Getting ready to walk down the aisle used to mean finding the perfect dress, the best hair stylist, and the right makeup. But today’s brides and their bridesmaids have added another “must do” before the “I dos”: Getting in the best shape of their lives!
For many women, becoming a buff bride (or bridesmaid) kick-starts a fitness lifestyle they have been putting off for years, experts say. “The wedding is the trigger that motivates many women to get in shape, and the best part is that many women continue long after that march down the aisle,” says personal trainer Sue Fleming, creator of the original Buff Brides book and workout videos as well as the Buff Brides show on the Discovery Channel.
Experts offer tips for shaping up for the wedding, whether you are the bride, a bridesmaid, or a guest.
• Getting married is an ideal time for a woman to get motivated to lead a healthier lifestyle overall. The ideal time to begin is about six months be-tore the wedding. In this time frame, you can literally look like an entirely different person. It can be a complete transformation
•The biggest mistakes brides and bridesmaids make is over straining, trying to do too much, too soon, and continuing to do too much too close to the wedding day.
•Don’t starve yourself in the weeks before the wedding. Not only is it not healthy, but it can also affect the way you will look on the wedding day, including your skin and your hair.
• Experts remind brides not to buy the dress they hope will look good, but to shop for one that looks good now. You can’t change your basic body type.You are who you are. So shop for the dress that looks good on you the way you look before you start your workout program, and then enhance that look with the workouts.
•Do exercises to build back and shoulder muscles as well. You want to strengthen the core so that you stand taller and straighter and you get that nice lean, long look to your neck and shoulders.
-You should spend the day or two before the wedding concentrating on relaxation, not fitness.
Lastly, take a day or two to relax and reflect on the upcoming event, and the healthy new life you are about to begin
