THE NEW WEDDING WELLNESS

get inspired

Gather healthy meal ideas from magazines, cooking shows, or a
restaurant. This even gives you an excuse to obsess on Pinterest!
Make each meal beautiful with garnishes and set your table with
fresh flowers. Enjoy healthy eating from the start.

plan ahead

If you and your fiancé always eat out, you don’t have to
change dinner plans, you just have to make informed
decisions. Check out the nutrition information online or search
for the healthiest sides. Once you know ahead of time, you’ll
be prepared to when it’s time to order.

create realistic expectations

Reign in your weight loss expectations. Healthy weight loss
happens at 1-2 pounds per week; that’s 4-8 pounds a month.
The sooner you get started, the more weight you can lose for
good. But don’t expect 15 pounds a week (that you’ll likely gain
back) or you’ll feel like you’ve set yourself up for failure.

snack smart

To increase your energy, eat more often throughout the day. Having snacks
can slow down overeating at meals and help power you through the day
without reaching for a sugar high. Prep to-go healthy snacks on the weekend that
you can use throughout the work week.

Your wedding is the perfect time to change your health habits. Research
has shown that up to 80 percent of people are not ready to act on the
habits they want to change. High motivation and excitement makes the
engagement period a great time to change these behaviors.

choose beauty foods

Get glowing skin and shiny hair not through store-bought products, but through
what you eat. Some of Virginia’s finest crops are perfect (and, no, I’m not talking
about wine!) Apples have antioxidants to protect your skin paired with fiber to
keep you full. Peanuts are a source of vitamin E for healthy hydrated skin and
hair as well as B vitamins to keep you energized. A diet high in refined sugars
and fat could leave you looking less than the glowing bride.

get support

Whether it be from a dietitian, your husband-to-be, or one of your bridesmaids,
have someone you can text, call, or email in an instant for support. Having
someone to talk with when you get stuck can reduce stress and keep you
motivated to reach your wedding wellness goals. Just remember to thank them
in advance for a little bit of a whine session.

look at the big picture

Eat, drink, and be married! Go to the parties thrown in your
honor but have an action plan. Count your cocktail napkin
appetizers as servings of food. Alternate water or club
soda with cocktails to stay hydrated. And remember,
one piece of cake won’t ruin your hard work. Look
at what you’ve had to eat over the week and see
how healthy you’ve been. Skipping that one
piece of cake could lead to an entire cake
binge. You deserve to be the bride you want
to be. All it takes is a wedding wellness plan
instead of a crash diet to bring you to
healthfully ever after. Are you ready to
say I do?
There are healthy solutions to weight loss
and health gain that include many more
factors than numbers on a scale. What you
eat can affect your luxurious locks,
glowing skin, and even your mood and
you don’t have to become Bridezilla to
figure it out. We call it “Wedding Wellness.”
Brides deserve to look and feel their best
for the big day and this is where it starts.