Wedding Workout

Full time job, part time job, taking care of the dog, house work, meals, social life, PLANNING a wedding AND working out. Talk about a FULL plate. 

 Did anyone ever tell you...

 you can do anything you put your mind to!!

Over 8 months I lost 15 pounds and had to have my wedding dress taken in 1-2 sizes!



DISCLAIMER:  I am NOT a dietitian, qualified nutritionist or personal trainer. This is simply what I did to get into shape to look the best on my wedding day. 

A little bit about my fitness background.  I swam competitively for 12 years on 3 teams; YMCA, High School and College.  A lot of my ideas come from a swimming sets and dry land workouts.  I swam breaststroke, butterfly and the Individual Medley.  One of the reasons I loved the IM was because I got bored of the same stroke. So you will notice in my workout pattern, I mix it up. I find it boring to run 5 days a week. Some people love it, it's not for me.

10 months before my wedding I had to have a mole removed on my calf.  This wouldn't have been bad, but it forced me to avoid the gym for 2 months. Every time you walk, your calf muscle bulges. The first time my stitches were removed the area opened up and I had to have a second set of stitches.  The point of this rant is to let you know I had 8 months to get in shape, after doing nothing for 2 months (this was also during Thanksgiving pie and Christmas Cookie season).

Please read this with an open mind. Feel free to change anything and adapt the workouts/plan to what is best for you.

I believe it is way easier to get in shape so you can have fun on your wedding day; rather than to constantly be thinking *stick chin out* and *angle arm out* while pictures are being taken.

Perfect low-calorie snack that satisfies like the crunch of a chip!

Getting in shape goes hand in hand with eating right !  For 3 weeks I cut processed sugar out totally and ate tiny portions.  After those 3 weeks I ate small portions and made smart choices. If I wanted a cookie, I had a cookie. Not 10, but 1. If you keep saying no to that 1 cookie, all you will think about is that 1 cookie.. and end up eating 10 cookies. I also tried to substitute juice with water.  This keeps you hydrated, but keeps unnecessary calories out of your body.  Eat 3 meals a day and small snacks throughout the day.  I hate when I hear someone say "I don't eat breakfast"  People please, your body needs nourishment.  Most of my lunches consisted of water, salad, yogurt and veggie chips.

Tips for Success

Try on a pair of jeans to track your progress

• Keep track of your progress. I like to try on a pair of pants that are 'a little' tight and re-try them on every 3-4 weeks. 
• Workout 4-6 times a week for 30-70 minutes. Yes getting in shape and having a great looking body takes time and dedication.
• The more you put in, the more you will get out.
• Weigh in once a week (same time every time, morning or night) on the same scale (remember clothes add a little, but not much).  Weight is a motivating factor, but don't get mad if you aren't losing 2 pounds every week.
• Keep a log of when you workout. I kept a little notebook to keep me motivated.  When I looked at it, I either thought "great job, go me!" or "wow, I haven't worked out in 3 days, better get back to the gym!"  This is also a good way to keep track of how much weight you're lifting.
• Don't be scared of the gym, weights and machines.  
• If you have any questions, ask someone that works there.  The last thing you want is to use something improperly and hurt yourself. 
• Working out is a great stress reliever, once the blood gets flowing, endorphins are released and make ya' feel great! 
• Get up and GO! I can't tell you how many times I was dreading going to the gym, but once the workout was over, I had a 'workout-high' and was proud of myself. 
• When you're working on a machine, look at a magazine to help pass the time and take your mind off the workout itself. (I love reading People!!) 
• Bring your iPod. Music is the best to work-out to!

  

  Bring a small notepad with you to the gym to track your progress

23 songs on my iPod that I like to workout to:

• Beat me up by Allison Iraheta

• Best I Ever Had by Gavin DeGraw

• Forever by Chris Brown (I always picture The Office Wedding Episode!)

• I Do by Colbie Caillat (How can you not love this song when you are sheddin' for the weddin')

• Pour some sugar on me by Def Leppard (on the highest volume that doesn't hurt your ears)

• Calabria by Enur

• I love it by Icona Pop

• Electric Feel by MGMT

• Alex Chilton by The Replacements

• Untouched by The Veronicas

• Five Minutes to Midnight by Boys Like Girls

• Heels Over Head by Boys Like Girls 

• Gimme More by Britney Spears

• Womanizer by Britney Spears 

• See You Again by Miley Cyrus

• Single Ladies by Beyonce

• Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

• Love Games by Lady Gaga 

• Come & Get It by Selena Gomez

• Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez 

• Dont Say Nuthin' by The Roots

• I Hope It Rains by Jana Kramer

• My Paper Heart by The All-American Rejects

  
  

