There is without a doubt SO much that goes into wedding planning, but one thing we know will DEFINITELY be on your mind is how you will look on your big day. This is hands down one of the (if not the MOST) important days of your life, and its inevitable that you will want to be looking your absolute best.

We asked our good friend (and client! 👏🏻) Jamie Connell to give us some of his professional advice on nutrition as well as making some serious life style changes in preparation for your big day! Jamie is a Personal Trainer & Health Coach at our FAVORITE gym right in Downtown Saratoga, E3 Training powered by Vent Fitness. We’re so excited to share some of Jamies tips and tricks on looking and feeling your best during the months leading up to your Wedding!

“Losing weight, body recomposition goals, and improving healthy behaviors happen SLOWLY and SYSTEMATICALLY. End of story. There are no hacks, quick fixes, or one-size-fits all methods. In order to be realistic, safe, and healthy, brides and grooms to be need to plan to begin nutritional behavior change at least 6-8 months in advance, and ideally 10-12 months before their big day. Before deciding to tackle a specific goal, engaged couples should be focused on creating sustainable behavior change through implementation of healthy habits. These habits, practiced diligently over time lead to long-term success.” – Jamie Connell

Get at LEAST 7 hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep each night is usually one of the most overlooked and neglected aspects of our health! Without proper rest and recovery, everything else you are doing to improve your health will suffer. Getting enough sleep also helps keep our brains sharp and energy high! (which is SO important while wedding planning!!!)

Eat SLOWLY until 80% full. This is crucial for learning your body’s satiety signals, ensuring better digestion and absorption of nutrients, and avoiding overconsumption.

Give your kitchen a makeover! Something as simple as going through your kitchen and tossing all of the processed, expired, or unrecognizable foods can make such a huge difference in your eating habits. Without all of the junk food around, you are more likely to stick to more healthy ways of eating! Jamie suggests categorizing your food like this:

• Red Light Foods- Foods that are just bad news for you. Maybe they make you feel sick, or they trigger you to eat too much, or you know they’re an unhealthy choice for you, etc. Red means “no go”.
• Yellow Light Foods- Foods that are sometimes okay, sometimes not. Maybe you can eat a little bit without feeling ill, or you can eat them sanely at a restaurant with others but not at home alone, or you can have them as an occasional treat, etc. Yellow means “approach with caution”.
• Green Light Foods- Foods that make you feel good mentally and physically, and that you can eat normally, slowly, to a relatively easy until 80% full. These are usually things like fruits and vegetables, lean protein, legumes, etc. Green means “go for it!”

Eat 5 servings of colorful fruits/vegetables per day. 1 serving of vegetables is equivalent to the size of your fist, and 1 serving of fruit is equivalent to the size of your cupped hand. Fruits and veggies are essential for a healthy lifestyle!

Eat lean protein with every meal. Eating protein can help you get leaner, stronger, and healthier. Below are some simple protein options!

• Lean meat such as beef, pork, wild game
• Poultry such as chicken or turkey
• Fish & seafood such as shrimp or scallops
• Eggs & egg whites
• Cottage cheese or strained plain Greek yogurt
• Protein powder such as whey, egg, vegetarian blends, etc.
• Cooked lentils or beans
• Tempeh or tofu

We hope Jamies advice for starting your journey to a healthier lifestyle can help your better prepare for your Wedding Day! We know change can be hard, but these tips and tricks will definitely help you kickstart the process! Also, a HUGE THANK YOU to Jamie for all of his helpful advice! For more information on creating habits like the ones mentioned above, contact Jamie at jconnell23@gmail.com!