In the Media
2005-05-09, Edmonton Journal
Brides Buff Up
Eighty per cent of wedding gowns today are strapless or backless or both, too revealing to hide flabby arms and back fat. So a growing number of exposed women are running, lifting weights, hitting the gym, trying to get fit and fabulous for the most important day of their lives and adding a new meaning to the term “blushing bride.”
Tricia Knisley had been thinking about getting in better shape for quite a while but it was setting a wedding date which finally got her moving.
“If there was one time I was going to be in shape it was for this wedding,” she says. “It’s a very important day. There were going to be pictures that I was going to look at forever and ever and I didn’t want to look at those pictures like I have at some other pictures and go: ‘Oh darnit! If I just would have…’,” laughs the newlywed, who was married Feb. 19th.
Dresses Demand Toning
Her goal was toned arms because her gown was strapless. She didn’t care about her lower body because the dress covered it, although the honeymoon to follow in Mexico with bikini and beaches was a concern, she says.
Tricia tried working out on her own and wasn’t getting very far when she decided to start working with a personal trainer about six months before the nuptials.
The trainer came to her home to work with her twice a week, then left her homework – a program of exercise requiring only an exercise ball and some hand weights – to do on her own in between visits.
“I ended up losing 10 pounds, but inches-wise I slimmed down more than I expected. I lost three inches off my hips by toning up and getting some muscle.” Knowing she wanted to lose weight but not how much, Tricia had strategically bought a wedding gown which laced up the back. After six months of working out the gown looked much better on her.
“I felt much more comfortable in it and I was able to tie it up tighter in the back,” she says. “And I felt comfortable actually wearing a bikini on the beach in Mexico!”
Tricia had bought into every fitness trend that had come along over the last 10 years, trying each one for a week or so before losing her motivation. The wedding and trainer to keep her motivated finally helped her achieve her goals, she says.
Laura Aucoin, another newlywed who got married last October, was already working out six says a week on her own but also wasn’t getting the results she wanted for her wedding day.
“I wanted more tone all over but especially in my warms (for her strapless gown) and less body fat,” she says. Laura hired a trainer for five sessions over 10 weeks and used the exercise she was shown to work out on her own.
She also found out that she wasn’t eating enough and wasn’t eating the right foods.
“I thought having a cup of soup at lunch was good but I found out it contains a lot of salt. The trainer told me to follow the Canada Food Guide.”
By the big day, Laura was noticeably toned and felt great in her gown.
To a bride-to-be who knows all eyes are going to be on her and who wants to look the best that she looked in her whole life, the wedding day can seem like impending doom, says Nikki, Personal Trainer with Defining Eve.
According to Modern Bride Magazine, 84 per cent of brides want to lose weight before their wedding and 64 percent planned to exercise to achieve this. Traditionally, brides only dieted to lose weight, but to look good in a strapless dress you want your shoulders, arms and collarbones to look good and that comes with a combination of healthy eating and muscle toning, says Nikki, who leads a boot camp for brides at Defining Eve.
Depending on the kind of results she wants, a bride should seriously start working out six to seven months before the wedding for an hour a day, three to four times a week. Women who have less time than that should plan to step up frequency of their workouts.
Sometimes brides figure that with all they have to do to plan the wedding they don’t have time to exercise, but planning a wedding is stressful and besides helping you look great in your gown, exercise is a great stress reliever, Nikki says.
The bridal boot camp, which isn’t as hardcore as it sounds, involves cardio workouts, multi-muscle exercise and stability core conditioning for the whole body.
“The more you work the larger muscles, the more calories your body is going to burn, the better the overall effect as opposed to just working on one targeted area,” Nikki explains.
Tricia put aside the workouts during her honeymoon but had a few training sessions when she got back to regain her motivation. Today she takes Pilates and spin classes but mostly continues to work out on her own. She is determined to look as good on her anniversaries as she did on her wedding day.
