Weddingbee Blog

Alright ladies, my fitness routine might not be super intense, but I’ve started myself into the right groove as I prep for bikini weather this July. While it may take 21-days to start a habit, I think I’ve gotten a few under my belt already.

1. Drinking at least 64 oz. water a day!
If I could, all of my beverages would come from Coffee Bean, but I know that’s not really helping out my fitness goals. Instead of the caffeine, I stocked up on Pure Lemon packets, water bottles and Brita filters. Now, instead of craving juice or coffee, I treat myself to a bottle of Penta or FruitWater instead.

2. Walking to school 3x a week.
I can get to my destination by foot or bus… and both take the same amount of time to reach my destination. I’ve loaded up my iPod shuffle with some rocking tunes and instead of heading for the shuttle, I walk straight up two big hills and speedwalk to class.

3. Oatmeal is my friend.
People keep laughing about how I seem to have it everywhere I go, but it’s helped save me $$$ and my goals in check. Yup - plain ‘ol Quaker oats for breakfast & lunch (along with fruit as a snack), which is semi-boring, but not intended to last forever. It just gets me back into that groove where eating healthy makes me feel healthy.

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As the time draws closer to my trip to Thailand, my first fitting, and not to mention the actual wedding date, I realize that I need to start buffing up and losing some weight fast! My ultimate goal is to lose about 30lbs by my 1st fitting - which thankfully will not be until mid summer. However I do need to shed some pounds by the time I head off to Bangkok in April, especially because I will be taking pictures on the beach there as well as getting my Thai costumes tailored there. I’ve been procrastinating about this, but I really don’t think I can delay much longer. I’m already behind in the game. So with that in mind, I have a little over 2 months to work with until I go to Thailand.

I’ve never been very slim unlike many Asian women are. I have some curvature here and there, and I’ve been quite content with that. The smallest street size I’ve ever worn was a size 5 in my first few years of college. As it stands right now, I’m pushing between an 8-10. Which isn’t by any means huge, but I would like to go back to the size I was when I was in college. And being short, (I’m only 5′2″) I have a small frame so a little weight on me goes a looong way.

I’ve signed up for SparkPeople which is a free online dieting community, and I’ve found a wealth of information there. There are members I’ve found who are truly inspirational. WeddingBee even featured a knottie guest who raved about SparkPeople. I totally recommend signing up.

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Kyle Pott of Lifehack.org lost 50 pounds in 3 months by following 10 “unconventional diet tips.”

He created his own diet based on the Weight Watchers program (which he cleverly researched by googling their patent), and his real life tips are definitely worth a read.

Rule #3 on his list is to make your diet public. Miss Lemon boldly declared her 2007 fitness resolution, and said that she’d check in every 2 weeks on weddingbee. So I was thinking, maybe you too could declare your diet/fitness resolutions publicly here on weddingbee. And you can check back in every two weeks when Miss Lemon does. Whatever your diet or fitness goals are, let’s keep each other motivated!

So after the disaster that was this weekend, I have enrolled in bridal boot camp. Not being able to fit my little black dress over my rib cage was a serious wake up call. I have some serious weight to lose by September and I know that I can’t do it alone. Hence, Healthy Bride.

“Each workout includes a full body workout that includes cardio, weights, resistance work, core strengthening, with a full body stretch at the end.

The workouts are structured so there is plenty of opportunity to talk and share ideas with other brides/women in the class. Your friends, bridesmaids, moms, sisters and aunties are welcome to the Brides Class. Classes are indoors in winter, and outdoors in the summer. All classes follow a “boot camp” for “circuit” style format. Lots of variety with plenty of resistance training thrown in. We do squats, lunges, pushups, jumping jacks……you get the idea. A great workout in the company of other brides!”

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Yes, I’ve made the same resolution that many of us made only 10 short days ago… to get back in shape and MEAN IT this time around. Graduate school has led me toward a slothy physique, and I really want to get back to my old gym-loving, sports-playing days. My main problem has been that I have not had a gym or sports buddy to keep me in check, nor do I have a regular routine (like an afternoon commute) that would get me working out at the same time everyday. Mr. Lemon’s gym is far from my home, and even he doesn’t get there as often as he’d like with his long hours at work.

