Today, I bought a scale. Yupp. I haven’t even taken it out of the box yet, but just the knowledge that it is sitting there waiting for me is a little more than daunting. That’s right. I’m officially on the “getting more fit for my wedding” bandwagon. That dress won’t look fabulous by itself (okay.. yes it would, but I’d still like to do my part ).

Kicking my butt into gear!

Let me explain. I’m currently a size up from my usual due to a very severe ankle sprain that occurred a few months ago in while in Ireland (two words: Irish cider). This kept me on the couch for a week and off the running track for almost three months. I’d definitely like to be back to my usual size if not a size smaller by the big day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those brides that purposefully ordered her dress several sizes too small as an “incentive” to lose weight. My dress fit just fine when I tried it on in the bridal shop. And due to my shape and the cut of the dress (pear-shape for me, a-line with a fitted bodice and voluminous bottom for the dress), I can easily go up or down a few sizes and it will still fit me perfectly; a small blessing of being a pear girl is that my top half has stayed the same size no matter what and is therefore one less thing I have to worry about looks-wise. While a belly bulge is something that won’t be apparent in my gown, my arms will be out in their full glory. And you had better bet that I’ll be sporting some toned and sexy limbs that day! Time to get to lifting weights, I suppose!

Another motivation to tweak my fitness is the honeymoon! Clearly the future hubs is very attracted to me. But if we choose a tropical destination I’d like to not have to worry about covering up my “trouble areas” for the camera; you’re supposed to have fun and be carefree on your honeymoon! I’d love to be able to give my fiance the gift of me not being anxious about how I look in a swimsuit/photographs.

No dressing room freak-outs for me!

And so, here begins my journey! I’ll be stepping on the scale tomorrow morning. Dun dun dunnnnn! Have you Buds included fitness into your wedding planning? What are your goals?

Help! For those who know me, you know I’m a pretty avid gym go-er. However, I’m in a rut right now. I can’t seem to find the motivation to go! I think part of the issue is that Apricot Dude, who is a teacher, is home for the summer. Usually, I wake up when he does and go to the gym. However, now he sleeps till 9!

What I need to be doing!!!!

I have heard some people recommend the website sparkpeople.com but I’m not too sure about it. I signed up but already unsubscribed from all the newsletters because they sent me about 92338 a day, well, maybe not that many. Anywho- I’m going to go and chat with some people at the gym when we get back from vacation about possible personal training packages. Do any of you Bride-to-be’s out there have any success stories about personal trainers? I need to get out of this fitness funk ASAP!!

Every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day, which for most brides includes getting  into the best shape possible before the big day.  With the Peach wedding about 14 months away, I figured now was a good time to put myself on a semi structured exercise and diet plan.  I’ll never be the girl to run a marathon or eat celery for every meal, so don’t think I’m doing anything crazy.  I think what’s most important for me is to be consistent.  Build in time to work out, just as if it was another responsibility of my day and make sure the fridge is stocked with fresh fruits and veggies.  My biggest downfall?  Snacking.  I’m a snacker.  So my goal for the next year is to cut down on my snacking and when I do snack, make wise choices.

photo: www.weddingideasmag.com

My work out of choice?  My favorite workout is kickboxing, however the kickboxing studio is probably 10 blocks from the Peach apartment.  This isn’t practical for me, and I know that.  The gym in our apartment complex is fully stocked with many cardio machines, weight machines and free weights.  AND its right across the street-SCORE!  So I’ll be incorporating lots of punches and arm workouts over the next year.  Why?  Because like most brides, my arms will be on full display that day and I intend on making sure they look at least semi toned.  For cardio in an attempt to shed some lbs?  I’m going to be doing intervals on most days.  Intervals on the treadmill, the bike, the elliptical you name it.  I’ve read up on it, talked to friends and fellow brides and all seem to come to the same conclusion that its the best way to burn calories in the quickest amount of time.  So what type of interval am I talking about?  For example, here’s my current treadmill workout:

5-10 mins warm up walk at 3.5 mph

1 min sprint at 7.0

2 min walk at 3.5

1 min spring at 7.0

2 min walk at 3.5

I do this until min 25-30 depending on how tired I am.  Then I’ll usually walk for about 3 mins to cool down.  While this may seem overwhelming and a lot, you don’t need to run at 7.0 nor do you need to sprint for a minute.  Try 6.0 for 40 seconds at first and build up.

I’m going to try to post about my workouts sporadically to keep me on track! But in the meantime, anyone else have any more helpful tips?

I think I speak for most women when I say that I feel the prettiest when I feel healthy. However, finding time for exercise in anyone’s typical hectic schedule is hard enough – let alone finding time when you throw in wedding planning to that already jam-packed day. I’ll start off by admitting that my initial exercise plans made immediately after our engagement have not exactly happened. That said, I am still confident that I will meet my wedding goals in plenty of time for my dress fitting. Importantly, you will want to make sure not to change your body between your fitting and your wedding to keep alteration costs and stress at a minimum.

