Get on track with diet and fitness

We caught up with personal trainer and nutritionist Terry Fairclough to find out how to stay on track for your wedding day. Terry, who splits his time between Jesmond and London, revealed the following…

It's important to know that one size doesn't fit all – how you should train and eat depends largely on your body type. What you would do in the month leading up to the big day also depends largely on your present status. Are you starting from scratch – or have you been training for years?

For the purposes of this article I'm going to assume that if you have been training for years you have some idea of what to do. So, what about those of you that haven't yet followed any exercise or nutrition plan and are looking for some last-minute tips?

1. Exercise four times a week, one resistance workout and three cardio sessions.
2. Use high intensity interval training as part of your cardio routine.
3. Use My MyFitnessPal to track your nutrition targets.
4. Keep as close to your daily calorie and macronutrient breakdown as you can.
5. Ensure you eat breakfast.
6. Drink 200-300ml of water upon waking.
7. Ideally eat two hours before training.
8. Try to avoid fatty foods 90 minutes before and after training.
9. After training consume a post-exercise shake, containing both protein and fast-releasing carbohydrates.
10. Spread your meals throughout the day. Your post exercise shake is classed as a meal.
11. Eat lean meats/fish (chicken breast, salmon, haddock), healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado) and low GL carbohydrates (brown rice, quinoa, amaranth).
12. Aim to eat a minimum of six vegetables a day (ideally green), and two pieces of fruit (berries, apples and pears are the best options). This will help to get the fibre you need.
13. Aim to eat three hours before sleep and to avoid complex carbohydrates with your evening meal.
14. Aim to get at least eight hours sleep per night. This is not only essential for weight management but also hormonal balance and general health.

For more information visit www.yourbodyprogramme.com