The Buff Bride-to-Be
Rachel Seligman
He proposes. You say yes. And the next words out of your mouth are: “I need to get in shape!” If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone – there’s
something about impending nuptials that send every bride-to-be scrambling to the gym. “Women realize that on their wedding day, all eyes are on them. There’s no other day where you are absolutely the center of attention, not even your prom,” says Robyn Flipse, R.D., a dietitian and author of The Wedding Dress Diet (Main Street Books). Though it may sound like pressure, it also puts you in a unique position: “Brides have a deadline – a date on the calendar that can’t be changed. That makes them the most motivated people out there,” Flipse says.
So harness that incentive. If you start today, you’ll not only tone up for your wedding, but also start lifelong habits that will make you look and feel better forever. Read on for five easy ways you can get in shape before you stroll down the aisle.
1. Eat healthier to get slimmer
The way to lose weight – and maintain your new shape – is to eat healthier. You may shed pounds on fad diets, but you’ll gain them back— and likely more, Flipse says. Eat healthy foods that give you energy and fill you up. Go for lots of fruits and vegetables every day, plus healthful carbohydrates (such as whole-grain breads and brown rice), lean protein (grilled chicken, fish, or tofu), and healthful fats (nuts, olive oil, and avocado).
But the biggest key to losing weight is crunching the numbers – you need to get rid of more calories than you take in each day. Every person burns a different amount of calories during the day, through the body’s basic functions and through exercise. To find out how many calories your body burns, try a website such as
www.bmi-calculator.net.
Once you know your calorie requirements, consider everything you’re eating. Even if you order something low-calorie, like salmon, at a restaurant, think about the rest of the meal. What about any sauce, plus bread, butter, soup, salad, dressing and dessert? That healthy salmon can easily become an 800- or 1000-calorie meal. If you don’t cook at home, start now. You’ll save lots of the salt and fat that many restaurants often add, and you’ll know exactly what you’re eating.
Also think about various substitutions you can make – choose a broth or vegetable-based soup over a cream or bisque, and for your salad, try vinaigrette, rather than a thick or creamy dressing. Both of these changes will save you a few hundred calories.
Get started: Try the USDA’s food guide pyramid website, www.mypyramid.gov, for good information and terrific tools.
2. Burn calories through exercise
Physical activity will do more than help you shed pounds: “It firms up the exposed areas of your dress, and gives you confidence you’ve never had before,” says Sue Fleming, a 10-year personal trainer and author of Buff Brides (Villard). The best way to tone effectively is to do both cardiovascular exercise, which burns calories and strengthens the heart, and weight-training, which tones and builds muscles. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn all the time.
Many women forgo exercise because they’re intimidated by the gym, but you don’t have to join one to get in shape. You can easily workout at home with a few pieces of equipment, on which you’ll spend less than $50. Just set aside a room or a few feet of space, and buy hand weights (three different weights – suchas 3, 5, and 8 pounds), a mat, a step, and a large, round stability ball, Fleming’s favorite tool. “When you sit on the ball, you must stabilize it with your abs—that gives them an extra workout,” she says.
Get started: For a basic, effective workout program, do cardio exercise (whatever type you love to do) at least four days a week, and weight training two to three.Try a book such as Weight Training for Dummies (Wiley) by Liz Neporent and Suzanne Schlosberg or an exercise video/DVD such as Shaping up with Weights for Dummies.
3. Try Pilates
Pilates is a terrific fit for brides-to-be. In addition to overall toning and great abdominal muscles, Pilates improves your posture, giving you grace and elegance as you walk down the aisle, says Alycea Ungaro, founder of “Prenuptial Pilates”, a fitness program geared especially to brides-to-be. “Pilates focuses on core training from the inside out – it gives you better alignment of the body and
posture, which helps you walk with poise and confidence.”
For Raney Aronson, 35, Pilates classes three days a week for three months changed her body. The New Yorker wanted to feel more confident walking down the aisle at her wedding last June, but says she got much more. “I lost 2.5 inches on each thigh – my body got more compact. Plus, I walked taller, with my shoulders back. It gave me a nice, elegant look.”
Get started: Do Pilates once a week in place of a weight workout, since it tones the entire body. You can also do it more frequently. Try a Pilate’s studio for personalized attention or go to classes at a gym. Try the discipline at home using a video or DVD, such as Gaiam’s “Pilates Sculpt and Tone” collection. Books are another great tool – try Ungaro’s book, The Pilates Promise (DK Publishing), or Pilates Basics (Rodale Books) by Maritza Kojabashian.
4. Work out together
Your husband-to-be may not have as much desire to get in shape as you do, but he can be a great motivator, and may even get in the spirit. More and more couples are taking ballroom dancing and other
fitness classes together. “It helps couples bond, and as they dance together, it makes the wedding bigger and better in the minds of both of them,” Fleming says. Not to mention that dance classes are great for burning calories and strengthening leg muscles.
Ungaro also sees more men joining women in Pilate’s classes. “It’s usually the women pulling in the men at first, but then the hubbies get hooked. They don’t realize how rigorous and effective it’s going to be.”
Get started: Go for walks together, ride bikes, or jog – whatever you both enjoy. You can also try a video/DVD for couples, such as “Double Trouble” (www.homeworkout.com). Check your local paper or the web for dance schools in your area offering lessons and events.
5. Take up a sport
It may be decades since you’ve participated in an organized sport, but give it another try. Not only will it provide a terrific workout and a regular schedule, but it also gives you camaraderie and companionship. It may be tennis, basketball, softball, or biking – try something you liked as a child, or something new.
April Clark, 31, of Hoboken, New Jersey, never played sports when she was younger, but a co-worker encouraged her to try rugby three years ago. She’s been playing ever since, and credits the sport with helping her shape up for her wedding, which took place in June 2005. It also keeps her looking good in general. “I play three times a week, and each time, that’s 80 intense minutes on the field. But it’s more than that. My teammates are depending on me, so I need to stay in shape to play,” she says.
The good news is that you don’t have to be as intense as Clark. When you participate as an adult, you can just have fun without pressure. Consider all the charity and other races there are now, such as walking and running. You can participate at a level that’s right for you.
Get started: Check out websites such as www.active.com and www.coolrunning.com to find sports, activities, and races in your area.