Initially, I wanted to get more into yoga. Yoga provides amazing health, stress, and flexibility benefits while getting a good toning and cardio workout (given you embrace different types of yoga sessions). My main obstacle when it comes to yoga is that I have not found a way to do it on my own time. I need to go to a class with an instructor. Fortunately my gym membership and the YMCA has some great yoga classes, I am just not always able to work them in my schedule.  So, much to my dismay, I have thus far not achieved my yoga goals, but I won’t give up hope!

Next, I decided that I would like to lose a few pesky pounds. I am comfortable with my body, and would not exactly advertise about wanting to lose those pounds, but I know where my body is comfortable and where it is at its best. This time last year, I ran a 10K with Freesia Dude. We trained for it and it felt great to be able to run further than I had ever imagined I could. We even made plans (though we have yet to fulfill them) to run further, a half-marathon! Anyways, we decided to start running again and build up to that 10K. We’re almost there! Only about another mile and we’ll reach our goal. Though I haven’t dropped in numbers, I can feel my body changing and that’s fantastic! In addition, I can run just about anytime I want to, and it can be free of cost! It’s great to have Freesia Dude’s support in exercise, I definitely run further with him. He has a few pesky pounds to lose also, which brought us to our next method of achieving wedding health…

We joined Weight Watchers! As fate would have it, right after Freesia Dude and I decided to do this, my work announced they would be subsidizing some of the cost for employees to sign up. As they would state, this is not a diet! Freesia Dude and I have a terrible habit of eating out and eating too much. Thus, we decided to enlist WW as a guide to change our eating habits and learn what foods and portions are right for our body, and how to be satisfied with this in everyday life, for the rest of our lives!

We are both a work-in-progress, and are excited to be able to look back at our wedding pictures and love them, for the sentiment as well as how amazing we looked!

Yes, I love to workout.  I’m not talking about taking a walk or jog for 30 minutes.  I’m talking about high intensity exercises where I can get a good sweat after 10 minutes.  Even though I love to train for marathons and run for miles and miles…running by yourself can be a bit…boring.  After getting used to a free gym membership at the university and at my local YMCA where I worked at during summers, I just couldn’t get myself to pay for a monthly fee.   That is where my journey began with these video workouts.  Right before I graduated from college, my friend introduced me to the P90X video workout.   I instantly fell in love with the workout.  It was the perfect intensity level for me.  Anyways, after I finished the p90x series, I went onto p90x plus, and then I started to get sick of it.  That’s when I decided to go with Insanity.  Anyways, here’s some information about the experiences that I had with both video workouts:

P90X is a 90 day at home video training workout program that includes 13 DVDs.  This workout series focuses more on weight training/muscle building.  Each video is about 1 hour to 1 and a half.   9 of the DVDs focuses on a specific area on your body.  For example, one video may have back and leg exercises.  Another day would be focusing on the arms.  The other 4 DVDs in the workout includes Plyometrics (jump training), Yoga, Kenpo, Cardio, Ab training, and Stretching (for rest days).  Most of the days, you do a 1 hour workout with an   additional 15 minute ab workout called Ab Ripper X.

My Results: From my experience, I got a lot more defined toning all around my body.  The most significant toning I got was in my arms (especially the biceps!) and legs.  Overall, I lost a total of 10lbs from this workout.  In addition to this workout, I ate a little less than my normal diet.

Pros: Toning is more visible.  If you love corny jokes, you’ll love Tony Horton!   The aerobic aspect is not as difficult as the cardio.  If you’re looking for more weight training, this would be the way to go.   Also, there’s a nice variety of workouts (not just weight training) such as yoga, plyometrics, and cardio.

Cons: It does require equipment.  The minimum that you need to have is a pull up bar, resistance bands or weights, and a yoga mat.  The duration of each workout per day is about an hour and fifteen minutes. 


Safety Precautions: I would highly advise you to be careful on the pull up bar.  During the video workout, you’re going to be doing plenty of these.  After the workout, my shoulders began to hurt a little more.  Just make sure to rest and take it easy if you begin to feel pain.  Once I completed this workout series, my shoulders stopped hurting.

Cost: $150

Insanity is a 60 day total body conditioning program.  The whole package encompasses 10 DVDs which include plyometric training, cardio conditioning, interval training, sit up free ab workouts, and a fitness test to see your progress throughout the 60 day period.  Unlike p90x, Insanity focuses more on cardio/aerobic conditioning.   If you’re looking for a workout where you’ll be drenched in sweat and get your heart pumping fast after 10 minutes, this is the workout for you.

My Results: Since I did this workout every other day due to my knee pain, I didn’t get as much dramatic results.  Even though I did lose weight (7lbs), the toning of my body is not as defined as it was when I did the p90x workout.  On the other hand, I didn’t change my diet.  I pretty much ate the same amount as I did before.  For p90x, I did eat less.

