To have and to hold in fitness and in health

As the wedding season approaches, brides (and grooms) up and down the country start to worry about slimming down for their big day. Getting in shape together for your big day is a great idea - just ask Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar who embarked on a ‘his and hers’ fitness programme for their dream wedding.

Exercising together will not only make sure you both look and feel fantastic, but it will be a welcome break when you’re up to your eyes in wedding planning. To kick start your plans to beat the bulge and slim down, Harpers Fitness is offering brides and grooms the opportunity to take advantage of a free personal training session at their local Harpers Fitness gym – all we need is proof that you’re getting married from your chosen venue (church, registry office).

But in the meantime, here are some top tips for slimming down and beating the bulge:

Eat up
Strong, sexy curves give brides and their grooms a gorgeous wedding-day silhouette, so ditch the crash diets. Instead of skipping meals, focus on what you eat: keep a food diary for two weeks (be honest!) and you’ll soon see where your weak points are.

Crunch two, three, four…
All the stomach crunches in the world won’t give you the flat stomach if your ‘core’ abdominal muscles are weak. To build up your core muscles, start training by doing pelvic tilts: lie on your back with your knees bent and spine neutral. Breathe normally and slowly pull your back fl at. Hold for fi ve seconds, and repeat 15 times. Attending pilates classes will also work wonders for your posture as well as your figure – perfect for that graceful sweep down the aisle.

Small changes
You’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve through little changes to your daily habits, ordering a skinny latte instead of ‘regular’, going for a 10-minute stroll at lunch time, or cycling to work – they all add up!