But 2007 is a new year and there’s no more excuses for me this time around. First off, I received a beautiful new iPod shuffle for the holidays, which I’ve loaded up with my crazy JockJams mixes as well as my favorite daily podcasts to keep things interesting. Then, my maid of honor joined me in her fitness quest (although she’s accustomed to running 6+ miles a day) by joining my gym, and meeting up with me after work for classes and just general gym support. And last but not least, Mr. Lemon and I have determined that we’re going to have some sort of fitness competition to keep us in check. We haven’t determined the stakes or the units quite yet, but if you have any creative ideas I’m open to the challenge!

Oh… and I plan to keep myself accountable with a check-in every 2 weeks right here… oh boy I’m in deep!

Awhile back I heard about MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) sneakers from a friend who swears by them, and I was intrigued. MBT sneakers have special multi-layered soles that are designed to change the way you walk, so you workout your entire body while you wear them. They’re supposed to tone your legs, back and stomach, and improve balance, posture, and varicose veins.

At around $250 per pair, they’re pricey but the reviews on Zappos are amazing. MBT’s are available in several different styles, colors, and heights.

Has anyone tried MBT sneakers? Are they really effective in helping you tone up?

Every bride wants to look fabulously hot on her wedding day. For some, that means a haircut. For others, dental work. And for many, losing weight or toning up.

For the latter group, it can be difficult to get that workout routine started. The gym can be a daunting place for those who don’t often set foot through its doors. Oftentimes, that kind of pressure alone can keep people out of the gym and away from exercise altogether.

I was perusing my voluminous copy of Modern Bride and saw an article on Buff Brides (at the same time there was a TV special on the Fitness Network, coincidentally). Sue Fleming, creator of Buff Brides, is eliminating the excuses from getting in shape for the wedding. She created a Buff Brides DVD for the ladies who can’t bring themselves to the gym that focuses on toning the back, arms, shoulders, abs, and hips.

And for those who are counting every penny for the wedding, the DVD comes in at the low, low price of $14.98.

Go to buffbrides.com to order the DVD and get those perfect bouquet-tossing biceps

After all of the stuffing my face at Thanksgiving and being sick the past week, I feel terribly out of shape and not thrilled about all of the Christmas eating coming up. I’ve decided that I am going to stay away from dips and desserts (totally the highest fat content) and get seriously back on track January 1.

Now I know all about the failure rate of New Year’s resolutions… I never make them because I think they are silly, but this year, it is to get in wedding shape!

I registered today for the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in DC in April, and am going to try and squeeze in two half marathons before the big day. Having a goal or race to be training for seems to really keep me on track. I have run three marathons and with all of them, I was at my lightest and smallest size, but I just don’t have time for another marathon and all of the training before the wedding. So the halfs and ten miler will have to do it.

Running is my outlet and the fastest way for me to drop a couple of pounds. What is your workout routine?

His name is Billy Blanks, and he’s gonna help whip me into shape over the next 9 months! Now that I have the luxury of my very own townhouse, I can jump around like an idiot all I want! (I used to live in a vintage second floor walk-up with hardwood floors, and my landlords lived right below me. Obviously couldn’t do any jumping there…)

Tae Bo is awesome and I love kickboxing, so I purchased the following DVDs:

I figure if I supplement my regular lunchtime gym sessions (3 to 4 times a week) with some Billy Blanks once or twice a week, I will be in great shape by next September! And this way, I won’t feel so guilty if fiancee and I ditch the gym to go out to lunch instead, hehe.

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I live in Los Angeles, land of traffic jams. Oddly enough, after living here my entire life - I Don’t Drive. You know that song, “Nobody Walks in L.A.?” Yeah, well, I do.

When I tried on that Jasmine, I realized I looked like a meatball. For the past three years, I’ve been on steroids for my asthma and it has made me gain 40 pounds, maybe more (I’m afraid to look at the scale). I used to be a size 7, but now I’ve pooched up to a larger size (not telling). I was told it takes 2 to 18 months to lose the weight, but I thought about helping it along.

To lose some weight, I thought about getting a bike and riding it with my trusty pooch along side me. Then we looked at Woofie’s stubby legs and thought he may get entangled in the spokes, so that was abandoned. Then I decided to get one of those ab chair things.

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It’s approximately 5 months until my wedding and I probably should start thinking of my workout plan.

