The Healthy Bride 12 Month Count Down

The "engagement season" is approaching soon. This article is for the bride-to-be who is one year away (or more) and gives you some healthy tips for the months leading up to your wedding.

You have just said "yes" to the man of your dreams and set the date - (or you are about to). You have an entire year to plan the wedding. And of course, you want to look great in your wedding dress. What better time than now to turn your attention to getting in shape– not just for your wedding day, but for life?


12 months before


Overall Health

Getting engaged is a perfect time to get a full health check-up. Go get a complete check-up from your physician (have your fiancé get one too) including having your blood work done. This will give you all the numbers you need to get your health and fitness program off and running.

Healthy Eating

Take inventory. Look at where you are - nutritionally. Are you getting enough calcium? Vitamin D? Is your weight in balance with your height? Don't know? The blood work you had done at your physical will help tell the story. If the numbers are not where you want, schedule an appointment with a nutritionist (many take insurance) and find out where you need to be. If weight loss is your goal, she can help you make choices, set goals and get on a plan for now, and forever.

Fitness

This is an area that will require an assessment. Take an honest look at your workout schedule. Ultimately, you want to be including cardio (3x per week), weights (2x per week) and flexibility (5x per week). If you are at zero days per week now, I recommend starting on 2 days per week, 30 minutes per session of any exercise you like. Stick with it consistently for 2 weeks, and then add a third day. When you have again been consistent for 2 weeks, add another day.


9 Months Before

Nutrition

If weight loss is your goal, you want to start thinking in terms of weeks, not months. 9 months = 36 weeks. If your weight loss goal is 30 pounds, you have just enough time. Losing 1 pound per week is optimal for keeping the weight off, and for maintaining your health. Keep working on your weight loss program with your nutritionist or program, and if you are not seeing the results you want, consider keeping a journal to help you uncover your hurdles and road blocks.


Fitness

Your program should be taking shape now. 36 weeks is plenty of time to achieve your ultimate fitness level. What are your goals (we know the first is looking fabulous on your wedding day!)? Start by writing down what you want from your fitness program. Set some weekly, and then monthly goals. WRITE THEM DOWN - this makes a huge difference. Make them specific (I want to be able to do 25 full body pushups by the end of this month), measureable (I want to lose 1" off my waist in 8 weeks), attainable, realistic, and timed. Then set about the work of how you will get there. In the pushup example: I will do 15 pushups every morning before I get into the shower or I will do 3 days of cardio exercise at 60-80% of my heart rate for 40 minutes for the next 6 weeks. Check in with your goals weekly, toss the ones that don't work, and re-evaluate often.

Rest

Make sure you are getting enough sleep and enough rest from your workout program. One day per week of rest from your workouts is adequate. Getting 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep per night is essential for optimal functioning and it will help you lose weight too.


6 Months Before

Focus is the word at the 6 month point. You have set upon your nutrition program, your fitness program should also be off and running, with you doing at least 3 workouts per week. If not, here are things to consider:

Join a group
There are workouts for brides in some sections of the country. The Healthy Bride
offers classes in Seattle, WA, Bellevue WA, and Portland, Oregon. The classes offer a supportive community for brides to get a great workout while sharing weddings stories and advice with the other women in the class. Best of all, this program helps brides set goals, achieve them, and keep them accountable. If The Healthy Bride is not in your neighborhood, look for another community class you can join to help you stay on track.




Find a workout/nutrition buddy
Perhaps it's your maid of honor, your entire bridal party or your mom. Find a workout buddy who will help you get out there! It is proven that you will stay more committed and be more successful with a workout partner. Your workouts should be 2 cardio + 1 weight workout per week at this point. When you are successful at this for 2 weeks consecutively, add a 2nd weight training day.

3 Months Out

Crunch time.

You are getting really busy and it's harder to stay focused on good nutrition and getting in your workouts. Now is the time to really check in with your goals on a regular basis. Write them on pretty stationary and hang them on your bathroom mirror so you stay focused.

Workouts:
Cardio is still at 2x per week for at least 40 minutes and you are now doing 2 days per week of weight training (full body workout).

If you are still having a hard time staying focused, hire a trainer to help you. Even one time per week will give you the accountability to stay on track. If you have "trouble spots", your trainer can help advise you how to tackle them. If you are just getting started, a more focused program with a trainer will really help you. Ask at your local gym, or look for someone in your area comfortable providing fitness solutions for brides or go to www.healthy-bride.com to get a downloadable workout.



1 Month Out

Stress is the number one factor to keep you feeling your best the month prior to your wedding. Getting enough sleep will do you wonders at this stage of your wedding planning process. If you are just starting to think about getting into shape, be realistic, and recognize that change is going to be tough at this point. Having said that, there are things you can do:

1. Get 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep a night
2. Drink enough water. All beverages help, and just focusing on it will help you stay tuned to your thirst. When you feel hungry and don't think you should be, start with a tall glass of water.
3. Workouts. Try to get in 2 -3 per week for 30 minutes. Something is always better than nothing. Keep them simple, and even if you can only grab 10 minutes here or there, do it. The stress reduction you will get from the workouts will make a huge difference in how you handle the stress of the month leading up to your wedding.
4. Massage. Take time to take care of yourself. Getting a weekly massage can help you feel great, relaxed, and pampered. You want to feel good from the inside out a stressed bride is not a fun bride.


The Big Day

On your wedding day, allow time for you. Get enough sleep, schedule in your favorite workout (there are many yogi’s who do day-of yoga workouts) East a healthy, substantial breakfast. Make time to pamper yourself. Schedule a massage or scalp treatment prior to having your hair and makeup done.
Make sure you have delegated someone to take care of the last minute details so that you can focus your energy on feeling happy, healthy and in love.