Pros: The best part is that you don’t need any equipment.  Plus, the first 30 days, the workout is only 40-45 minutes long.  After the 30 days, your workout increases to 1 hour.  Lastly, the workout is a 60 days rather than 90 days.

Cons: Look at safety precautions below.

Safety Precautions: If you have bad knee problems, then I would highly recommend taking it easy.  After 2 weeks into the program, my knees began to hurt.  I began to take Glucosamine pills from Costco and ended up doing the workout every other day.  This actually worked out perfectly.  My knee pain went away once I began this routine!

Cost: $170

Final Note:
Ultimately, if you want to lose weight it really starts with your diet.  As much as you workout, your diet will dramatically effect your weight loss or body definition.   When I ate less or healthier, I noticed more of a change then when I ate the same amount of food that I typically eat.

Literally. I’m kickboxing.  Since moving to the Ocean State and meeting Violet Dude, I’ve put on a few too many pounds to happily wear a bikini on our Honeymoon in Atlantis. I feel tired all the time, and have gone from running a mile without breaking a sweat to nearly passing out after running to the mailbox! I’ve tried gyms, and fitness centers, taken Zumba and spinning, tried hooping…but nothing seems to keep me interested and motivated beyond the first class.  Then I saw a commercial for a local, all female Kickboxing gym! Rondeau’s Kickboxing is gonna get me where I want to be, physically and emotionally!

I have never had such a great workout before! The first class, I will confess, I got sick…twice! But I went right back and kept throwing punches! It’s the first time I’ve felt so motivated to keep pushing myself to, and then beyond my limits! The women at the gym are all so positive, and the Trainers are amazing! I always thought I needed someone like Jillian Michaels to push me by yelling in my face, but in reality, the positive comments from the Rondeau’s trainers are much better than feeling like I’m going to cry! The owner, Christina Rondeau, even set me up with a meal plan, and I’m tracking everything I eat. It’s fantastic and I’m sticking to it because It doesn’t involve starving myself, and I can still eat all my favorite foods as long as it’s in moderation (One cupcake at a Saturday Birthday party, ok. One Dozen cupcakes while watching Grey’s Anatomy, not ok)

I hear about Brides who go on crazy crash diets, starving themselves in order to fit into a dress they bought 5 sizes too small. But I’m not one of those girls. I’m not doing this for the dress (Which I bought in my regular size) because I’m not trying to change myself drastically just for my wedding. I’m trying to make a commitment to Dude, that I want to live a healthier lifestyle so we get to spend many many years together, happy, healthy, and full of energy! Yes, I do want to feel confident walking down the beach in a cute little bikini, but that’s not the ultimate goal. Health is! I can see my goal, and I know I can reach it!!

So are any of you ladies starting a new work out plan before you say “I Do?”

As promised, here are some tips on sneaking a little extra exercise into your daily routine.

Image from sacbee.com

Take the stairs- stairs are awesome for toning legs. Lilac Mom (who is a personal trainer) told me for a little extra bottom lifting to take them two at a time.

Park far away- this is a two fold benefit. You have to walk more and your car is less likely to get “doored” in the back away from the most crowded parts of the lot.

Pace or walk when you’re on the phone- On the phone with vendors a lot, wander around the house while you’re talking.
Lift during commercial breaks – This is less relevant due to DVR but if you do curls with a can of corn or green beans during commercial breaks it helps give you awesome arms.

From brenandsven.com

Basically, if you have the opportunity to walk, climb, lift, or move… take it.

How do you incorporate activity into your day?

When Lavender Dude and I were deciding where to have our honeymoon, we definitely knew that we wanted to go somewhere with a beach, pool, and sun.  We both had done a lot of the Caribbean islands, so we started looking on the Pacific side of Mexico.  After talking to both of our parents, we decided on a beautiful location in Mazatlan.  I had heard of Mazatlan from my grandmother who used to travel there a lot when the city center was very up and coming. The theater district there was actually a hot spot, as was the shopping and restaurants. Unfortunately since then (which had to have been about 30 or so years ago) the city center has lost a lot of it’s excitement. But that didn’t stop us from going.  We stayed at the Emerald Bay, Pueblo Bonito – and the part I loved the most was the way they had made the hotel look like a mix between ancient Italy (where we got engaged) and ancient Greece (Lavender Dude is Greek).  There was a pool just for adults, which for us was very important – only because I wanted peace and serenity, and the hotel was actually about 15 minutes from the city center – so it was secluded enough that we felt like we are on our own island.

However, I’m not only sharing where we had our honeymoon to give you an idea of where to go, I wanted to share because I think it’s really important to know just how exhausted you’re going to be after your wedding.  I had not anticipated it, so when we were looking at activities around the area, I couldn’t wait to sign up for them – horseback riding, sailing, waterfalls, you name it and I was excited about it.

