How to Shape Up for Your Wedding Day If You Have No Time to Exercise

No matter how busy we are, we can probably incorporate exercise at some point during the day. This will give you more stamina and motivation to exercise more. If you never get to do more than this, than at least you have some activity. What I find key to this is isolating the things you do every day and incorporate one quick exercise whenever you do that every day activity. Some things I find I do daily, as do many other people is brush my teeth, shower, microwave, fax, or copy something, wait in line, get stuck in traffic or wait at a traffic light and cook. I try to get into the pattern of doing these exercises at these timings.

1. Arm curls while talking on the phone. Since a wedding dress draws so much attention to your bare arms and shoulders and potentially your cleavage, this will make your arms not look flabby and make your clavicle bone look sexy. Shoulders are also what holds up your dress that might have heavier fabric and beading, so this is an important exercise to . Try to do these whenever possible with a small item that weighs a pound or less such as a can, a stapler, or even just a concentrated movement without a weight. One handed activities like talking on the phone or stirring something often are a great time to do arm curls with the other hand. Almost any object you grab like a can of soup or even a decorative knick knack or a stapler or something can serve as some weight. Switch arms between sets of ten. If you are using a light object that you can do many more repetitions and build long toned arms. Expand to various forms of an arm curl or arm stretch to maximize the graceful look of your arms - remember that in a way they will be featured when you hold your bouquet and when you are dancing. The good news is under arm flab tones up quickly.

2. Calf raises while brushing your teeth - I do one set of ten in the morning and two sets at night this way. You can also try doing it while washing dishes or you are on the phone. Getting a nice smooth motion is more important than the number you do, make sure to keep good posture and not be hunching over the sink while doing these. By the way, they claim that brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand also strengthens your brain. Even if your legs do not show you in your wedding attire, brides will be wearing heels all day, standing and for dancing, so this will give you the stamina to do those things in a big heavy wedding dress.

3. Do squats while in shower - I usually do a set as soon as I get in while I am waiting to get wet and another set while shampoo washes out, but any amount you remember to do are great to start making your butt look better. Apparently most people hate doing squats the most, but they make a huge difference and it is not like you have anything better to do in the shower. One note of caution, if you are a klutzy person or have balance issues, you might want to try some light shoulder stretching or arm exercise instead, such as arm curls with a shampoo bottle so you can better keep your balance. This exercise is most likely the one that will make sure you fit into your wedding dress and stay toned after the pre-wedding parties, and if your wedding dress shows a hipline or your curves, this one is mandatory. Apparently, squats are what gave Jessica Simpson those great legs for her Dukes of Hazzard role. What bride doesn't want great legs?

4. Isolate and contract a set of muscles whenever you are bored. If find this the easiest to do with my stomach muscles, but you can pick another muscle group without being obvious. To do your stomach, isolate your stomach muscles that hold you up -Pilates call this your "core" - it is like you are holding your breath but not holding your breath trying to suck in your stomach to look thinner. Clench these muscles while you are bored -standing in line, passively listening to someone talk, during a boring lecture or office staff meeting, just when you think to do it. Remember to keep breathing; you do not have to hold them so tight as to be painful or hard to breathe. These quickly improve your posture and make your stomach look toned and thinner. It helps support your back as well. Core muscles are important for both brides and grooms to stand up the straightest and take advantage of the lengthening affect that wearing just one color on your whole body accomplishes. Remember that when you slouch in your wedding gown, it makes your gown fall in a way that is not flattering and just makes you look shorter and fatter, so try to work on these core muscles if possible. Core muscles are also what will give a groom a flat appearing stomach and appear taller.

5. Clench a muscle group when stuck in trafffic. Clench your butt when stuck in traffic or waiting at a red light. You are probably tense anyways, so clenching your buttocks in a squeeze for as long as you can and releasing is at least getting a better butt while you waste time sitting in traffic. These make a difference fast. You can also isolate your stomach, your thighs, or stretch an arm or do shoulder shrugs.

6. Stretch while waiting for the microwave or fax machine. While you are waiting for something to heat up in the microwave, try a small neck stretch if you are in public and do not want to look like an idiot, or do another arm exercise with a weight if you are in your own house. To do a neck stretch, just place your arm over your head and place your palm on the opposite side face down and very gently pull. This will also give your arms a stretch.

Want to read more about Exercise for busy people? Read this article by another Associated Content Producer entitled Exercise Tips for Cubicle Dwellers. Another article you may enjoy is How to Lose weight when you grew up in a food equals love dynamic.