The Ultimate Bridal Workout: 6 Months Before

Photo by: Jorg Badura

Repeat this routine each week for a total of four weeks.

Monday to Friday: Cardio Begin with a five-minute warm-up, followed by stretching. Then choose one of these: power walking, jogging, spinning or any cardio class or machine. Alternate activities each day, and do what you enjoy so you'll stick with it. Beginners should continue moving at their target heart rate for 20 minutes; intermediates, for 45 minutes; and advanced exercisers, for up to 60 minutes. End with a five-minute walk and more stretches.

Saturday: Yoga You can take a class or do it at home with DVDs such as Jenkins's The Hollywood Trainer Yoga ($20; thehollywoodtrainer.com).

Sunday: Spa day Reward yourself with a manicure, a massage, a facial or a bubble bath. Really! A day of rest lets your muscles get stronger and helps prevent injuries that might throw you off schedule later.

Heart Smarts Your target heart rate is the number of times your heart should beat per minute during exercise. To calculate it, subtract your age from 220. If you're a beginner, your target rate is 65 to 75 percent of the resulting figure. Intermediates should aim for 70 to 80 percent, and advanced exercisers, for 75 to 85 percent. So if you're 30 years old, subtract 30 from 220 to get 190, then multiply that by .7, .75 or .8, depending on your fitness level.

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