The Dos and Don’ts of Shredding for The Wedding

Shredding for the wedding asweatlife fabfitchicago

About nine months ago, Boyfriend upgraded himself to Fiancé. As they say, he put a ring on it.

From the proposal to the wedding, a lot goes into planning a marriage. Fiancé spent weeks working to bring together our family and best friends just to ask and the Internet says we should spend about a year actually planning the wedding. Oh and you have to do everything twice! Two sets of photos. Two sets of invitations. Come on.

(photo credit Michael Roberts)
(photo credit Michael Roberts)

 

For some brides, this is the part where they start to obsess over shredding for the wedding or shrinking for the big day – over 70 percent of brides prioritize losing weight. I want to challenge you to think about your healthy life that starts on your wedding day.

Do: Set goals

If you are now or will ever be a bride-to-be, I’m going to talk right to you for a minute about your pre-wedding goals. If you want to make being fit for your wedding a goal, I am in full support of that. If you’ve never made fitness a priority before, this is a great opportunity for you to build and develop a lifelong habit that will make you happier and healthier. Bonus: your partner will appreciate having you around in the later years of life.

Focus on mixing up your fitness routine with strength and cardio and maintaining your energy by eating healthy food to nourish your body before and after your workouts.

Don’t: Focus on the scale

We talk a lot about setting SMART goals. Smart goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-boxed.  “Get skinny” is not a SMART goal, especially when you’re looking at a two-week countdown until your wedding. As my wedding planner Shannon Gail says, “Look like yourself at your wedding.” Your friends are traveling to come see YOU get married, not a really hungry version of yourself who hasn’t had a glass of champaign in months.

Do: Start early

If you want to look fit on your wedding day and beyond (ahem, focus on beyond), you need to put in the work. Jen, the mastermind behind Living Fit Chicago, says there’s a simple formula, “Be honest about what you eat, really honest. And give it over 100% at every workout.  You will see results.”

This doesn’t mean that you should slash your calories and start to hit the gym twice a day, this means that you should put good things (veggies, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbs) in your body with simple ingredients and work hard when you’re at the gym or in class .

Don’t: Crash diet

Planning a wedding can feel like a full-time job and sometimes “get fit” falls to the end of the to-do list. Some brides find themselves panicking around the time of the first fitting. Extreme diets and “fasting,” which is just a simple way to say “starving yourself for short periods of time,” are temptations for some at this point. Two years ago, bridal “feeding tube diets” were a thing. I don’t endorse this. I don’t endorse this so hard, I’m not even going to link to anything about it.

The first suggestion when you type in “lose weight for” on Google is “wedding,” followed by a disturbing set of additional terms. Don’t let this obsession take over your day. YOGMO: you only get married once.

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Do: Allow yourself to celebrate with your friends and loved ones

Weddings may feel like a taxing endeavor for your time, your money and your body. Don’t forget that this is, after all, a happy time and a celebration of your love. Sip some bubbly once in a while. Let your friends take you out to dinner on a Friday night to toast to you, the happy couple. All things in moderation. Imagine how much time and happiness you’ll waste if you’re only zeroed in on the scale and you forget about the world outside.

Be a well-rounded person on your wedding day. Embrace the happy. Embrace the healthy.

 

Cheers to you, my ladies in white. YOGMO.

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About Jeana Anderson Cohen

Jeana Anderson Cohen is the founder and CEO of asweatlife.com a premiere wellness media destination that creates content and community to help womxn live better lives and achieve their goals. Before founding health-focused companies Jeana earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison - and fresh out of college she worked on the '08 Obama campaign in Michigan. From there, she created and executed social media strategies for brands. aSweatLife fuses her experience in building community and her passion for wellness. You can find Jeana leading the team at aSweatLife, trying to join a book club, and walking her dog Maverick.

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