Why I'm Against Sweating for the Wedding

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The strangest thing has happened since I got engaged. All of a sudden everyone, including close friends and family, think that my healthy lifestyle is all because of our upcoming wedding. Say what?!

I don’t understand how all of a sudden my weight loss journey has been summed up to a point in time event. Has everyone thought I was just losing weight so I could get Jon to put a ring on it?
My health and fitness journey started long before we were engaged. In fact, it began even before Jon and I started dating. It’s been the constant drumbeat of my life for the last 5 years or so. I view my health and fitness as a continual evolution and process. It’s not going to end just because we finally tied the knot.

Don’t get me wrong, I totally get that brides and grooms want to look fabulous on their wedding day, and I do too! But what I don’t like about this whole being-a-bride-thing, is that it’s suddenly implied that I’m on a wedding weight-loss program. Meanwhile, no one questions Jon – is he going to bulk up for the wedding or maybe grow his beard out? It’s all about what I, the female, am doing to prep myself for walking down the aisle. I don’t think that you need to slim down for the gown in order to look beautiful on the big day. I highly doubt that your fiance will run screaming back down the aisle if you gain or lose 10lbs before your wedding day. And if they do? You’re probably better off for it.

Here’s why I’m against sweating for the wedding:

1. It implies that you aren’t good enough to show up at your own wedding. Every bridal magazine I see inevitably has a fitness component that ties back to something about YOUR body that’s not perfect that needs to be changed before YOUR wedding. Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t look good enough to turn up at your own event. Plus, I’m fairly certain your fiance loved you when he proposed. Why would that change on the big day?
2. Focusing on weight loss for an event is a diet, not a lifestyle change. To take control of your health and fitness and for long term, sustained success, you need a lifestyle change. A diet for a point-in-time event like a wedding can lead to crash dieting and extreme measures to reach a goal. And what happens after the wedding?

So, let me be clear: I’m not sweating for the wedding. It’s for my overall health and wellness, my continued self improvement and desire to learn more about nutrition and fitness, not because I want to shrink down to a size 2 for the wedding. My fiance loved me before and after I lost weight, so he’ll love me at any size that I am on our wedding day. While the wedding can be a motivator to get started on your health and fitness journey, it should always be your decision and what makes YOU happy, not because society says you need to be a twig on your wedding day and to “weigh less for the dress”!

Lest you think I’m a debbie-downer about this whole wedding and health fitness thing, I do think a wedding can be great for health and fitness. Here’s how:

1. It can be a motivator for starting your health and fitness journey. Perhaps your engagement is what sparked your health and fitness journey or maybe you’ve had a hard time getting your head back in the game after. If a wedding motivates you to get focused again, that’s great! But it shouldn’t start and end with the wedding.
2. It can help relieve stress and keep you from getting sick. Planning a wedding is a lot of work, from vetting vendors and signing contracts, to making decisions for decor, dresses, hair & makeup, and scheduling tons of appointments! If your plate wasn’t already full, it will be now when you add all of this on top of your day job! There will undoubtedly be late nights and stressful days. A well balanced diet and exercise regimen can be key to not getting sick! Check out these other tips for avoiding getting sick before your wedding and reducing stress throughout your wedding planning, too!
3. It can inspire others to start their journey. Watching your health and fitness journey can be a motivation to those around you. They’ll see your success and progress and maybe make positive, healthy changes in their own life.
4. It can lead to new relationships! This one might seem a little strange, but there are tons of online communities and forums that discuss health and fitness, some even bridal focused, like WeddingWire’s Weight Loss & Health forum. If you start going to new classes or a new gym you never know who you’ll meet there. A few of the gals I work out with recently got engaged too, so now we’re able to talk shop about all things wedding planning!

So before you try to slim down for the gown, make sure that your intentions are correct and you’re on the path for overall health and fitness that extends well beyond the wedding. After all, we should be sweating for every day that comes after the wedding.

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Created in partnership with WeddingWire