Guest what? It’s Monday and I have another guest post to share with you all today! This post is from one of my dear friends, Gina (a.k.a. The Fitnessista) and is all about feeling healthy, confident and beautiful on your wedding day. As a recent bride, her topic is near and dear to my heart and I know many of you other brides-to-be will appreciate her tips as well. Enjoy!
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Hi everyone! My name is Gina, and I blog over at The Fitnessista. I teach group fitness classes at a health resort here in Arizona (my favorite classes to teach are Barre and Zumba), I have an amazing 17-month old daughter, and am a military wife of almost 5 years. As our anniversary is quickly approaching, I vividly remember the excitement leading up to our wedding day. It makes me extremely happy for Brittany during such an exciting time, and I’m sending lots of love to her as she enjoys the festivities! Thanks for letting me stop by, Brit 
Getting married is a huge milestone, and I’m sure that many brides can relate that in addition to the wedding details, you also want to feel confident and radiant in your wedding dress.
Here are some of my favorite tips to get ready for the big day:
1) Start a strength training routine if you haven’t already. If you already love to lift weights, now’s the time to change up your routine. Alternate your muscle split (check out this post for building a workout plan) and really work on safely fatiguing your muscles. If it’s your first time lifting weights, invest in a personal training session to set up a feasible fitness plan for you.
2) Train your back and shoulders. These muscles tend to be naturally lean, so they show the results of strength training very quickly. Since many wedding dresses are backless and/or strapless, be sure to train the muscles you’re going to show off. At the same time, remember that a cardio routine in addition to strength training is the best way to achieve fitness gains.
3) Don’t start anything you can’t, or don’t want, to maintain in the long term. Make sure that everything you do could be a lifestyle change. This is going to help you prevent burnout and injury, and will also keep you from potentially damaging your metabolism from doing too much, or even becoming injured as a result. There’s no need to work out for longer than an hour, and as far as fitness and healthy eating go: quality trumps quantity. There’s no such thing as a safe fast fix; remember that consistency is the key to long-term success while maintaining your sanity. If you’re doing something that you’re unable to do consistently, see what changes you can make.
4) Get lots of sleep, water and produce. These things (or a lack of these things!) can all dramatically affect your skin and energy levels. Carry around a water bottle with you, make sure to track your fruit and veggie intake (try to get a fruit and/or veggie with every meal/snack) and get plenty of zzzz’s. Not only will your skin be glowing for the big day, but you’ll be energized to dance the night away.
5) Try to minimize stress. I know, easier said than done, but remember that at the end of it all, you’ll be married, which is all that really matters. For our wedding, the only detail I really cared about were the wedding cakes – we had awesome mini cakes for each guest, different flavors covered with chocolate ganache- and other than that, I was excited to finally be able to move with my husband around the world. Start practicing yoga, or something else that relaxes you, to help you deal with any stressors that come your way.
6) Enjoy every single moment. I got this tip before our wedding, so before the ceremony, I made sure to walk around and mentally capture all of the details. The wedding itself was such a blur, I’m glad that I took the time to really soak in all of the beauty. I’m able to look back and remember small details, like my best friends in a circle on the dance floor, the way Tom gently fed me the bite of cake, the smell of my dad’s cologne and the fresh flowers as he walked me down the aisle… all awesome memories that I’ll keep with me for a long time.
Any favorite wedding memories (or wedding disasters) from your own or one you attended?
What’s something you did to get ready for the big day?
Thank you for reading, and please stop by the blog sometime if you’d like!
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