You oggled the slinky dresses and drooled over the glitz and spectacle as you cheered on your favorite stars during the Academy Awards. And perhaps you were a bit envious of all the perfect bodies strutting down that red carpet. Well you, too, can tone up and get in shape for your own red carpet event. Even though the closest we ever may get to an Oscar speech is practicing with our hairbrush in the mirror in our underwear, we all inevitably have our own “red carpet” event for which we want to look our best. Maybe we’ve been asked to be a bridesmaid in our best friend’s wedding, or maybe we want to knock the socks off our former classmates at that upcoming class reunion. Whatever your big event is, you want to look and feel your best. The three key areas to focus on to get that award winning body are to switch up your training regime with a particular focus on cardio; nutrition, destress, finish up with a nice spray tan and pamper yourself a bit right before the big event.
Exercise:
Obviously, to get that killer bod, you’re going to have to sweat. If you already work out or are active, make sure you switch up your training. The more you work out, the more your body gets used to those exercises. So what worked great a few months ago to get results may leave you stuck on a plateau today. Next, the quickest way to get results is to really focus on cardio-based endurance workouts. Kickboxing and body weight circuit training using short bursts of tons of energy work great. Jump rope, do tabata drills, or even some good old jumping jacks – whatever it takes to get that heart rate up and push yourself. Make sure to work your ENTIRE BODY to get the results you desire. These kinds of workouts help melt body fat and preserve your lean body tissue.
One feature the celebrities always show off in those strappy and strapless dresses are sleek, toned arms. To achieve sexy arms of your own, focus on light weights with high reps. For instance, try some weighted jab crosses, or use your own body weight to your advantage with some push-ups and tricep dips. You can also go old school with your good old 5-, 8-, or 10-pound weights to try some dumbbell rows, curls, shoulder presses, overhead presses and rear fly to press backs. You can even double up on your efficiency and add a squat or lunge to your dumbbell workout. Why not tone your butt at the same time?
Nutrition:
At the end of the day, everything ultimately comes down to nutrition. You can work out all day, but if your diet is working against you, you’ll never get that body that you’ve been sweating and longing for. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll be shocked by how much of a difference slashing back on sodium and sugar and eliminating soda will make on your figure. These culprits are horrible for belly bloat, and limiting your sodium to 1,200 mg or less per day and cutting out refined sugars and artificial sweeteners alone will go a long way to seeing your abs look more chiseled.
Eat your complex carbs earlier in the day and load up on veggies and fruits for dinner. If you still have that sweet tooth, try having two servings of fruit instead of the cookies and brownies you think you crave. This way, you’ll still get that sweetness you desire but are eating real food that fuels your body instead of garbage that just leaves you feeling sluggish. Also, really pay attention to your portion sizes. You may think you’re eating healthy – and maybe you actually are – but if you eat three times the amount of it than you should, you still are consuming too many calories and will hinder your fitness goals.
When prepping for your big event, you’ll also want to re-evaluate your cheat meals. Whereas in a normal week, you can eat cleanly but allow yourself a cheat meal or two, you may want to really concentrate on your goal leading up to the event. If you do cheat, don’t go crazy because it can really throw off your goals. Make sure your cheats are still non-processed foods, or you’ll undo the great progress you’ve already made.
The secret to losing weight and reducing bloating is stabilizing your blood sugar. This is actually quite simple – eat something healthy every three hours, such as a handful of nuts, a piece of fruit or a power smoothie. Setting an alarm on your cellphone will help you keep on track. Also, to help keep from getting dehydrated from sweating, drink coconut water to replace electrolytes and stay hydrated.
About two weeks before the big day is when it’s really time to focus and stay on target. Stay away from dairy – no cheese and very little butter. Drink plenty of water to flush out those toxins and keep your body hydrated. Also, remember that you can make any of your meal cravings clean. You want a taco? Make a clean taco – fill some lettuce or a small wrap with some lean turkey, veggies, avocado and some plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Craving Chinese? Whip up a healthy stir fry. Be creative and focus on your end result.
The finishing touches:
Make sure to get your beauty sleep. That makes a huge difference not only in how you look but also in how your body is able to run efficiently and burn those calories. Stress can lead to bloating, too, so try to remove excess stress from your life. Try drinking dandelion and chamomile tea to relax. The dandelion tea is a brilliant diuretic, helps prevent water retention and flushes away toxins. Epsom salt baths are also an excellent way to relax and flush out toxins, pre-event.
Right before your red carpet day, treat yourself to a spray tan for that extra pop while still protecting your skin from sun damage and early aging. Throw in a manicure or some other special treat that makes you feel special. You did all this hard work – you deserve a little pampering reward.
Ultimately, try to enjoy the whole process and do this for yourself. There are far more important things in the world than the way you look, so don’t beat yourself up about trying to look like the girls in the magazines – no one looks like that. It’s understandable that you want to look your best, especially with an important event coming up, but if you exercise and eat right, you’ll end up feeling healthier, more energetic, and more confident, regardless of how many pounds you lose. And at the end of the day, if you walk into that event happy and with confidence, that’s what people are going to notice and will make you look like a million bucks.
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