Then we arrived at the hotel, and all I wanted to do was find a chair and a pool.  Everyone said I was going to be tired, but I didn’t expect to want to literally sleep the entire time we were in Mazatlan. So it was very important that we went somewhere where I could basically do just that. When Lavender Dude and I arrived, we put on our bathing suits, ordered a Margarita, and enjoyed a lot of R&R for the 7 days we were there. I could not imagine if we had planned a honeymoon to travel Europe or do any crazy activity.

So, when you’re planning your honeymoon definitely think about how tired you’re going to be.  Your body definitely is flying high for your entire wedding weekend, and however many months of planning, and then all of the sudden it just crashes. If you’re out in the middle of Europe with a back pack on – you might regret it when you realize you really just want to be sleeping.

If you’ve started booking your honeymoon, where are you going?

October 16th was National Mammography Day. According to the American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer, annual mammograms are recommended for women age 40 and up.

Mammograms save lives. Please help spread the word and encourage all your female friends and family members to schedule a mammogram, so we can all celebrate a world with more birthdays!

…and just think, a world with more birthdays means more weddings, too! 

This has been a public service announcement brought to you by Periwinkle Blossom.

My wedding day was by no means perfect, but it went perfectly in my mind. My family was amazed by how calm I seemed about everything when things were going wrong, expecting me to be a ball of frazzled crazy bridezilla nerves yelling at everyone.

What helped me keep my cool and enjoy the day even when things were completely off track? What helped me achieve wedding day zen?

from http://www.chroniclebooks.com/

My wedding day mantra helped me! I just told myself, “Nothing can ruin my day. I can let things ruin my day, and I choose not to let anything ruin my day.”

The necklace I made using my grandmother’s pearls broke, my shoes weren’t the perfect off-white, Calla Lily Dude was wearing white socks (given to him by the formal wear rental place), we were completely off the time line, some decorations didn’t make their way to the venue…

These are just a few of the things that could have ruined the “perfect day” I had always imagined, but I didn’t let them ruin my day.

Throughout it all, I figured that at the end of the day, I was going to be married to the Dude of my dreams and we would live happily ever after no matter what went wrong on our wedding day, so why be upset over the little things, right?

I really think that it was my positive mindset that helped me have an amazing wedding day, even when it wasn’t amazing.

For those who know me, I’m infamous for my love of food, but also my wacky diets. If you’ve heard of a diet, I’ve probably tried it. I must say most of them actually do work. I wish I would just be good at maintaining a healthy eating habit, but it’s just too hard when there is just so much yummy food out there! Plus, it doesn’t help when the future husband has as many cravings, if not more, as me. Of course, he rarely gains a pound regardless of how much he eats. The man once finished 11 full size muffins in one sitting, no joke.

Anyhoos, I am fortunate in that I do lose weight pretty fast. However, I think that’s also why I’m a victim of fad diets and yoyo-ing since I always have it in the back of my mind that I can drop the pounds fairly quickly. My latest go around: The Cookie Diet!

Like all other brides, I want to be in tip top shape for the wedding. I knew my dress fitting was coming up and I had a few inches to lose. Therefore, I somehow got convinced by a radio ad for the cookie diet!   I’m sure many of you heard of this diet already. There are actually several companies that make it, but I went with www.thecookiediet.com (Smart for Life). I’m sure most of you have a two questions 1.) How does it work? and 2.) Did it work?

Question 1: Basically there a 6 cookies to each pack. You eat a cookie every few hours with water and this is a replacement for two of your daily meals. You still have a healthy dinner including protein and veggies. Despite the name “cookie diet”, these are not cookies! Instead they are kind of more like mini-cakes and aren’t anywhere close to as tasty as real cookies or cakes. However, I must admit that over time, I started liking the taste especially the chocolate and blueberry flavors!

Question 2: Yes! I stuck strictly on what the diet told me to do and I lost about 14 lbs in a matter of 2 1/2 weeks. Of course after the dress fitting, I went out and did my usual gorging and gained some back. However, now that the date is getting near, I’m back on the cookies and I’ve already lost a few pounds in these past few days.

Although this worked out great for me, I’m already making a list of the foods I want to eat after this round of cookies!

May 24, 2009 finally came…. I will try to describe this day in as few words as possible but it was such a wonderful day it is just hard to put it into words. To see all our wedding photos, you may go to our wedding site.

Myself and the girls (bridesmaids and moms) head up to Hotel Charleston for a nice breakfast and Spa Day.

We all received a 1 hour massage, pedicure, manicure at the spa.  The hotel is beautiful and from what we heard, it is President Uribe’s (colombian president) spot when he travels to Cartagena. They made us feel like royalty and we were all relaxed after this, much needed after all the days of partying and planning.

We then headed to our room, a very nice suite with a separate living room area. The hotel prepared trays of food for us and really went out of their way to meet every one of our needs on this special day.

I had hired Diego Moya (very famous stylist from Colombia who has worked with celebrities and beauty pageants) to do our hair and makeup. He sent 2 assistants who began with our hair and each of us got personal attention from Diego who managed to do exactly what we had dreamed of. Everyone’s hairdo was beautiful.

