Ultimate Performance’s Mark Bohannon tells us why exercise is the true path to feeling your big-day best As well as the joy and excitement that comes with planning a wedding, it also means having a million-andone things to deal with as the big day approaches; and with all eyes on you, wanting to look and feel your best can be another stress. That’s why Ultimate Performance has launched a new service designed to help brides and grooms get into the shape they want for their big day. Available through a new, dedicated section of its website, the package allows you to share sessions between the two of you and you’ll only need to pay one sign-up fee. You’ll be able to book a consultation at one of Ultimate Performance’s gyms and have a team of trainers devise a unique training plan tailored to your needs and goals. The plan will look at all aspects of your life including training, nutrition, sleep, stress mitigation and supplementation helping you to achieve the look they feel happy, comfortable and confident with. We had questions, so CWM’s beauty and wellness editor, Kelly Andrews, caught up with Ultimate Performance’s certified personal trainer and chief experience officer Mark Bohannon to find out more. Feeling confident and happy in oneself on the big day is the ultimate goal. How would you suggest a couple use fitness to achieve this? One of the most important things to stress when it comes to feeling the best version of yourself on your wedding day is that it’s not, necessarily about weight loss. Of course, there may be people who do want to lose some unwanted pounds before the big day, which is completely fine, but crashdieting or over-stressing about the scales can do more harm than good. So, it’s about finding the right type of exercise that can give you so many other benefits, such as feeling physically and mentally strong; it can improve your sleep, your energy levels, your complexion, your posture, all of which will contribute to you looking and feeling fantastic on your wedding day. From an overall holistic standpoint, there’s a wealth of research that shows that exercise is one of the most available, cheapest, and powerful tools in the arsenal if you want to improve your mental health. In fact, the evidence shows it can improve symptoms of anxiety and depression. When you work out, your body releases endorphins that make you feel great after a workout. This can be a fantastic way to relieve the tension and stress that comes with planning a wedding! It’s also a good way to find a bit of you-time, where you can escape and just work out. Plus, the combination of natural hormones released during exercise and complementing your fitness regime with a good diet, can also do wonders for your skin, which will help you radiate wellness on your big day. What would you recommend for an absolute beginner to exercise? The first thing is to walk more. It’s estimated that the average person burns around 500 calories for every 10,000 steps they take, which represents roughly the level of calorie deficit we need to create each day to lose one pound of fat per week. Of course, this number varies according to the individual, how fast they walk, and so on. But what is true for everyone is that walking is a low impact, low stress activity that almost anyone can do anywhere, no matter their current fitness levels. Low impact forms of exercise like walking 30 minutes a day or more can also be beneficial for stress management, health and immune function. How can a new fitness regime and diet fit around the demands of day-to-day life without adding even more stress and pressure? The best tip I can give you is this: remember your why? In other words: what’s the main reason you want to start a new fitness programme before you get married? Whatever it is, write it down and pin it up somewhere in your house. A Post-It on the fridge is always a good trick! Use these notes to reinforce to yourself on a daily basis and you’ll soon find it becomes engrained in your psyche. Plus, a new fitness regime doesn’t mean you have to spend seven days a week in the gym. The average client at Ultimate Performance spends only 2.7 hours a week in the gym but still achieves incredible results. It’s all about training smarter, not necessarily harder. A good tip if you want to get the most out of your fitness routine without derailing your other commitments, is to plan your gym visits with the same military precision as you would a meeting at work, and find a time to train that suits your lifestyle. Lastly, one of the best ways to stay accountable to your fitness goals is to hire a personal trainer. Yes, it’s an expense. However, having a personal trainer in your corner, who’ll not only train you but check in on you every day to see how you’re getting on will keep you on track. The accountability you feel to your trainer will stop you going off the rails. Just make sure you partner with the right one. What nutrition tip or simple dietary change would you offer couples to set them off on the right foot? Find a way to build habits around eating real food. The more real food you eat, the more likely you are to be in shape. I’m talking vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and single ingredient foods that have been around for hundreds of years. If it doesn’t eat, swim, fly or grow in the ground, then you probably shouldn’t eat a lot of it! Eating consciously and slowly while being mindful of the food that you’re eating will make you eat better and you’ll feel fuller. If you never eat to more than 90 per cent full, you’ll find it much easier to stay in shape. FIND OUT MORE AT https://ultimateperformance.com/wedding-transformation Fit’s a kinda magic Getty Images on Unsplash Mark Bohannon, Ultimate Performance certified personal trainer and chief experience officer WELLNESS 65
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