Fit Healthy and Fantastic!

Looking for that healthy and fit look for your wedding day that will have all eyes on you?

An early focus on increasing fitness or beginning your path to a realistic and sustainable weight management plan can optimize your health and ensure you are looking fit, healthy and glowing on your wedding day.

Developing a good fitness level does not start or stop at the gym door, it involves being more active.

In general such as climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, moving around instead of sitting still, sitting up instead of lying down as well as showing some excitement and enthusiasm instead of boredom. Every mile starts with a step.

Now that we got our first step right, lets move on to the next one. This preferably involves a personal health assessment with your naturopath or doctor, then a visit to your personal trainer for an exercise plan & goal setting session. A personalized approach rather than a generic one is most likely to bring successful outcome.  A lifestyle counselor or life coach can also be of help with goal setting and positive reinforcement. 

If you think you can achieve your goal using those ‘fancy’ starvation diets as a way to control your weight, think again. People who diet without exercising often gain weight with time. Although your weight may initially drop while ‘dieting’, such weight loss consists mostly of water and muscle. When the weight returns, it comes back as fat.

The right way to avoid gaining weight over time is to increase your metabolism by exercising regularly. When you exercise especially during long low impact sustained activities such as walking, your body creates a fat-breaking enzyme called “hormone sensitive lipase”.

Studies have revealed that this fat breaking enzyme is active for up to twelve hours from the moment it has been triggered. The same enzyme is also involved in cleaning all blood vessels of fatty plaques and deposits. So, no amount or type of dieting will produce all the positive results you are looking for, unless you exercise.

Start a fitness & diet journal to keep track of your food intake and exercise schedule.

Do not skip meals - skipping meals lowers your metabolism, decreasing energy, slowing weight loss and also decreasing your ability to use food to your advantage, you may even gain weight by skipping meals. Regularity is the key here, your body likes rhythm.

Make food fun and exciting; eat fresh, small regular meals. Breakfast on sensational ‘energy smoothies’ with fresh fruits or ½ cup of porridge.  After breakfast give your self an half an hour break than head to the gym or local park for a high energy/power or tone/muscle focused workout, start your day with power!

Lunch on salads, fruits or soups, eat fresh cheese or nuts for protein, try to avoid breads and pastries, for beverages use water (your body is 75% water), fresh juices and supplementation. Seek support for your weight management journey, whenever needed use your team of professionals - no need to ‘go it alone'.

Late afternoon or evening, go for a walk or jog, attend a class or visit your personal trainer before preparing a healthy dinner with plenty of fresh vegetables.  Dinner is a great chance to share achievements of the day with a friend or chronicle them in your fitness journal.

Regular exercise will not only have you looking good at your wedding today but it will have reaching effects right through your life as it will prevent

·               Obesity          

·               Mental IIlness                      

·               Breast Cancer                                 

·               Injury

·               Cardiovascular Disease

·               ColonCancer

·               Osteoporosis

·               Early Death

Daily group classes can fast track results - Utilize a combination of aerobic, resistance & yoga exercise.

Flexibility training (stretching) helps balance muscle groups that might be overused during exercise or physical activity or as a result of bad posture. Flexibility is a joint's ability to move through a full range of motion, include cardio-aerobic workouts, martial arts for increased coordination, power & stamina.

Resistance based exercise (weights)  for toning and strengthening tired muscles – suitable for all levels of fitness and strength.

Make sure you have a rest day each week for your body to recover and power through the following days….

The motto is flexibility, agility, strength and balance.

Fun and active outings and exercises like bike rides and walks at the beach, decrease boredom and time available for snacking or grazing during the day.

At the completion of your pre-wedding program, you will benefit from the increased energy & have the skills & motivation to keep moving forwards towards your long term Health & Fitness goals & stay looking Fit, Health & Fantastic into the future.

When it comes to good health and weight loss, exercise and diet are inter-related:

More muscle = more active metabolism.

Higher metabolic rate reduces the chance of weight gain.
Exercising without maintaining a balanced diet is no more beneficial than dieting while remaining inactive.

 

Gregory Damaskos is a Naturopath, Analytical Counselor, Public Speaker, Health Educator and a Writer for several national and international publications.  He has appeared on TV and radio programs on health matters and is the Director of Authenticity Health & Wellness Retreat, Port Elliot SA.  His work is based on the merits of Nature Cure (Naturopathy) Yoga, Philosophy and Psychotherapy , with food, life style and a state of emotional and mental well-being the main means by which he aims to balance and restore the natural functions of the body mind and spirit.

Gregory would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Just send your question to us at info@styleguide.com.au

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