Around 4:30 it was time for me to get into my dress… I had not stressed out or gotten nervous up to this point. It was funny now that I remember, but not so funny at the time… my mom was not ready, she did her hair and makeup last… and she was the only one who had been with me at the store learning how to put that dress on…. so I started panicking when I realized it was so close to 5pm (the time of the ceremony) and I didn’t have my dress on! I gathered all my girls, 5 of them, and between all of them they helped me out so much. But we did have a hard time getting it the right way.

One of my bridesmaids also had trouble with her dress not zipping up… so it was a bit chaotic for about 15 minutes between them trying to get her zipper to work and me trying to get my dress on…. it all turned out ok in the end!

When I was finally ready, my dad arrived at the hotel, along with the photographers. As my dad entered the room, the minute he saw me he started crying…almost making me cry! I kept telling him Dad not now! I can’t ruin my makeup! hehehehe.

We headed out to the main entrance of the hotel to take pictures with my parents and the bridesmaids…. the photographers, again, did an amazing job.

When the photoshoot was done, my girls had to head out to the theater. My dad and I stayed, waiting for our horse carriage to arrive to take us to the theater. I have to say, my wedding planner is amazing, everything was so organized, so well planned, so on the dot. Two of her assistants arrived to be with me the whole time and make sure everything was ok. I was ready at 5pm but they were in constant communication with other people at the theater and heard that many of our guests had not yet arrived…. I thought I’d be one of those brides that would make everyone wait but instead my guests made me wait!

My dad and I hung out at the hotel, waiting to go….

I have already shared my pre-wedding wellness routine here.  I feel like the wellness routine is most important for beauty, so read that first!  I also wanted to share the products I use on my skin, which have worked very well for me.

Morning:

Philosphy’s Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash buffs away dry skin for a healthy glow.

From sephora.com

Moisturize with Philosophy Hope in a Jar.  In the winter, I use the dry skin formula.

From philosophy.com

Evening:

Cleanse with Philosophy ‘Purity’ which removes makeup as well.

From sephora.com

Moisturize with Clinique Turnaround Concentrate.  I actually used a Clinique skincare regimen for 5 years before starting on the Philosphy.  The Philosophy cleanser helps smooth out rough spots and is generally simpler to use (fewer steps).  This Turnaround Concentrate, however, is a fantastic product.  When worn at night, it leaves you with baby-soft skin in the morning.

From amazon.com

Other things:

For dry patches of skin, I add a little natural Vitamin E oil.  This is a must-have for any medicine cabinet! Another feature is its ability to reduce the appearance of scars.

And for healthy moisturized lips, good old Vaseline is my go-to.  Also great for smoothing cuticles, dry heels, minor cuts, and flyaway hair!  And my favourite: if you feel like you’re getting a blister on your feet from some hot new shoes, rub some vaseline on the sore spot to minimize friction.  Prevents blisters!

From vaseline.com

I also recently found an amazing product from Joe Beauty.  The lip stain product goes on like a marker, dries matte, and lasts 6 hours!  At only $6 a pop, it’s worth a try for your big day beauty routine.  I have been wearing this daily and it’s a great product that doesn’t jump off when eating, drinking, or kissing (very important for the big day!)  A little clear gloss or balm on top gives a pretty, fresh look.  I believe – sorry US friends – that Joe Fresh and Joe Beauty products may only be available in Canada.  Anyone know?

Well that’s my tried-and-true beauty regimen which has been developed over the last 10 years, haha!  (I’ve been a beauty junkie for quite some time).  I highly recommend the above, and look forward to hearing if anyone takes my advice!

Do you have any skin care products to recommend?

We all know that with a wedding coming up, it’s a great time to really kick up your wellness routine in order to look your best on your Big Day.  With the added stress of wedding planning, it’s easy to put off little health and beauty routines that can really help us get through the stress.  I thought I’d share my plan with you because so far it’s done me well!   I’m sure you know by now, but I am not medically trained, I just stick with tried-and-true practices.

1. Drink Water

This is the easiest and least expensive thing you can do!  When I drink too little water, I feel tightness in my skin, a scratchy throat in the morning, and muscle stiffness.  So I’m making it a priority to drink 8 + glasses a day.  I also cut out juice, pop and caffeine, but that was easy because I’ve been doing that for years

Another thing: don’t forget about tap water.  Toronto water is rated one of the best tap waters in the world – so why buy bottled?  Save money AND the environment from excess plastic.

2. Visit therapeutic waters regularly

Body Blitz Therapeutic Waters

In Toronto, we have an amazing women-only spa with therapeutic waters.  Body Blitz has a warm sea salt pool, green tea pool, cold plunge pool, infared sauna and steam room.  Doing ‘the waters’ regularly helps relax the body, detoxify, boost immune system, among other benefits.  Find a water spa near you and try it out!

3. Massage therapy

A routine including regular massage therapy helps relieve tension, stimulate the immune system, and replenish energy.  I have made a point to go every 4 weeks to properly manage my stress.

