My whole life, I’ve been pretty organized. I like to be on top of things and I live by spreadsheets and to-do lists. But, blogging, working full-time AND planning a wedding at the same time has thrown that for a complete loop. I haven’t been able to give wedding planning the attention it deserves, and it’s literally made a part of me die inside.
Nevertheless, until I have kids, my wedding is going to be the biggest and most important day of my life. So, here are 4 common sense things I’ve made sure to do before getting married, to feel 100% confident on the big day.
1. Work Out
This is THE single most important thing I’ve added to my weekly routine months in advance of my big day (which is on July 8th). I started working out in December of 2016 – with not only the goal of getting in shape for my wedding, but also losing the whopping 18 lbs. I gained in 1 year from food blogging, and generally staying in shape.
Working out is a lifestyle change. Period.
There are no shortcuts when it comes to your physical fitness. Forget about fad diets (although, I do admit I tried an egg fast for a few days, mainly out of curiosity) and juice cleanses. You can’t start an intense workout regimen 1 month before your wedding date. Start as early as you can! I used to lose weight really quickly when I was younger; but ever since I hit my 30s, my metabolism slowed wayyy down. It took me a couple months to see a real change in my body. Now, I can see my arm muscles, my tummy has flattened again, my legs are strong, and I’m so much more motivated than I’ve ever been. I know that I’m well on my way to having those Michelle Obama arms on my wedding day!
A well-rounded workout regimen must include cardio and weights. Lifting weights helps you burn more calories and lose fat faster (and if you think you’re going to be too bulky, you’re wrong). On an average week, I try to go to spinning a couple days, do weights a couple days and go to yoga at least once. Also, invest in good workout gear. I’ve been wearing Skechers Burst City Scene sneakers for the last few months to the gym, and they’re super comfy and provide a lot of support.
Remember: you have to look at your wedding photos and videos pretty much for the rest of your life. You’ll want to ensure you are happy with how you look in your wedding dress!
2. Eat Healthy
This goes hand-in-hand with the first point. A healthy diet is actually more important than working out in terms of physical fitness!
Alas, the constant dilemma I face as a food blogger is: to eat or not to eat. Truthfully, as much as I would love for this to be the case, I cannot and should not eat any and everything. What you see on my Instagram feed is not indicative of reality, especially not as of late. Since beginning a healthy lifestyle, I’ve seriously modified my eating (and drinking) habits. I started by implementing an 80/20 rule, where I’d eat clean during the week and then I’d allow myself to cheat on the weekend. However, I noticed I was allowing myself to go overboard on the weekend because I thought it was all canceled out with my clean eating during the week. I was wrong. I think that was also part of the reason why it took me longer than expected to start seeing results.
Now that I’ve made even more changes and am trying to eat cleanly as much as possible, I am totally seeing the results.
Oh, and guys, CUT OUT ALCOHOL. Seriously. If you really want to see results, ditch the wine, beer, fruity cocktails etc. I’ve almost completely cut out alcohol from my life. I only now allow myself to drink on very special occasions, and the net effect is that I’ve been drinking maybe one weekend per month.
3. Work on That Smile!
This may seem superficial, but a healthy smile is especially important on your wedding day. Taking care of your teeth should be a priority because the last thing you want is to have yellow or stained teeth when you say, “I do!”. So, it’s a pretty good time to bring awareness to this issue.
I’m pretty obsessive about healthy teeth and I’ve been using whitening products for more than 6 years, in particular Crest Whitestrips. I honestly swear by Crest Whitestrips and it’s the only product I’ll use to whiten my teeth. I’m currently using Crest 3D White Whitestrips Supreme FlexFit in preparation for the wedding. Crest whitestrips have enamel-safe ingredients to protect your teeth from damage. They’re so effective and the results last a long time.
A few notes on this:
- I find I only need to use this product once or twice per year. The results last for a very long time and I don’t find that my teeth become more yellow after
- I do maintain my pearly whites even when I’m not using an at-home teeth whitening system by using whitening toothpaste. It really helps to prevent yellowing, since it cleans surface dirt
- Using teeth whitening products is not a replacement for visiting the dentist. You should ensure you are visiting your dentist at least once per year for regular check-ups and cleaning.
Also, here’s a PRO-TIP I recently got from a married friend: be aware of what your face is doing on your wedding day. If you’re the type of person who wears their emotions all over their face (including being overwhelmed, stressed etc.), just be cognizant that all eyes will be on you all day. So, keep smiling, but make sure your teeth are looking good first! Your teeth are worth it!
4. De-Stress My Life
Okay, this is something I’m currently aspiring to do. Life has been incredibly stressful for the last 6 months and I know continuing on like this isn’t sustainable. More importantly, planning a wedding is supposed to be a fun process. But when you feel like everything is another task on your to-do list, then it’s really tough. So, I know that more changes have to be made over the next 3 months in order to get my mind ready for the wedding. I want to be completely relaxed and stress-free on the big day! Above all, you need to have fun on your wedding day and minimizing the stress in your life in the months leading up to it is very important.
What are some tips you have to get ready for the big day? Let me know!
