Gotta' Shape Up!

Since getting engaged, I've started to think about getting in shape for the big day. I'm not focused on losing a certain number of pounds before the wedding, I just want to tone up and be in the best shape possible. Years after the wedding is over and I'm looking at my wedding pictures, I don't want to think, "I wish I had done a couple more crunches!"

Find ways to make working out fun like playing mud volleyball or working out with your fiance!

My wedding is still over a year away, so my efforts to get into shape thus far, have been pretty minimal. I've always been a fairly active person and I'm what some might consider a selective (ok, picky!) eater, so I've just been sticking with my normal routine and diet.

I try to run five days a week, but I am by no means a marathon runner! On an average day, I'll run 2.5 miles. If I'm having a rough run, sometimes I'll cut it down to two miles, and if I'm feeling great, I'll run up to five miles. I have no set schedule and I haven't been wearing a watch, so I can just go at a comfortable pace. Since we're in the midst of winter in Ohio, I've been sticking to running on the local high school track, or the roads of my neighborhood. On special occasions, my fiance and I have driven a little further to run at city parks. If the weather is too bad to be outside in, I'll settle for running on a treadmill, but that really is a last resort for me (I hate watching the clock as I run!).


Once the weather warms up and the ground dries up, I'll spend most of my time running on a wooded cross-country course. I find it a lot more enjoyable to have a little change of scenery when I'm running, as opposed to running in a circle. Also to keep running interesting, I'm planning on running a 5K in May. If that goes well, maybe I'll try to run a 10K or half-marathon sometime in the next year. I hear a lot of people say that they don't run because they find it boring, but I think changing up where you run, or running in races, is a way to make running more entertaining and make you more likely to stick with it.

Another way to make working out more enjoyable is to find a workout partner. I've never been a fan of having a workout partner because I like to go at my own pace, but my fiance and I do run together. It took some getting used to, but we've finally found a common pace, and it's more fun to be able to get into shape for the wedding together.

Besides running, I try to find other different workouts to stay engaged with exercising. I regularly use the Wii Fit program, and I have found a lot of great exercises on Pinterest. (Follow me on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/isaidyesnowwhat/). Pinterest workouts are great because a lot of them target a specific area of your body, and they include a variety of exercises so I'm never bored. I recently went to a Zumba class with one of my bridesmaids, and we had so much fun, that it didn't even really feel like we were working out.

Exercise is important, but what you're eating is equally important as you're preparing for your wedding day. Luckily for me, I really enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables and they are a staple in my diet. I eat an apple and spinach pretty much every day. (I swear, Popeye and I must be related.) I also don't drink any soda or coffee. My weakness in my diet is my sweet tooth. I find it extremely difficult not to eat an entire, family-sized bag of candy in one sitting! The best way I've found to avoid eating too much candy, is to not even buy it. If you don't have it, you can't eat it.

I've decided that I'm going to amp up my workouts and try to cut down on the amount of junk food I eat once the wedding is a year away. I know at this time next year it will be a struggle turning down Girl Scout cookies and Shamrock Shakes, but I'm hoping that if I allow myself to indulge on a rare occasion, that I won't polish of a box of Thin Mints in a day!