by Reebok
Images by Sam Pyatt