4. Regular fitness

www.thatsfit.com

I’m in shape, and not going to stress out about a ‘pre-wedding routine’.  However, I have increased my regular routine to 2-3 yoga/pilates classes per week with 1-3 cardio sessions.  See – not overboard, but a great way to keep fit and have toned arms for that strapless dress!  Besides this routine, I’m taking longer evening walks with the pooch.

5. Eating well

I’m against any type of ‘fad diet’ out there.  To keep fit and in shape, my diet focuses on healthy portion sizes, whole grains, an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and restricting refined sugars.  I also like to indulge in foods I love once in a while…but in small quantities!

A simple routine like above will be easy to keep up after the wedding, for a long healthy life.  Do you have anything to add? Have you started a pre-wedding wellness routine?

From guacharela.blogspot.com

So, this isn’t exactly a wedding post, but more of a marriage post. Life doesn’t stop when you’re getting married, and the last couple of weeks has definitely been testament to that. Background info for this post: I am ~3 months away from finishing my PhD… raise the roof people!! (Do you remember when raising the roof was cool?!?! Those were the good ol‘ days!) This means that in addition to planning a wedding, and more importantly, a marriage, I am working around the clock analyzing data, writing chapters, banging my head against my computer (hello shaken computer syndrome!!), and occasionally, crying!

The crying is like a nameless beast, that rears its ugly head at the most in-opportune time… like 1 hour before our engagement pictures on Friday night. Makeup… check! Hair… check! Outfit… oh-my-god, I have nothing to wear, which reads like “she’s vulnerable, an attack by the nameless beast would be effortless… let’s get her!!”. What the f?? Puffy red eyes is really not my best look, so I quickly got things under control, but let’s be serious people, the stress in my life is overwhelming at times. And it would appear the stress is being carried in a really crappy way when you are trying to slim down and tone-up for all these damn photo ops that is wedding life!! Yes, that’s right brides, I am carrying my stress around my waist… attractive right?!

So, in addition to the list in my life that reads something like this:

1. Figure out what the mutha my data is trying to tell me
2. Write my chapters for my thesis
3. Graduate
4. Wedding… hold on, lets break it down into things that are on my mind now:
5. Invites… and my gorgeous envelopes… get em done!!
6. Ceremony… my creative (ie. romantic) juices have dried up like Joan Rivers’ ovaries
7. Dress… alterations, undergarments, etc.
8. Talking to my dad about the fact that he will not be walking me down the aisle… (that’s a story for a whole nutha post)

…in addition to those immediate issues, I now have to figure out a way to manage stress, so my cortisol levels come back to normal, so I can shed this stress weight that has found the prime real estate around my mid-section!!

But wait, love… the little thing called love I alluded to in the title of this post… let me tell you about the saving grace I have in my life right now. My man has unconditional love for me. full stop. sigh. It’s the kind of love that I don’t have to think about, because it is safe and sound in our hearts… going absolutely nowhere. He loves the crap outta me, and I can see it, past the alligator tears that well up when confronted by seemingly insurmountable barriers, can hold onto it, like a lifeline out of a raging river. He pulls me out of it, into safe waters, where we can discuss my fears, anxieties, hopes, expectations. He has helped me realize that if life throws curve balls, you gotta hit ‘em outta the park! So, engagement session… done! We really did have fun, and while some of the pics can’t hide the weight gain, they also can’t hide our love for each other.

Check back soon to catch a glimpse of some of the photos!!

An important part of looking good is feeling good, and who doesn’t want both for their wedding day?!  In the interest of full disclosure, it’s likely I might be the most non-athletic bud in the garden.  BUT, even a couch potato like me understands the importance of some good old fashioned exercise…

www.CartoonStock.com

For the past few months I’ve opted to walk a few extra blocks to and from work instead of taking the subway.  At 0.6 miles each way, it’s not a lengthy or difficult walk but it adds up to an extra 6 miles of exercise for me per week!  And, although I’ve *tried* to watch my food intake I’m not what you would call a disciplined eater (full disclosure: I’m a sucker for the rainbow chip cookies at work and just can’t seem to pass them up when I walk by the dessert bar) and considering I’m not exactly a frequent gym visitor I think I have the extra walking to thank for the recent looseness of my pants!

Despite my lack of gym visits, I have come across a few tidbits that look helpful and easy enough for beginners.  Although I haven’t tried these YET myself, I plan to, and thought we could all do so together.  Here they are!

SELF’s Get fab abs (without crunches)

2009 SELF Challenge, Month 1: Sculpt sexy muscles!

2009 SELF Challenge, Month 2: Tighten and tone!

These Plyo Exercises (courtesy of SHAPE magazine) will get those muscles tuned up in no time! You might also want to check out SHAPE Magazine’s “10 Pound Meltdown: Part I” here!

And as an added bonus, you’ve probably heard that a fitness routine can lift your mood (as well as your derier!) by releasing endorphins!  Don’t you just love multi-tasking?!  Happy exercising!  Let us know if you’ve tried any of these moves before or if you like them once you do try them!

