Wear your bridal gown with pride with these pre-wedding exercise tips!

By tanarievents 26 Mar, 2012

Congratulations! You are newly engaged — you’ve picked the date, booked the location and now beginning to eye bridal magazines looking for that perfect gown to say “I do” in. Fast forward to the last few months before the wedding at a fitting and you want the dress to be just right…

Before you start worrying about whether or not you’ll manage to squeeze into that beautiful gown on your special day, take a few minutes to realize the amount of resources that are at your fingertips for managing your weight in a healthy way during this important time in your life. The last thing you want to do is over stress about the planning, work obligations and other life events that can easily distract you from keeping your ideal weight and more importantly, removing the excitement out of the once-in-a-lifetime experience!

buff-brides — Photo Credit: BuffBrides.com

Shape Magazine dedicated an entire website to bridal fitness and health: (http://www.shape.com/bride) Tips they provide can be extremely helpful during wedding season as well as any time in your life!

Here are a few highlights from healthy living expert Lauren Taylor: (www.yourhealthyeverafter.com)

Identify Specific goals, rewards, and consequences:

Set yourself a few realistic goals per week that can be attainable. If you reach your goals, you can reward yourself by buying yourself something new or meeting friends for a nice dinner. In another line item, list out a consequence – something you want to avoid doing to help further your drive to meet your goals.

Make exercise non-negotiable:

Put it into your schedule like any other meeting, doctor appointment or dinner plans. For those who go to work early, try to allocate time after work (or lunch time if you’re able to get some time out of the office.) For those who arrive at work later, try to practice waking up an hour or two earlier and making your way to the gym or power walk outside on these beautiful spring mornings.

Be happy:

This is one of the happiest times in your life – keep the positivity by sharing your goals with friends and family. They will help you to keep on track with your bridal plans and personal goals!

Everyone has a different schedule and circumstances that work for each individual bride-to-be. What is consistent throughout the process is identifying the motivational factor (which could be fitting in the dress, setting a goal to accomplish, adding exercise to your pre-wedding routine) and finding the desire to work towards something. It will give you a feeling of success and may help influence others around you to follow your path of healthy living! Starting with baby steps (walk to work instead of taking the subway or make lunch instead of ordering in) will help continue to urge to make healthier choices for your wedding and for your future!

Here’s an inspirational article from Brides.com: (http://www.brides.com/brides/2011/04/brides-magazine-real-brides-weight-loss#slide=1) that may help jumpstart your weight loss plan! Nothing is more powerful than hearing personal real life stories for how other women overcame their weight obstacles to reach their goals right in time to say their vows!