The Wedding Dolls Up and Running

This week sees my last few days of training before I take on the Paddock Wood Half Marathon. Back in January I did a post about getting wedding fit and since then I’ve been taking my own advice. The start of this fitness regime was when I signed up for the MoonWalk and realised I only had 5 months to get ready to walk 26.2 miles around London overnight. With a bad back and having avoided any major fitness activity since my last child was born three years ago I panicked.

It was enough to get me started on a training programme which included running. Since then I’ve literally not stopped and in what can only be described as a small miracle, I actually really enjoy it, something I thought I would never say!

Fitting running into my life has made a big difference to how I feel. As well as the physical benefits (include muscle tone that I never thought possible) it’s just fantastic for reducing stress and having a bit of ‘me’ time. Running gives you time to clear out the cobwebs and really think about what you want to achieve, whether it’s simply your to do list for the next few days or longer term goals, like planning a wedding or running a business!

I have always enjoyed sport but never really stuck to anything and certainly not got any good at it. This time however I won’t be hanging up my running shoes after a few weeks, but will keep on running.

If you have taken up the challenge of getting fit for your wedding, or for any other big event in your life, then let us know how you are getting on and any advice you can share on sticking to your fitness goals and actually enjoying it!

Get Wedding Fit

Getting in shape for your wedding is one of the best motivators. EVER.

The thought of squeezing into your wedding dress and having all eyes on you for the day is enough to see brides joining a gym before you can say “you need a pair of trainers”. But a gym membership can be expensive and actually going is practically impossible for most of us.

This year though you won’t be alone as the Wedding Dolls are getting down and shaping up.  We have signed up for the Moonwalk in May so we will be dragging ourselves (I mean briskly walking) 26.2 miles around the mean streets of London.  Alcohol is strictly forbidden so we are going to have to do it the traditional way and actually get fit, minus the gym membership. Here’s how we are going to do it.

Run

Get your heart pumping and improve your muscle strength by taking up running. The local parks are a great place to start – just make sure you have proper running shoes. The Wedding Dolls friend and fitness gal, Mina Lawrence, took up running in July and can now run over 10k in under an hour. Mina says ‘running is just fantastic if you have a busy life.  You can fit it in when convenient and it costs next to nothing – you can also start slowly and build up as you go – I never thought I could get this fit and can’t ever imagine not running now”. If you don’t want to run on your own join a local group, like Sarah’s Runners or get a Bridesmaid involved for added motivation!

Swim

Yes we all know that swimming is probably the best thing for a complete body workout but we just find it dull dull dull. However for a more interesting splash about, during the summer months head to the Serpentine Lido and Paddling Pool, Hyde Park. It’s just the ticket for topping up the tan whilst doing those lengths. Best of all you are a stone’s throw from some fantastic bars and restaurants for a post swim snack (just saying).

Join the Pussycat Poles

Pole Dance

The phrase pole dancing is usually associated with the Stag do, but this form of fitness has become huge over the last few years. Lots of our brides are raving about it so we spoke to Emma of Pussycat Poles to find out why more of us then ever are giving it a go. She says “brides just seem to love pole dancing. It’s such a great form of exercise for toning up the whole body and having fun at the same time – it completely takes the stress out of an exercise routine. Lots of brides say their confidence increases as well as their fitness levels and they usually end up bringing friends to a session as part of their hen do”.

Anything with the words fun and toning up in the same sentence is fine by us.

Dance

From ballet to ballroom there’s something for everyone with dancing. Zumba is the latest craze to hit the UK and for this one we have mixed reviews.  One of us (and I’m not saying which) can’t keep up and jumps around like a complete idiot whilst the other has rhythm and can shake their booty perfectly. Stomach muscles were aching the next day, which would have been from the howling with laughter, but it has to be said that with a mix of fast beats, loud music and quick dance moves you’ll be feeling the Zumba heat in no time.

Fitness DVD’s

If you prefer to leap about in the comfort of your own home then why not do it with a celeb or two and their annual offering of fitness DVD’s. Our favourite is Davina McCall’s, Davina Fit. The easy to follow exercises leave you feeling like you’ve had a great workout in half the time it takes to get to the gym and back.  You can rotate the routines so you don’t get bored doing the same thing. Fabulous results if you can stick to working out three times a week. Davina also has a new DVD Ultimate Target out for 2012 so if you’ve tried it and like it let us know.

Bootcamp

Sir Yes Sir. Sound of 1 2 sound of 3 4. Yes if you really need someone to shout at you and like the idea of digging out your combats then this might be just the thing. Natasha Harding, journalist and owner of The Village Yoga, took up the challenge of the five-day boot camp and told us all about it.

“A typical day’s training with GI Jane’s in Kent, meant getting up at 6am, followed by pretty much non-stop, gruelling exercise on a teeny calorie allowance of 1,200. We did a variety of exercises including hikes, circuits, salsa dancing, netball and paint balling. At the end of the agonising five days, the group were rewarded with a delicious dinner and a well deserved glass of champagne.

However the best reward was at our final assessment and weigh-in. I was delighted to discover I had lost just under 5lb and a total of five inches. It was incredibly hard, but I would definitely go back if I needed to kick-start my fitness levels”.

So there you have it – it won’t be easy and sometimes it will be downright hard but at least its fun, healthy and all in a good cause.  What are you still reading this for? GO GO GO.