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Every bride wants to look bangin' in her wedding dress, but an expensive gym membership tends to fall low on the list of wedding budget priorities. If you already have a gym membership, you go girl. If not, that's what your living room is for! You don't need fancy equipment to get toned and in shape for your wedding. Check out these 5 easy and effective exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home. You'll look ah-mazing in your wedding dress and on the honeymoon.
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If you want an all-econmpassing workout move that targets multiple areas of your body, turn to planks. This intense pose works your abs, back, and arms so you're strapless wedding dress ready! Planking can even help improve your posture and balance, so you'll be a pro at standing in heels for wedding photos all day. Start out small, holding a plank for about 20 seconds. Keep pushing yourself and add on to your time little by little every day.
Sick of powering through hundreds of crunches or sit-ups and not seeing any results at your dress fittings? Kick it up a notch and add a V-up motion into the mix. Start out lying on your back with your arms up above your head. Engage your core and raise your legs and upper body at the same time, forming a "V" shape with your body. Keep your legs straight and reach for your feet. Start out with three or four sets of about 10 repetitions.
To get the toned arms of your dreams in your wedding dress, you gotta work for it. Say hello to push-ups on your living room floor. And we're not talking "girl push-ups" with your butt sticking out. You need to give these your all. According to Nerd Fitness, proper push-up form involves positioning your hands slightly more than shoulder-length apart. If you can't for the life of you tuck your butt in, actually clench your gluteus maximus and suck your abs in. Lower your body to the ground at about a 90 degree angle, and propel yourseld back upward. Repeat this until your arms can't take it anymore. Then, try for one more rep tomorrow.
Turn your bedroom into a yoga studio and say "ohm." Not only can yoga help you get into shape before the wedding, it can also ease your wedding planning stress. According to Prevention, yoga helps enlarge the hippocampus in your brain, which regulates stress. Even if you're far from a yogi, you can look up beginner YouTube tutorials. And, since you're not surrounded by people in a workout studio, there's no skin off your back if you mess up a move.
If you're wearing a dress with a fitted silhouette, you want your legs and butt to look in tip-top shape. That's where squats come in. This exercise can even tone your abs, so it's a win-win-win. Channel your inner Kardashian and get those thigh and booty muscles working! Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and bend down as low as you can. Imagine you're sinking down into a chair. Repeat three sets of 10 reps, then add more as you get stronger.
