How to be a healthy calm and happy bride

How to be a healthy, calm and happy bride

This is not another strict “wedding diet” or rigorous exercise program, but rather welcoming a new healthier you in 6 easy steps.

We sought the advice of nutritional coach and author, Marlien Wright, on how to become a healthy, calm and happy bride, while planning your wedding.  This is not another strict “wedding diet” or rigorous exercise program, but rather welcoming a new healthier you in 6 easy steps.

The run-up to your wedding can seem like a race against time, an impossible list of tasks to complete and lots of changes to navigate. In addition, it’s an important farewell to your single, unmarried self and enjoying the last few months of a life that’s about to change in a big way.

Whilst juggling your work-life, social life and an upcoming wedding, you are also probably striving towards being the healthiest most beautiful you to step over the threshold and into your new life. Tall order, right? But what if there were a few small changes you can incorporate into your daily habits that would make life feel slower so you can soak up this wonderful experience fully, use less energy to get more done and start your new beginning with all the right tools and foundations.

The answer is simple, start adding healthy habits to your daily routine. Or let’s call them pleasurable self-care rituals!

Below are a few of the daily rituals I follow to help me live my best life – start with one per week to make the transformation less daunting.

1. Drink water in an entirely new way

Follow the simple rule of not drinking anything 30 minutes before a meal, or 90 minutes after a meal. This will transform your digestion and hydration levels. When we drink near, during, or directly after our meals it dilutes our digestive juices and hinders our body’s ability to allocate the water to our skin and other essential functions in the correct way; to hydrate and detox properly. I like starting my day with a big cup of lemon water at least 20 min prior to coffee (the coffee finally then magically transforming me from zombie to human).

2. Follow a rainbow veggie rule

Count your colors (not calories) and aim to include at least 8 different vegetables per day (palm sized portions). The fibre and phytonutrients in vegetables are essential to keep our gut-garden flourishing (translating into great immunity). In addition it keeps your metabolic fire burning brightly.

3. Eat clean

This means cooking from scratch with wholefood ingredients. If time is an issue – use one afternoon (Sundays work well) to cook a few veggie-rich meals to keep in the fridge or freezer. This way you will easily resist unhealthy take-aways or fast foods that are loaded with bad-fats and other undesirable ingredients. Another great time saving hack is to freeze small batches of fruit, then simply add to your blender for your morning smoothie. Bananas, mango and berries freeze beautifully.  Add some live yoghurt or your favorite nut-milk and healthy fat source (nut butters/ MCT oil or avocado) and you are good to go until lunch time.

4. Beat the stress and become more present

Meditation is not just for enlightened monks or on retreat. Finding a meditation style that suits you and fitting in 10-20 minutes a day will leave you feeling rested, clear of mind and as calm as a bride-to-be can be. I love Emily Fletcher’s meditation method which you can learn from her book; ‘Stress Less, Accomplish More’. Available in hard copy from your local Exclusive Books or E-Book format via Amazon or Google Books.

5. Choose a low-carb diet high in healthy fats

Trimming down and feeling great (natural weight-loss, lots of energy, clear mind etc) is about becoming more insulin sensitive – in other words; cutting out the refined carbs. Refined and high carb foods have a high glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) is a scale that measures a specific food’s capacity to raise blood sugar. Eating a high-glycemic load food raises your insulin levels more than eating the same portion of a low-glycemic load food, even if the carb contents of the two foods are similar. Choose fibre rich vegetables over white rice, pasta and bread, but make sure that even these starches are consumed in small amounts.

Replace a high refined carb diet with plenty of eggs, nuts and seeds (and nut and seed butters), olive oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, avocadoes, lean and clean animal protein and plenty of watery vegetables; peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, eggplant and courgettes are excellent choices. Adding healthy fats to vegetables keep hunger and blood sugar spikes at bay. Some simple examples would be: adding cold pressed olive oil to your lunch time salad, nut butters to your smoothies, or an avocado with your lean protein and veggies for supper.

6. Stick to a sleep routine

Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. This creates a good sleep-routine that your body will love and will help you fall asleep easily at night. Another great tip for good sleep is making sure that by sunset you have dimmed the lights in the house which sends the signal of almost sleep-time to your body-cloak. Also avoid screen time, instead read a couple of chapters of a good book before turning in.

Thank you for reading, I hope the above nutrition, stress management and sleep tips help you to create an environment where you are thriving and looking your best for your big day (and a wonderfully happy future ahead).

Marlien Wright x

About the author: Marlien Wright is a nutritional coach, cookbook author of The Yoga Kitchen and The Mandala Kitchen (Jacana Media), for more information on Marlien visit www.yogakitchen.co.za