Yoga for Your Mind
The number one thing you need to clear before D-Day is your mind. Start your workout regime with the Child’s Pose (Balasana) to gently stretch your hips, thighs and ankles. This will relieve any back and neck pain. Then move on to the Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) to calm your brain and help alleviate stress and rejuvenate your tired legs. Then comes the Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) which is one of the most therapeutic asanas that will relieve headaches and insomnia. Then relax your body and lower your blood pressure with the Corpse Pose (Savasana) and end by stretching out your spine and shoulders with the Puppy Pose (Uttana shishosana). With this round of yoga therapy you’ll be able to calm your mind before the mayhem that the big day brings.
Lose Your Love Handles
With your sexy cholis and sheer saris making their way to your wedding trousseau—the one thing you need to get rid of are those stubborn love handles. Start off with some torso twisters: step, twist, step together; and then repeat in the other direction. Remember to twist from your waistline, keep your abs engaged and bump up the speed to burn more calories. Repeat this for 1-3 minutes.
Next up try your hand at some belly blasting exercises: bicycle crunches, shoulder-to-knee sets and abs lifts. 20 reps will give you some targeted toning.
End your torso workout by flexing your spine laterally, place your elbow under your shoulder, lift your hips as high as possible and keep your head in line with your spine. 20 reps per side.
Bye-Bye Arm Jiggle
If wedding day is fast approaching—so is your honeymoon, which means strapless dresses, bikinis and a whole lot of fun. This also means you’ve got to take care of that arm jiggle, pronto!
Start light by holding a dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arms by your side and your palms in. Now, raise the weights diagonally in front of you so that your arms form a V shape and they are parallel to the floor. Hold for one second and then return to the starting position. Do this for 15 reps.
Next, it’s time for some airplane extensions: lie face down and extend your arms out at shoulder level with your palms facing the floor. Pull your shoulder blades together and lift your arms, chest and legs off the floor. Holding that position, bring your arms forward, reaching past your head. Hold for one count, and then move them back. Lower yourself to the floor and repeat 15 times.
Finish your arm workout with crescent lunges: grab a dumbbell in your right hand and stand with your feet together, arms at your side. Lunge forward with your left leg until your left knee is bent 90 degrees and lower your torso as close as possible to your left knee as you raise your left arm out to shoulder height. Allow the dumbbell in your right hand to hang naturally. Then, lift the dumbbell straight up until your right elbow passes your torso. Repeat for 15 sets, alternating sides.
Tame Your Tummy
Now this is the most important workout of them all—and in order to truly tame your tummy, you have to first figure out what kind of a belly you have. Once you have identified your tummy type you can begin to transform and sculpt it into one that is desirable for you.
The Spare Tyre Tummy: This is one of the easiest tummies to eliminate because it is caused by eating the wrong foods and not exercising enough. If you identify with this tummy type, ditch the processed, “diet snacks” and opt for fresh produce: grilled chicken, smoked salmon, eggs, nuts. Give up alcohol too and start doing some exercise—you don’t need the gym, just a good walk or some yoga should do the trick.
The Stress Tummy: If bloating is causing your tummy to look far worse that it really is—you’ve got a stressed-out tummy. When we are stressed we produce cortisol, which encourages the body to hang on to the fat around the stomach area. If you’re a junk food junkie or skip meals, you’ll fall into this category. What you need is to ensure that you have a good night’s sleep, practice deep-breathing relaxation techniques, take long baths before bedtime and limit your caffeine intake.
The Bloated Tummy: The bloated tummy is generally flat in the mornings but swells throughout the day with gas or indigestion. This might mean that you’re intolerant to some kind of food. It’s fully possible that you’ve been eating this food your entire life without even realising that you’re body cannot digest it properly. Gluten in particular can cause the stomach to look bigger than it is. Experiment with food and cut out the wrong foods, drink plenty of water to keep your digestive system flowing, practice breathing exercises and make breakfast your main meal.
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Written by Nazneen Joshi on 16th Sep 2014