A very rough outline of my plan so far:

1) Watch what I eat: limit snacks, no soda/juice- only water, try to avoid fatty and/or fried foods.

2) Work out: 4 times a week!

And that’s it. Hahaha. Okay, well let me elaborate more on my work out. I’ll do cardio: running/elliptical for about 20 minutes. And then I’ll do some lifting/free weights BUT only concentrating on my arms. I realize, in my wedding dress, that’s the only area that will really be seen by everyone else. (Yes of course, after the wedding I want to look good for my honeymoon, but we’re actually taking our honeymoon 2 months later so I have a bit more time.)

So back to the arms… well, it’s really the arms and pectoral area. You know how when you wear a tube top or strapless dress the fat between your arms and torso sometimes gets pinched. I absolutely HATE that. So my goal: make my upper body jiggle proof! I found some great workouts on-line to get me started:

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A few blogs ago, I mentioned that I wanted to lose another 10 pounds or so. To be completely honest, because of my crazy work schedule, school and wedding planning, for the past two weeks I have not been able to get my ass up to the gym. The gym is IN my building, and I can’t make it there. How pathetic of me.

Anyway, with my schedule only getting busier, I know that I will not be as good about going to the gym as I would like. So what’s my solution? I’m going back to my trainer! Because of Julian (my trainer), I am now able to fit into pants that I haven’t worn in a year!

I actually emailed Julian my blog so that he could see my progress. I haven’t seen him in over 5 weeks! He was really impressed and he was so excited for me! Now it’s crunch time, so he opened up his schedule so that I could have 11 more sessions. This time, I will be working out solo with him, at my home gym, three times a week (plus one day of 45 minutes cardio alone). I know I will be extremely busy, but I also know that he will keep me on track.

I will be posting my total inches lost when this is all over so keep your eyes open!

When I got engaged, one of the first things I panicked about was my weight. I’ve always been very skinny, but in the last few years (i.e. after college), I gained a looooot of weight. I’m talking 25+ pounds.

As you readers may know, I signed up with a trainer from the Buff Brides program. Julian (my trainer) worked my butt all the way until the last session. It was not easy. I was sore, I complained, I flat-out refused to do certain exercises, and I even walked out on him out of frustration. But through it all, he guided me and I can proudly say now that I feel really good about the way I look now. I lost body fat, I toned up a lot, I gained muscle and energy, and I lost many, many inches.

Of course, I don’t look like I did in college (oh, the good old glory days!!) but I look much better than I did before.

Here is a picture of me from this May (about 6 weeks after I started my training sessions):

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I decided this past Sunday was my own personal Fat Sunday, where I was going to indulge in whatever sweets and food I desired because Monday would be the commencement of my new fitness regime. I’m taking baby steps. Usually I jump headlong into these things and become obsessed right away, but I think for this engagement party/wedding I’m going to take it a little slower and do things the right way.

I joined SparkPeople and set some goals for myself. Right now, I’m in Phase 1: Fast Break, where you set several smaller goals for yourself. For example, giving yourself a 5-minute prep talk in the morning, not drinking soda, not eating in front of the television, etc. You also set your target weight for a period of time. In my case, I’d like to lose 10 lbs by October 15th, the engagement party.

The nice thing about this site is they set healthy guidelines for you. They even offer meal plans, the ability to track the caloric / fat / protein / carb content of what you eat, the average ounces of water you drink, your cardio / strength routine and calories burned.

It’s been really helpful thus far - granted I’ve been a member for a couple days, but I did 4.5 miles on the stationary bike and burned 260 calories the first day. That’s big for me in another way…since my recent car accident, I haven’t really been able to do much because of the dizziness and headaches. I had been working out 4-5 times per week between free weights and cardio, and that all went down the drain. Monday was the first day I was able to exercise without feeling sick. Breakthrough!

Sheila Kelley’s popular S Factor classes which combine yoga, ballet, and pole dancing are a great way to get into wedding shape. Teri Hatcher does it. Kate Hudson does it. And now you can check what all the fuss is about at their two Manhattan open houses.

August 22, 2006 or September 7, 2006
12pm - 4 pm 2pm - 6pm

235 West 23rd Street (bet 7th and 8th Ave)
212-989-8030 - call to reserve.

(via nymetro)