Bulging Brides - Episode 1

This week bulging brides was about a girl named Yolanda. Yolanda loved to eat carbs..Something we are all guilty of. Anyway her wedding was 6 weeks a way and she was having problems fitting into her wedding dress! (Hence the name of the show) Anyways it was time to bring in the professionals so that 6 weeks later she would look stunning in her dress. They put together the meal plan and exercise routine listed below. Needless to say 6 weeks later she did fit into her wedding dress and looked amazing!

Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 piece whole-wheat toast and 1 tablespoon of light jam. (289 calories)

Snack: Cut up cucumber with hummus for dipping.

Lunch: 4 oz. chicken breast, 4 cups salad, a fruit cup, 2 table spoons Balsamic Vinaigrette. (308 calories)

Snack: Low fat string cheese, 2 wheat crackers

Dinner: 4 oz. of steak, red roasted red pepper, asparagus, salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and a half-cup of brown rice.

With this meal plan Yolanda was not allowed any alcohol and she was instructed to drink only water with meals.

For her exercise plan she was instructed to workout 4 days a week.

(3 hours of cardio, 3 hours of weights a week)

Some of her core exercises:

Running - for cardio (interval training)

Planks - for abs

Medicine ball - twists (for abs)

Regular weight routine rotating all muscle groups. (2 muscle groups a day)

Until the next episode! Good luck future brides to be:)

Getting in Shape for the Big Day

My wedding is five months away and it is going to be the most important day of my life! For the past couple of months I have been running to get in shape for my wedding. Running is a great way to burn a lot of calories and help shed unwanted fat. I started my workout routine in November and have been pretty consistent up until a recent toe injury! My toe is starting to feel better and soon I will be back in the gym.

Before I injured my toe I went to the gym 3 times a week and was running an average of 3 miles every time I was at the gym. If you want to tone up for your big day not only is cardio important but also a good weight resistance-training program is necessary to tone up and drop those unwanted pounds.

I know it can be overwhelming if you are not familiar with the gym and its equipment. If you are a new member of a club be sure to take advantage of the free consultation all gym’s offer to new members. I know personal training is expensive, but with your consultation it is free and usually one hour. You can ask questions and make sure you are using the equipment correctly.

A healthy diet is the most important aspect of a training program, without a healthy diet you will sabotage your ending results.  I have been watching a show on the fine living channel called “Bulging Brides” every episode has a great food plan and exercise routine that guarantees results! If you do not have access to this show I will post the notes I take from the show each week that list both diet and exercises to maximize your results. Continue to check back – the posts will be under my Fitness Category.

The Perfect Decorations

How do you come up with the perfect decorations for a wedding? Well if you are on top of your planning, which all brides should be, you have already chosen your colors. Once you have your colors picked out your decorations should be created around that color scheme.

If you do not have your colors picked out you need to do that before moving forward. Since most of you have your colors picked out, think about why you picked those colors and how they represent you and your special day. For example my wedding colors are black and white. When I think of black and white I think of a formal wedding representing a black tie affair.

Therefore all of my decorations are based off of the theme of a black tie affair. My decorations include tuxedo chocolate covered strawberries, a chocolate fountain, a black grand piano, red roses, tall formal vases and lots of candles. Think about how your colors and theme can be expressed through decorations and you should have a solid list of ideas.

A great place to look at dozens of pictures is the knot. When you register there you can view thousands of pictures for some great wedding ideas. Happy planning!

A Destination Wedding

I know what you are thinking…you are wondering where this post is going. Don’t worry after all of the work we have put into planning the wedding I am not about to change locations. Don’t get me wrong a destination wedding always crosses a brides mind at least once when she first is putting ideas together about a wedding. Maybe it is because it sounds exotic and exciting. We defiantly thought about it and it was just not the right choice for us. We were happy to know that if we did change our mind we had already booked a great destination wedding photographer.

When I did think about a destination wedding I knew there were pros and cons to having one. The pros of course being the excitement of the whole trip, having family and friends join you form a far and of course the breath taking photos from an exotic location. But then I got to thinking about the cons! You know the cost for everyone to fly to your destination, the stress of getting everyone to one location safe and the stress of planning a wedding in an environment you are not very familiar with. When I looked at the pros and cons I knew what would be the right decision. If a destination wedding is something you are considering make sure to do your homework ☺