The Nitty Gritty, Let's Get Pretty!

I think it was Catherine Zeta Jones that said there is nothing like a wedding to get a girl in to shape and I'd say she's pretty much bang on. For many ladies, the prospect of being followed around by a photographer all day spurs even the super sveltes to get down the gym or pound the pavements to ensure they are looking their best.

This was certainly true for me.

I wasn't averse to the odd workout but I seriously upped my game in the run up to the wedding by throwing in a couple of power plates classes too {more of which I will talk about later} and ensuring I did three classes of aerobics a week. I knew that our wedding photography would probably be the only images of ourselves we would ever stick on our walls so I wanted to make sure I looked the best I could and for me this meant toning up the old bingo wings and slimming down the waist.. I also had in the back of my mind that I had my Costa Del Sol hen weekend {no carbs before Marbs!} and of course the honeymoon straight after... eeek, bikini-tastic!

But it did not end there. Oh no, there was a lot of work to do on Mrs C before she was aisle ready.

I also embarked upon a course of facials and shown how to properly cleanse and moisturise my skin to clear my chin and jaw of blockages {its not as easy as a quick rub and wipe you know, oh no its very technical!} and four monthly sessions of Crystal Clear Microdermabrasion.. again I loved this and highly recommend it to give your skin a luminous glow for a special occasion.

Finally I treated myself to an Elemis Total Body Glow self tan the day before W-day and again, I was really pleased with the results. The tan is applied after a body scrub and moisturise {it feels more like a relaxing massage than a tanning session} and it was lovely and even, dare I say it natural looking. I didn't even have any tell tale tan stains on my dress when I took it off at the end of the night.

So that was the skin sorted, back to the saddlebags. I mentioned before about Power Plates and I am completely hooked on them now {although I have not been on them for 10 months as they are not for preggos!} and I can't wait to be able to get back on. A lot of people are a bit wary of these with visions of 1980's toning tables springing to mind but I can honestly say these really work. Twinned with a good diet and aerobic exercise you will really see a difference in your body shape.

Now when I say work, I don't mean that they are some fandangled gadget that will miraculously turn you into Elle Macpherson, no you have to work on the plate. A lot of people believe you just stand on it and wobble but unfortunately you still have to exercise, sit ups, press ups, the plank, squats and I guarantee, you will sweat. The power plate is basically designed to intensify your every day work outs by making your muscles vibrate thus creating a harder workout but in a very short space of time {around 15 minutes on it is all you need}. Perfect for time-short brides to be.