5 weeks of training 

Week 1

Day 1

Elliptical - 30 minutes

100 crunches

Day 2

Row- 5 minutes

Treadmill- 10 minute run, 10 minute walk

200 crunches

Day 3

Bike- 30 minutes Total: [5 minutes at resistance 5, 5 minutes at resistance 8, 5 minutes at resistance 12] x2

200 crunches

Day 4

Zumba

Day 5

Run/Walk Outside- 30 minutes

Week 2

Day 1

Row- 10 minutes

Treadmill- 10 minute run

150 crunches

Day 2

Treadmill- 3 minute walk at incline 1, 9 minute run at incline 1, 3 minute walk at incline 1.5, 9 minute run at incline 1.5, 6 minute walk at incline 1

Ab Bench- [10 right side, 10 left side, 10 back] x3

Day 3

Zumba

Day 4

Elliptical - 30 minutes, Fat Burner- alternates between resistance 1-4

Day 5

Row- 10 minutes

Treadmill- 10 minute run, 10 minute walk

200 crunches

Week 3

Day 1

Treadmill- 33 Minutes Total: 3 minute walk at incline .5, 7 minute run at incline .5, 3 minute walk at incline 1, 7 minute run at incline 1, 3 minute walk at incline 1.5, 7 minute run at incline 1.5, 3 minute walk/cool down

150 Crunches

Day 2

Treadmill- 30 Minutes Total: 2 minute walk at incline 1, 26 minute run at incline 1, 2 minute walk at incline 1

Lifting: Tricep Pull down, 2x20- 30 lbs. Bicep Curls, 2x20- 10 lbs.

Ab Bench- [10 right side, 10 left side, 10 back] x3

Day 3

Bike- 30 Minutes Total: 5 minute warm up,  5 minutes at resistance 5/below 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 5/above 90 RPM, 7 minutes at res. 7/below 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 7/above 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 9/below 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 9/above 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 11/below 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 11/above 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 13/below 90 RPM, 1 minute at res. 13/above 90 RPM 5 minute cool down

200 Crunches

Day 4

Zumba

Day 5

Elliptical - 30 minutes, Fat Burner- alternates between resistance 1-4

Strength Training- [10 push-ups, 10 squats, 10 tricep-dips, 10 lunges] x3

Week 4

Day 1

Treadmill- 30 Minutes Total: [3 minute walk at incline 1, 3 minutes run at incline 1, 1 minute sprint at incline 1, 3 minute walk at incline 1.5, 3 minutes run at incline 1.5, 1 minute sprint at incline 1.5] x2 2 minute cool down

Lifting: Tricep Pull down, 2x20- 30 lbs., Tricep exercise with dumbbell, 2x20- 20 lbs., Bicep Curls, 2x20- 10 lbs.

Day 2

Strength Training- Walk 10 minutes [20 Jumping Jacks, 5 Push-Ups, 10 Mountain Climbers, 5 Burpees, 20 crunches] x5

Day 3

Zumba

Day 4

Elliptical - 30 minutes, Fat Burner- alternates between resistance 1-4

Ab Bench- [10 right side, 10 left side, 10 back] x3

Day 5

Treadmill- 41 Minutes Total: [3 minute walk at incline 1, 10 minutes run at incline 1, 10 minute sprint at incline 2, 3 minute walk at incline 2, 10 minute run at incline 1.5, 5 minute walk/cool down

Lifting: Tricep Pull down, 2x20- 30 lbs., Tricep exercise with dumbbell, 2x20- 20 lbs., Bicep Curls, 2x20- 10 lbs.

Week 5

Day 1

Treadmill- 24 minutes total: 3 minute walk at incline 1, 18 minute run at incline 1, 3 minute walk at incline 1

Bike- 20 minutes total: 10 minutes at resistance 9, 5 minutes at res. 11, 5 minutes at res. 8 Lifting: Tricep Pull down, 2x20- 30 lbs., Tricep exercise with dumbbell, 2x20- 20 lbs., Bicep Curls, 2x20- 10 lbs.

100 crunches

Day 2

Body Combat

Day 3

Zumba

Day 4

Elliptical - 30 minutes

Lifting: Tricep Pull down, 2x20- 30 lbs., Tricep exercise with dumbbell, 2x20- 20 lbs., Bicep Curls, 2x20- 10 lbs.

100 crunches

Day 5

Row- 2000m

Bike- 20 minutes total: [2 minutes at resistance 8/above 50 RPM, 2 minutes at res.8/above 80 RPM] x5

150 crunches

* My favorite group classes are LesMills Body Pump, LesMills Body Combat, Zumba and Spinning*

If you are someone that does not like working out on their own, I would highly recommend these group classes.

Tricep exercise

Pushup