It doesn’t have to be this way. You can still look good on your wedding day without starving yourself beforehand. From swapping a drunken L-plate clad night out for adventure hen parties and the traditional slow dance for something that will get the heart racing, we’ve found four creative ways to get in shape for your wedding, and have fun whilst you do it.

1. Adventure stag and hen parties

Your stag and hen party is seen as one last blow out before your big day. Many brides ruin a diet by downing sugary cocktails before gorging on a 4am McDonald’s burger. Instead, why not reject the stereotypical hen party and go for different type of adventure?

There are many stag and hen party adventure packages, from watersports and mountain biking to 5 aside football with ex-pros. If the bride-to-be has a particular hobby, incorporating this is a great way to give the hen party a personal touch and make sure everyone keeps in shape in the process.

Hen party organisers Maximise run a whole host of hen parties, including adventure activities, and combine them with more ‘traditional’ hen party fun. Their Wet & Wild weekend in Edinburgh, for brides willing to battle the Scottish elements by white water rafting, river duckies, river bugs or canyoning before heading out on the town.

2. Exercise together

Working out will not only make you feel better and is a great way to relax during those stressful pre-wedding months, it might actually bring you closer to your other half. It’ll certainly help you look your best for your big day.

Personal trainer to the stars, Jon Denoris lists looking good as one the main benefits of getting fit, he states “fitness training can help us look good and feel good! In addition to the overall look of your fat and muscles, physical activity improves the appearance of your nails, teeth, hair and skin!”

3. Healthy cooking classes

Learn to eat better to look great for the wedding, and keep your new figure afterwards too by going to healthy cooking classes. This is a way to make dieting more fun and can be done with your partner. You may even find that spicing things up in the kitchen results in spicing things up in the bedroom too.

Alternatively, cooking classes can be great fun, especially ones that benefit from a more informal atmosphere and plenty of wine. Cooking classes such as Food at 52 and the Clean Eating Academy could make for a great hen party activity.

Who knows? If the cookery classes are a rip-roaring success you may even end up saving on the catering for the wedding.

4. Practice your first dance

The first dance is the very first thing most of us will do in our married life, but, it is usually the first wrong step many couples make in their marriage. In all seriousness, it can stressful, embarrassing and just not very fun.

However, practicing your first dance by going to dance classes can be both romantic and the perfect tonic to the stressful wedding planning process. By doing away with the formality and swapping the slow dance for something that’s going to get your pulse racing, your first dance as Mr and Mrs will be fun and will help you get in shape.

Of course, you don’t necessarily have to lose any weight at all and a pre-wedding diet should not be stressful. These are ways you can get in shape, and drop those few extra pounds and still have fun during what should be, the best time of your life.

Torso

While you might have a sleek, tight fitting running t-shirt, it’s probably not going to be ideal here. You’ll be using your arms a lot to balance, especially when doing tricks, so you need to be able to comfortably move them around without your clothes rubbing. Skateboarding can be a surprisingly cardio intensive workout, so you’ll also want to wear something that isn’t going to make you too hot and sweaty. Fabric that wicks away sweat is ideal.

Legs

As with your arms, your legs are going to be moving around in a variety of different directions, so you’ll need some freedom. Tight fitting jeans can make things difficult, and are likely to become uncomfortable quickly, so it’s best to choose something at least a little loose. Don’t go for overly baggy though, or you can end up tripping over yourself. Jeans are a good choice because they are tough; you’ll inevitably fall over, probably each time you go out, and jeans help to prevent small cuts and grazes. Expect to wear these jeans out.

Feet

Socks are probably more important than you might think – don’t choose anything too heavy, as your feet will sweat, and overly thick socks will make things worse. They also need to fit well to avoid rubbing. Skate Hut have plenty to choose from. Shoes come in a variety of styles and types, but all will have some things in common. They need to be durable, comfortable and suited to gripping and moving around on the board. Purchasing cheap trainers is false economy, as they simply won’t last the rigours of scraping against grip tape, metal and concrete.

Head

Once you start getting a little more advanced, using ramps and things like that, you will need to wear a helmet. Falling on your head can be pretty dangerous even from relatively short heights, and it’s not worth the risk. There’s a reason pro skaters wear them. Ensure that your helmet fits well to offer maximum comfort and protection, and bear in mind that it may be compromised if it suffers significant impact at any point.

And let’s face it, going to the gym or going for a run is not only hard work, it is also flippin’ boring. So what if there was a way for you to get fit, lose weight, AND enjoy yourself? Wouldn’t that be great? Well there is. In fact there are a whole host of different ways that you can get exercising whilst having fun, and personal trainer course provider Body Aidhave put together five of their favourites below.

Attend a Boot Camp

When you hear the phrase ‘Boot Camp’ it may be the thought of military drill sergeants yelling “Go faster you maggot” that spring to mind rather than having any kind of fun.

However, although unquestionably physically demanding, boot camps can be incredibly enjoyable to take part in. You’ll get to meet new people, work with motivated trainers who will encourage you all the way and you will definitely shed some serious pounds.

The Wolf Run

Remember when you were a kid and you’d play in mud and lakes for hours on end, just running around like a lunatic? Well the Wolf Run, lets you relive those crazy childhood days.

Based in Warwickshire and comprising of approximately 10km of natural and man-made obstacles, the Wolf Run puts the fun back into running, presenting its participants with an event that is as challenging as it is enjoyable.

Like with a fun run, it is all about the taking part, and it is also a great activity for a work bonding day.

Join a Dance Class/Sports Club

If you’re looking for something you can do on a weekly basis then signing up for a dance class or sports team is a great way of getting some exercise that doesn’t necessarily feel like exercise.

You’ll meet new people, perhaps even learn a new skill, but best of all you’ll be improving your fitness and losing weight at the same time! Depending on where you live, there will be all kinds of dance lessons available, be it Zumba, Salsa or Street dance, while most UK towns will also have some sort of amateur sports league at a local leisure centre or sports facility.

Pole Dancing Classes

One for the ladies perhaps, but it is a hobby that is becoming increasingly popular with people looking to find a new and fun way to exercise. They are designed for women of all shapes and sizes, and because ‘looking sexy’ has absolutely nothing to do with it, you only have to worry about having fun.

A fantastic all-body as well as cardio workout, pole dancing lessons will leave you fitter and more toned. 

Parkour/Free Running

Parkour (or Free Running as it is also known) turns urban environments into sprawling obstacle courses and playgrounds. Although it takes years of training and dedication to master the art, beginners’ classes are available all over the country, teaching the basics of Parkour while also helping to improve fitness and range of movement.

It represents a unique and fun take on more traditional keep-fit methods.