SIX Lifestyle Changes That Will Help You Feel Your Best On Your Wedding Day

It’s so important to feel your best on your wedding day.  And it starts with self care.  

Ah, self care.   

Take care of yourself, they say. Put your physical and mental health first, they say. Be sure to ensure your own needs are met so you can be there for others, they say.

They say a lot of things, don’t they?

The problem is, doing a lifestyle overhaul can be daunting when you’re already super busy.  When you are planning a wedding, and you have a million things to take care of, looking out for yourself and your needs can definitely take the back burner.

That’s what I’m here to help you with.  I want to point out six different lifestyle focuses that you can start to improve now, so you both look and feel your best on your wedding day.  There is no real deadline for these items, and you are welcome to pick and choose what works best for you and your schedule.  You can dip your toe into some, while going full force on others. 

These are all common sense ways for you to take take real, tangible actions to ensure you feel incredible on your wedding day, both inside and out, and have the best day ever. 

1. RELAX

This is easier said than done, right?

You’re planning a wedding here. There are a zillion little decisions and details and you are the center of them all. Not only that, depending on the size of your wedding, you may be tasked with communicating everything to everyone. It can be a lot, and incredibly stressful.

Here are some ways to relax and hopefully reduce any stress your wedding is causing:

• Avoid overextending your social engagements. In the weeks leading up to your wedding, it’s okay to say no to events and take time to yourself.
• Plan ahead so any appointments (nails, waxing, hair coloring) can be spaced out with time in between so you’re not running around right before the wedding.
• Consider taking up meditation. There are some great apps like Calm and Headspace to help guide you.
• Delegate as much as you can to your partner and support system.

If you are able to focus and center yourself leading up to your wedding, you’re much more likely to wake up the morning of your wedding ready to face the day with confidence and excitement, rather than worry.  For more tips on how to calm nerves on your actual wedding day, check out this post. 

2. HYDRATE

Who knew water could be such a game changer?

Staying hydrated on your wedding day is so crucial to your experience.  With the running around craziness, to the drinking alcohol and dancing, water can really stave off feeling icky. 

They say the recommended daily amount of water an adult should drink is half their body weight (in pounds), in ounces.  This means a 130 pound woman should drink 65 ounces of water throughout the day.

I personally like to drink more water than the recommendation, aiming for 100 ounces a day, but that works best for me, and I’ve trained my body to be able to drink that much. The easiest way to drink more water, in my opinion? Keep a really big water bottle nearby. If you have a 24 ounce bottle (or bigger!), and you are able to drink 4 of them a day, you’re going to be quite hydrated.

Here are some of the benefits of hydrating, gathered by this article:

• It physically helps you monitor body temperature and increase energy.
• It helps your heart, brain, and muscles function better
• Fluids carry nutrients, remove bacteria, and promote better digestion
• Dehydration can cause headaches, so hydrating reduces the likelihood you will have one

Are you not into plain water?  Try infusing it with fruit like lemons or berries, or adding a small amount of juice or lemonade to it.  Experiment with different temperatures (ice cold or even hot), or with a decaffeinated tea.  There are lots of clever ways to drink more water that don’t include downing boring plain water if you dislike it.

I promise you, if you get into a water drinking routine in the weeks before your wedding, your skin will look better, you’ll have more energy, and your body will just thank you.  On your wedding day, make it a priority to keep water nearby and have someone remind you to drink it.  Again, the benefits of this habit are crucial to your wedding day experience.  

3. EXERCISE

If you are a reasonably healthy adult, there should be nothing holding you back from a moderate exercise routine leading up to your wedding.

This looks different for everyone, but generally each week you’ll want to incorporate some movement that elevates your heart rate and also some that provides resistance training so you can keep your muscles at their peak condition.

Here’s what exercise can do for you in terms of feeling your best:

• Helps with weight control, which reduces impact on your joints and body as you go throughout your daily life
• Increases blood flow so your oxygen intact is at it’s optimum
• Helps maintain blood sugar and insulin levels, both of which can leave you feeling sick if they are not under control
• Improves mental health and mood by releasing beneficial chemicals in your brain
• Keeps your thinking, learning, and judgement skills on point
• Improves your sleep, which is so, so, so important to wellness

Not only will exercise calm your mind, it’ll help you look better in your wedding photos.  And a little toning never hurt anyone! 

4. SLEEP

The stress of planning a wedding can certainly keep you up at night.

I know experts seem to always recommend getting 8 hours of sleep a night, but I believe this amount is different for everyone. When I had a newborn baby, 5 strait hours seemed like a luxury. When I’m sick, I can easily sleep 10 or more hours and still feel like I need more. My husband seems to function fine off of 7 hours, while I personally need more than 8.

So, depending on your life situation, overall health, and personal requirements, use your judgement to gage how much sleep you need each night.

Having trouble obtaining sleep? Here are some recommendations from a blogger who has revamped her sleep hygiene.

If you are able to get into a healthy sleep routine leading up to your wedding, I promise it will make the big day even better.  I’ll share that the night before my wedding was not a good sleep night for me.  The nerves, excitement, new environment (at a hotel), and some outside noise kept me up for much of the night.  I wish I had put more of an emphasis on my sleep hygiene because the day would have been that much better from it.

5. NOURISH

We are what we eat, right?

Now, I’m not saying I’m a healthy eater all of the time. I seem to go in waves. Lately I eat much like a toddler, because I hang out with one a lot.  I’ve also been known to binge eat a box of chocolates when no one else is looking. It happens.  However, in general, eating proper fruits, vegetables, and whole foods will make you feel great.

I’m not a nutritionist, so I won’t go into food recommendations, but in general aim to eat lots of colors, varieties, and what makes you feel good.  If you pay close attention to times you feel sluggish or uncomfortable, you may be able to trace it back to what you ate. 

Making note of these feelings and modifying your nutrition can go a long way in helping your wedding day be the best for you.  They say that you’re often too busy to eat on your wedding day, so it’s so crucial to plan ahead, make sure you have proper meals, and know that those meals will be filled with food that give you energy and make you feel good. 

6. CONSULT

Alright, so you’re doing everything you can to eat right, sleep, relax, and hydrate, and you’re still feeling icky leading up to your wedding?

Maybe it’s your mental health that isn’t right, or it could be something physical. In the weeks before your wedding, when you can’t help yourself feel well, please seek professional assistance. Whether it be for bouts of depression, or a sore shoulder, or some stomach issues that just won’t improve, there are people out there who can help you.  The last thing you want is for these ailments to flair up on your wedding day.

With professional guidance, you can get to the root of your ailments and hopefully have some improvement on your wedding day so you can enjoy it to the fullest.

So there it is, friends.  Simple life enhancements that can help you feel your best on your wedding day, and the rest of your life.  Because let’s be honest here, you want to enjoy yourself to the fullest every day. 

More From Hummingbird Wedding Advice: 

How To Deal With Wedding Planning Stress

How To Create A Wedding Health & Beauty Plan

10 Things To Do The Night Before Your Wedding 

How To Start A Skincare Routine Before Your Wedding

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