With only 80 days left til the wedding(!!!), we are about to be bombarded with tons of tiny things to do.  All of the details come together in these next few months…but today, I took a break.  That’s right.  I read my magazines and books that didn’t have to do with weddings!

These are all the of magazines I sat down and read before we got engaged.  It felt great to get my mind off planning and dream about crocheting, baking, and DIY projects for our new house to do after the wedding.

Have you taken a break from planning?

PS- Craft has some super cute wedding and party planning ideas…I tried to ignore,but couldn’t.

I realized that it is now less than 200 days until our wedding!  I’m definitely happy that Lotus Dude and I decided to have an engagement that was a little over a year long.  When we got engaged in September, my parents were pushing for a Summer wedding.  It’s not that I don’t think a wedding can be planned in a short period of time.  I’ve been to wonderful weddings that were planned in less than six months.  But the length of our engagement has allowed us to incorporate breaks in our schedule.

From uis.edu

Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, I have the luxury to take a deep breath, step back, and pause until I’m ready to do more wedding planning.  It’s helped to keep the process fun for both Lotus Dude and I.  And it’s allowed us to continue with our pre-engagement, non-wedding lives.  We’re having our anniversary celebration (it’s been 4  years) this weekend, and it will not include any wedding planning!

Even if your schedule doesn’t allow for breaks whenever you want/need them, I would definitely recommend that you and your fiance pick an occasional day that is a no-wedding planning zone.  It will be good for your relationship and your sanity!

The 'gym in a bag'

So, there are many brides out there who are helping to motivate the rest of us bloggers to get fit and fabulous for our wedding day, and here is the latest edition!! I was waiting to be the official owner of the TRX system before I endorsed it on the internet, but I have actually been using the system with my trainer for the last month… ladies, this is serious business!!

Who wouldn't want to be able to do this??

I have always been a gym rat, and continue to be, but the TRX has taken my training to a whole new level. The main premise behind this Navy Seals developed training system, is using suspension. That’s right, this is all about using your body as the machine. Every movement that you perform requires immense focus, stability, and strength, but you can adjust the degree of difficult simply by adjusting the vectors (you can tell the engineer in me likes this product!) by repositioning your body relative to the anchor of the system. This system develops crazy balance, core strength, and overall strength… every day I use this I feel the micro-tears all over my body. For those of you just starting out, or if you’re like me and really needed a new challenge in the gym, you need to check out this product!

from strength to pilates...

OK, that was my rant… I swear, I am not employed by TRX, just passionate about it. How does this relate to all you brides and maids? This could be the fun, versatile, and challenging tool you are looking for. You know on those days where you are running around with your bride-binder calling on vendors, or the day you spend hunched over the paper cutter repeatedly measuring, cutting and stacking your invites/programs, or the day where you realize you’re only a couple months from your wedding day and your arms are just not looking as cut as you would like, well, in comes the TRX. If you even spent 15 minutes on this thing, you will feel worked-over (in a good way, not in the way that your printer smeared the ink on your expensive invite paper!).

This isn’t a quick fix regime, as I always still encourage cardio training, but it is an extremely effective way to get your body functioning at an entirely new level. This has taken my bridal-bootcamp up a notch, and I can’t wait to share my progress with you all… and the best part, my two week vacation in Costa Rica starting on Friday does NOT mean I miss even a single workout… my TRX was the first thing into my suitcase!!

What are you ladies doing to spice up your workout, and keep you motivated in the months leading up the wedding??

Getting my arms toned for the wedding is the most important thing in my book when it comes to fitness.  My upper body has never been a struggle for me, but having a little muscle in my arms couldn’t hurt.

From mackieshilstone.com

Women that did 6am bootcamps were always a little crazy to me…well, last week I became one of them!!  Two mornings a week I am getting up before the sun rises and running down to Urban Jungle to get a little butt kickin’ by Michelle for an hour.  Michelle’s bootcamps are tough, lots of weights, squats, kick boxing and tons of ab work.  I actually love it!  And best of all, I am going with one of my bridesmaids, Kelli.

Ive heard of these things becoming addicting and I think it could be true.  I’m on week five and haven’t missed a morning yet!

Does anyone have money set aside in the wedding budget for trainers or bootcamps?  If not, check out madefittv.com.  Jenny is a certified personal trainer in Metro Detroit, Michigan.  Her blog videos cover everything from strength training and cardio, to nutrition and exercise myths.  She’s pretty awesome!

I’m officially within the 8 month countdown point until my wedding and I’ve started executing on my beauty regimine. I remember the days when I was young and how everything just stayed nice and healthy naturally. Those were also the days when being pudgy actually made you even more adorable.

I must admit that I still don’t put enough effort in taking care of myself, but I am trying my best. First, I am watching what I eat. I do well during the weekdays, but the weekends are tough as I love to just gorge on everything. My plan is to start doing some hot yoga and continuing my healthy eating to shed around 10lbs before the big day.

