If you're concerned about getting in shape for your wedding, then you'll be interested in a few expert tips. You may be surprised to learn there is an actual bridal workout program designed just for wedding day fitness.
Wedding Gowns for Different Body Types
LoveToKnow (LTK): Can you share some tips with our readers about choosing wedding gowns to fit their body types?
Bonne Marcus (BM): While I am not a wedding dress expert, I believe the right dress should flatter your best physical features and artfully camouflage those parts a bride is less than proud of but that's what I'm here for.
My bridal workout program is an overall, complete fitness program however I do focus a little more on the parts my bride deems less than desirable.
Wedding Shape Up Tips
LTK: How long do you work with a bride-to-be?
BM: Anywhere from 12 weeks to 12 months depending upon her specific needs.
LTK: What tips can you offer women who would like to get into shape for their wedding?
BM:
- Take a fitness inventory. It's not enough to say "I need to get in shape," the bride needs to know exactly what about her is not in shape. The sort of exercise a bride should do should be compatible with her ability. A fitness program should support, not distract her from her goals.
- Set realistic goals. Use your "baseline" measurements from your inventory to help select some realistic and motivating goals. Expecting to drop 20 pounds and four dress sizes in one month is not only unrealistic it's dangerous.
- Remember to stay motivated. Because the wedding is an event you remember for a lifetime, looking your best is reason enough to get in shape. A photographer will provide enough pictures to remind you of that day. A bride doesn't want to catch herself years later saying, "I can't believe I was ever that thin!" To stay motivated before the "I-do's" and long after the last grain of rice is thrown, evaluate your current workout. It is always easier to make time for things we enjoy, so be creative. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore. Brides should ask themselves the following questions: Does my present workout excite me? Does it include strength training? Maybe substitute an hour on the treadmill with a step or spinning class. Hiring a personal trainer is a fail safe way of staying motivated.
LTK: What are some common mistakes made by dieting brides before the wedding?
BM: Waiting too late to start their programs and engaging in unhealthy practices like skipping meals or taking diet pills or worse starving themselves. In order to lose the approximately 10 pounds needed to get from say a size 8 to a size 6, a bride-to-be needs to allow for at least 3-4 months. Safe weight loss is essential and losing more than 2 pounds week is not healthy.
The Complete Bride's Workout Guide
LTK: Tell us about The Complete Bride's Workout Guide.
BM: The Complete Bride's Workout Guide is a bride's portable personal trainer. It is written in an easy-to-use wedding planner format and includes:
- All the bridal basics - the trinity of fitness: cardio, strength and flexibility
- Pre-nuptial Fitness Plan
- Workouts for beginners, intermediate and advanced
- Charts and illustrations that explain the exercises
- A workout journal
- Pre Nuptial Nutrition Plan
- Fitness solutions for wedding planning anxiety… and much, much more
The Complete Bride's™ Workout Guide promotes time-tested principles of exercise and diet that can be followed long after the honeymoon is over.
Wedding Workout Advice
LTK: Any last bit of advice you wish to offer?
BM: Some general thoughts and tips I give my brides:
- Exercise helps relieve the stress associated with planning a wedding. The invitations went out late? Take a cardio kickboxing class. Are your in-laws giving you grief about the seating arrangements? Try yoga. While exercise doesn't solve every problem, it does help you endure pre-wedding jitters.
- Exercise tones the body, helping you to lose body fat, while gaining muscle mass. People who workout moderately, enjoy 5 to 7% less body fat than people who say they should work out, but never do. Going down a size and making sure your dress is tight in the RIGHT places all make regular exercise worth it.
- Work out with your fiancé, both before and after the nuptials. While you may not always share the same interests, physical health and fitness are universal.
Visit Bonne Marcus Online
In addition to working with brides and women, Bonne Marcus has recently launched a website for girls called OMG! Oh My Girls. It focuses on fitness for girls ages 8-18.
