Are you getting married this year?

Do you have a beach vacation or a cruise planned with your family?

Or maybe your 20th high school reunion is approaching?

No matter what the special event is, chances are you want to look and feel your best. Odds are you’ve thought about what you can do to make that happen. But you may not be sure exactly what steps to put into action.

Fortunately, we’re here to help! Here’s some of our best advice for looking and feeling your best on a big day!

Get Mentally Prepared

Begin at the end: What’s the ideal outcome?

You’re officially beginning to count down toward your big event. What should your game plan look like to ensure you feel amazing on your big day?

Well, before coming up with your game plan, we recommend asking yourself: what is my ideal outcome? What would success look and feel like?

Visualize this successful outcome in vivid detail. Write down exactly what you’re imagining. If you are working with a WAG Coach on your nutrition goals, communicate this vision to them.

Think about your “why.”

Spending a significant amount of time pursuing a big goal isn’t always easy. There may be days where you lose sight of why you started your journey in the first place. We recommend spending some time at the beginning of your journey asking yourself why you want to achieve your desired outcome goal.

When you achieve that goal, what will that unlock for you that you didn’t have previously?

Write down your thoughts and save them somewhere you can refer back to them during the more challenging moments of your journey!

Once you’ve set up your mentality for the process, you can start breaking down the steps to prepare for your event!


Step 1: Mark the Date and Set Expectations

If you are working with a coach, tell them about your special event and what you hope to achieve by then.

If you are not working with a coach, mark the event date on the calendar and determine how much time you have to achieve your desired goal.

Be realistic about what is achievable given the amount of time you are working with. Does it make sense to lose 20 pounds of body fat before the summer, or would it make more sense to adjust your outcome goal to match up with the amount of time you actually have?


Step 2: Design the Plan

If you are working with a coach, you can work together to come up with a reasonable plan and realistic expectations for what you hope to achieve by the event date. The two of you can decide upon the habits and process goals you will follow on a consistent basis.

So ask yourself: What are the steps and habits required to make your ideal outcome real?

When answering that question, it’s important to consider the concepts of “Outcome Goals” and “Process Goals.”

It’s great to have an outcome goal (for example, fitting into a specific dress size, achieving six-pack abs or reaching your goal weight).

There is, however, one important thing to remember about outcome goals: You do not have direct control over those goals. You cannot directly control what the scale says, or what size wedding dress you’ll fit into.

This is where process goals come in!

Process goals are things you do have control over. They are the habits and actions that when implemented consistently over time can lead to your outcome goal.

What daily habits would, if repeated consistently over time, lead to your desired outcome?

For example, if you know you want to lose a few pounds by the summer, some of the habits you might want to implement include:

  • Monitoring your daily nutrition by tracking it in an app or hiring a nutrition coach
  • Exercising five times per week
  • Getting eight hours of sleep each night

If you are working with a Working Against Gravity coach, they can recommend ideas for these habits.

If you are not working with a coach, you can still do this on your own. Write down a list of the daily habits you are committed to performing. Take it a step further and block off time in your weekly calendar for each habit (for example: “On Sundays, I will grocery shop and prepare meals for the week from noon to 2 p.m.”).


Step 3: Give Yourself Some Breaks 

It is very challenging to be extremely strict with your habits for a long time period. It can be wise to deliberately insert some breaks into your plan, either on a weekly or monthly basis.

For example, if your wedding is eight months away, it can be daunting to think about tracking your macros every single day with spot-on precision from start to finish. Consider including one meal per week that is estimated (rather than weighed out on your food scale). If you are working with a coach, this is something you can discuss with them.


Step 4: Prepare for Precision

At Working Against Gravity, we do not expect each member to track every ounce of their food for the rest of their life. There are, however, certain times in life when being more accurate and precise with your measurements is important in order to achieve optimal results. During the last several weeks leading up to your special event, you may want to consider dialing things up by:

  • Being extra accurate with your tracking (for example, creating a recipe to track exactly what you’re eating rather than finding a random entry in your tracking app)
  • Reducing the number of meals you eat out at restaurants
  • Reducing alcohol intake
  • Sticking to as many whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods as possible
  • Getting sufficient sleep
  • Ensuring you are drinking enough water

When you are more precise with your habits, this provides you (or your coach) with more accurate data about what is working or what changes you need to make for things to work.


Step 5: Post-Event Plan

Once the event is over, you may want to shift your plan and habits. We recommend developing a “post-event game plan” with your coach (or creating one yourself). This is where you’ll decide whether you will continue tracking your food intake or whether you’ll take a break from tracking. It’s easy to feel a little lost once a major event has passed, so make sure to decide ahead of time what life will look like post-event.

By following the steps above, you will have a great game plan to help you look and feel your best on your big day! If you feel that you could use some support and guidance, a Working Against Gravity Coach can walk you through the steps above and help you stay accountable or adjust the plans if needed along the way.