If you ask one hundred people what their new year's resolution is this year, many would tell you that it's to lose weight.  If you were to ask one hundred brides to be what their new year's resolution is, I'd bet an even higher percentage would tell you that their goal is to look great and feel great on their wedding day.  The bigger idea behind losing weight is to adopt a healthy lifestyle, one that revolves around wellness and not drastic remedies to lose weight at an unhealthy pace.  Today's post is all about that journey, and while I'm not getting married this year, I'm thinking that I'd like to jump on the bandwagon with you bootcampin' brides and lose a few pounds myself.  

Here are a few resources to get us started.  Click any of the links below to go to more information.

The 8 Best Smart Phone Apps for Weight Loss

Fitness Magazine's Bridal Bootcamp Workout

RealBeauty.com's 12 Week Bridal Bootcamp Workout

20 Tips to Lose Weight Before Your Wedding Day

WebMD's Do's and Don'ts of Wedding Weight Loss

LifeHack's Diet Tips and More for a Healthy and Trim Body

So my advice for myself and others who are going to be on this journey towards wellness is to pick your battles.  Expect set backs, but also expect success.  Be good to yourself inside and out, and treat your bottle as if it's your temple.  

Before we go, here's a little transparency for you.  Here are my wants out of losing weight - I want to have more energy for playing with my daughter.  I want to feel comfortable in my own skin.  I want my tummy to be happy because I'm feeding it good stuff and not crap.  I want to lose weight in a sensical and safe manner so that I don't fall off the wagon completely and give up.  In all honesty, I could probably stand to lose between 30 and 40 pounds.  Possibble?  Yes.  Overnight?  Nope.  So here we go...

Do you have a new year's resolution to lose weight and/or become a more healthier you?  Share your story on the message board or on our Facebook page!  

He loves you no matter what, right?  I mean you guys are getting ready to say for better or worse,  so there is absolutely no pressure to get fit for your wedding day, right?  (Insert smirk here.)

Yes, our fiances love us, and we love us too, but an exceedingly common concern for brides to be (and many grooms to be) is getting a little more buff and losing a little more pudge before that big day when all eyes and all cameras are trained on you.  Eighty percent of United States brides list losing weight as a major priority before the big day.  For those of us who have this priority, you often feel exceedingly frantic to get started as you have to first face the dress shopping and alterations scene long before you slip into that mermaid, sheath, or ball gown on your wedding day.

Experts say that the worst thing that someone can do when trying to get in shape for a particular event is to try to cram all workouts and dieting into the month or so ahead of the wedding.  This does nothing but stress your mind and your body out which can lead to weight loss resistance and a stressful mood, two things you don't need in the last few weeks of planning.  Rather than being the hare, those who want to get fit should be a turtle and take their time.  Slow and steady.  Even better is to think of losing weight and getting fit not as a race with a destination but rather a lifestyle change that will continue into your marriage. 

There is no one magical answer that fits everyones needs.  Each of us has a body that reacts differently to different approaches, but the goodnews is that a lot of people have been in your shoes before and have shared their knowledge with us.  All across the internet and the library and the television are people who want to help others get fit for their wedding days.  Here are some resources on workouts to help you:

Websites:

Wedding Day Shape Up 101 by Fitness Magazine

 6-month Wedding Fitness Plan by The Knot

Bridal Bootcamp Workout Plan by Fitness Magazine

The Sexy Bride Workout Plan by Shape Magazine

Your Wedding Dress Workout Plan by Fitbie.MSN

3-Month Wedding Prep Guide by Wedding Channel

Books to Check Out: 

The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Sexier, Healthier YOU!

The Game On! Diet: Kick Your Friend's Butt While Shrinking Your Own

Run Your Butt Off!: A Breakthrough Plan to Lose Weight and Start Running (No Experience Necessary!)

Zumba®: Ditch the Workout, Join the Party! The Zumba Weight Loss Program

All of these links have something in common in that they want you to carefully and in a really healthy way work towards being well, not skinny, for your wedding day.  If you want results, you'll have to put in the work, so if you are part of that 80% of brides who want to drop a few pounds before the big day, then our advice is to start now.  Be well!