For the face, I have bought a series of facials with a local spa. I’ve seen some great results so it’s worth the investment. I highly recommend that if you have the time and means to go to a spa to do so and stick with one provider as they can map out a plan for you to get your skin to where you want it to be by your wedding day. Plus, you’ll know the products that they use and how you react to them. Nothing would be worst than trying someone or something new a few weeks before the wedding.

If you do not like to go to the spa, one of the things that I have recently fell in love with that I wanted to recommend in this post is the Clarisonic brush (http://www.clarisonic.com/)

It’s like a sonicare toothbrush for your face. I know that doesn’t sound appealing, but this is like having a mini facial every day!!! It is a little pricey, but worth it. Apparently, fans of the product include many celebrities. I have used it for about 2 weeks and I noticed a good change. Even the woman at the spa had less negative things to say about my skin and noted that it was in very good condition.

Does anyone have any other beauty secrets or tricks that they plan on using in preparation for their wedding day?

From http://flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/287666827/

I feel very fortunate to have lots of different technologies at my disposal to assist me in my fitness and nutrition goals. I’ve already mentioned SparkPeople as a great resource and way to track your food and workouts. But I have more hi-tech suggestions in my arsenal.

1. Great tunes are essential for me to be motivated to do my best. I love the pink iPod Nano that I got from Plumeria Dude for Christmas this year. My old Shuffle is nice but I wanted the added flexibility to change up playlists on the fly and store more on the device.
2. Which brings me to the next tip. The site InTheGym.net is my go-to source for fresh tunes that sound great in your ears on the home stretch of the latest cardio workout. I love that you can preview all of the songs before downloading them. This site introduced me to reggaeton, which I would never have listened to otherwise.
3. If you are looking for a more cohesive listening experience (and don’t mind house music), then Podrunner is definitely the podcast for you! DJ Steve Boyett has been putting out these mixes for several years and I’ve yet to hit a bad one. They are organized by BPM, which is helpful if you prefer slower or faster speeds.

From http://farm1.static.flickr.com/95/281847964_eb44c4d080.jpg?v=0

4. I don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, but Plumeria Dude does. (It was an iPod Christmas chez Plumeria this year!) He swears by the Lose It app for tracking his food and exercise. Here is a listing of nine other apps that aim to help you get in better shape.

5. Did you know that Garmin makes more than GPS units to help you keep from getting lost on the freeway or the hiking trail? They also make fitness GPS devices that help you track and measure your road workouts. I’ve had my Garmin Forerunner 305 for a couple of years now and while it’s bulky, it definitely gets the job done. Somehow it’s so satisfying to load up the computer after a long run and see how fast (or, ahem, not at all fast) I was going. You can also buy a speed sensor for biking.

6. Instead of a Garmin, Plumeria Dude uses his iPod Touch with the Nike + iPod system. Basically you can put the sensor in a little shoe pouch– you don’t actually have to buy the special Nike shoes. Apparently they even work with some cardio machines!

What fitness tips and tricks have you picked up?

This is a quickie, but a goody: Collage Video

I am personally a huge fan of Cathe Friedrich.

She has a variety of workouts, but her claim-to-fame is her step workout routines. My training is in exercise physiology and I can attest to the quality of her sequencing and routines. I also tried step back when I was in college and had the worst time with it. A few years and a couple of Cathe workouts later, I’m hooked and even a member of Cathe Nation !

It’s very important to choose the workout that is right for you and addresses your goals. The website allows you to search by Your Goals, Workout Types, Instructors, Brands, Equipment Used, and Specialty Videos.

My general recommendations:
Don’t overdo it! Listen to your body and honor the time you create for your workout.
Make it fun! Remember when you were a kid and never wanted to come in from playing outside?? That is the relationship you want to have with exercise… consider it play time!
Switch it up! Don’t stick with the same thing day in and day out. Your mind and your body will get sick of it. And you wont’ get the results that you want.

As my old roommate use to say (quoting Denise Austin-who I actually don’t recommend):
“Squeeze your butt…cuz if you don’t, no one else will.”

I’m sure everyone reading this has some kind of plan to either lose weight, exercise more, eat more healthfully or just plain look better in your wedding dress. All of the holiday eats have been creeping up on me. Just the other day I nearly fainted when I saw the number on the scale. But it’s OK– I have a plan.

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/10413717@N08/2843730015

What is this plan, you say? Well, a few years back I joined a free site called SparkPeople and lost about 30 pounds. It has tons of resources– like a calorie counter and an exercise tracker — as well as recipes, message boards, motivational articles and exercise demos. Basically you can set whatever type of goal you like and the site gives you the tools to achieve it.

It’s even better to have a group of people holding each other accountable and being supportive. So to that end, I’ve created a BridalBuds SparkTeam. It’s a place where we can share our successes, give advice and support each other. I would love to have more brides and newlyweds join the team! Who’s with me? My screen name is glitzee.