Weddingbee

My previous DVD review

I’m usually pretty wary of workout books and DVDs targeting brides. I figure they’re just gimmicks attempting to capitalize on the fears of women before their big day. And I was looking for a workout that I could integrate into my everyday life, even after the wedding. But I heard rave reviews about how user-friendly the Buff Brides book and the Women’s Health Wedding Workout DVD were. I decided to give them a shot and I’m *so* glad that I did.

Buff Brides by Sue Fleming

Buff Brides, by Sue Fleming, is a great book that lays out a 6 month cardio + weight-training plan and a 12-week cardio + weight-training plan. I love that it offers two different plans depending on how much time you have before your wedding. Each weight training exercise has photographs to show proper form and detailed instructions. The workout requires a bit of equipment: an exercise ball, steps, 2 different hand weights, and ankle weights (all of which I promptly bought– I swear, I’m totally a Becky Bloomwood!).Buff Brides is a thorough, informative book, but I can’t rely on it completely. I’m fairly uncoordinated and I had some difficulty following along with some of the exercises depicted in the book. I think it’s easier for me to mirror something after seeing it performed on screen rather than pictured in the book. But for someone more coordinated and athletically inclined, Buff Brides is great. So I use some of the exercises featured in Buff Brides in addition to the DVD I review below.

A tip for those of you who plan on purchasing this book: it’s in soft-cover form so it won’t stay open without something holding the book flat. I took my copy to Kinko’s and had them turn it into a spiral-bound book for only $4! Now the book lays perfectly flat while I’m working out.

Women’s Health Wedding Workout

The Women’s Health Wedding Workout DVD gets an A+ from me. It’s far, far better than I could have ever imagined. The DVD is set up into different chapters: (1) Warm-Up, (2) Cardio, (3) Upper-Body, (4) Lower Body, (5) Abs and Core and (6) Cool-Down. You can customize a workout of your own– I usually do a warm-up, upper and lower body, abs and core, and cool-down, and the DVD will play the chapters you choose in the order you want. Or you can choose a pre-set workout depending on whether you want to focus on your lower or upper body and the DVD will offer a weekly schedule for you. I love the progammable options!

The DVD’s strengths are its upper and lower body sections. You need 3-5 lb weights and an exercise mat for this DVD. Those workouts are no joke– my arms and thighs were crying out for sweet mercy. The cardio section is a little weak– it’s only 12 minutes long. So my suggestion would be to use this DVD for strength-training and to supplement it with 30-60 minutes of cardio, whether it’s running or the elliptical or whatever you prefer. I also want a more strenous ab section than they provide, so I supplement the ab section with crunches I do on my own and ab exercises from the Buff Brides book. The DVD also includes three bonus segments, one of which is Strip 101, which I found unintentionally hilarious.

The instructor, Marie Forleo, is *fantastic*. I have a total girl crush on her. She’s inspiring, encouraging and upbeat, without being the least bit cheesy or corny. She cues clearly and is very easy to follow along (and I’m about as uncoordinated as they get). I liked her so much that I googled her to see what other exercise videos she’s in. Turns out she’s in “Crunch Cardio Dance Blast”, “Prevention’s Dance Yourself Thin”, and “Tummy Tone Party Zone”– that last title makes me laugh so hard! She’s also a professional life coach with a blog, and the author of “Make Every Man Want You (Or Make Yours Want You More)”. Verrrry interesting– maybe I’ll have to review that next!

I’ve been using the Wedding Workout several times a week for the last month and a half and I’m already starting to see a difference in my body. I love, love, love this DVD and I couldn’t recommend it enough for someone who wants to integrate strength-training into their workout routine. I’ll be using this long after the wedding!

all images courtesy of amazon

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