The Healthy Bride

Hey Brides, here is a great workout to start off your week.  You MUST be inspired by the Oscars and all of those dresses!!

Do 20 reps of each of the following exercises:

5# – front and lateral raises

8#  – reverse flyes

10# – Squats to press

12# – chest press on ball

15# – pushups with lat rows

Now

5 sets of leg blasters:

20 squats

20 lunges

20 lunge jumps

10 jumpies

Now:

50 situps with weight

40 bicycles

30 crunches with legs in the air reach to shoe laces

20 v ups

10 superman’s

10 jacknives

Now:

50 yards each:

butt kicks

high knee runs

lateral shuffle low

lateral shuffle high

REPEAT 3 x through

Have a great week!!

A directory for Fitness Focused Brides and Bridal Fitness Providers

Seattle – March 4, 2010 – The Healthy Bride today announced the launch of the wedding industry’s first Bridal Fitness Directory, www.healthy-bride.com.

The directory was started by Christi Masi, an award-winning fitness trainer and founder of  The Healthy Bride, a Seattle-based personal training and nutrition consultancy helping brides feel and look great on their wedding day.  Designed for the bride and bridal fitness providers, the new site has information, workouts and information to suit all brides from the D-I-Y Bride, to the bride looking for support and encouragement from a Bridal Bootcamp or a personal trainer.

“I wanted to provide a place where a bride can get solid, helpful information on bridal fitness and wedding weight loss from experts in her area,” said Masi.  “With the site, anyone can find a personal trainer or bridal bootcamp program in her area within one click of the home page”

The site is also designed for the bridal fitness provider to find information, support and products to help them with their business.  In addition to the directory, Masi offers assistance to those wanting to start their own bridal fitness business in an E Book “How to start your own Bridal Fitness Business”. When she started The Healthy Bride in 2004, bridal weight loss and fitness was an emerging industry; but is now in a period of rapid growth.  As the Wedding Report states the market value for bridal diet, weight loss, and gyms was $271 million for 2009.

“I love the bridal fitness business, and want to help others get into the business.  Brides-to-be are very fun to work with – they are happy, healthy and motivated!  I want to help other fitness professionals achieve success in this rewarding industry by sharing what I have learned.” Masi co-authored the book with Monica Sansaver, a recent bride and Seattle University MBA graduate.  “Monica really helped put my 7 years of experience into an operations manual that will jump start anyone wanting to get into the bridal fitness niche”

The Healthy Bride Directory will offer 3 levels of vendor listings: Free, Gold ($15 per month) and Platinum ($30 per month).  The site will allow vendors to link their listings to their Facebook and Twitter pages and also upload photos and videos.

Brides-to-be can also keep up with fitness and nutritional tips at The Healthy Bride blog at www.healthy-bride.com/blog.

The Healthy Bride®: A Leader in Bridal Fitness

The Healthy Bride (www.healthy-bride.com) was founded by Christi Masi to help prepare brides-to-be (and a groom or two!) for their big day through individualized fitness and nutritional regimes developed exclusively for their particular goals.  Based in Seattle, The Healthy Bride offers bootcamp-style classes and nutritional counseling for brides in the area, as well as a online and localized resources for brides-to-be nationwide, including free workout podcasts, a fitness blog, workout accessories, and Christi Masi’s “Healthy Bride Bootcamp DVD” and her book, “The Healthy Bride Guide,” also available on Amazon.com.

About Christi Masi
Founder of The Healthy Bride, Masi’s focus is on training women to successfully meet life challenges. An avid, international mountain climber, her professional background includes 11 years of sales and marketing at Starbucks Coffee. Christi’s outstanding leadership ability and natural enthusiasm has motivated women to complete triathlons, half marathons, and summit climbs of Mt. Rainier. Not to mention health and fitness goals for pivotal life moments like weddings!

Christi’s credentials include ACSM- HFI®and NSCA -CPT® certifications and a BA in psychology from the University of Washington.  Modern Bride Magazine awarded Christi designation as a “Top Trendsetter of 2006” and Seattle Bride Magazine has awarded The Healthy Bride Best Bridal Fitness Program 2007, 2008 & 2009.

The Healthy Bride® is a registered trademark of Cloud Nine Women, Inc.

Media Contact:

Christi Masi

christi@healthy-bride.com

206-755-9683

Katie Bedford sent me the following video, which I love and think is hilarious! Check out smartbrideboutique for wedding goodies and a really cool contest!

She’s obsessed. Like, seriously OBSESSED with her dress!

And we’re not talking about wearing it around the house on the occasional Saturday. After spending thousands of dollars and months agonizing over her dress, Julia is determined to get her money’s worth. Watch as Julia puts her dress back on and ventures out into the city.

Brides want a workout that is efficient, effective and fun.  My early morning group tested out a fantastic workout this morning.

Run 5 sets of stairs

5 sets of leg blasters (20 body weight squats, 20 lunges, 20 lunge jumps, 10 squat jumps)

3 sets of butt blasters 15 each exercise stay on same side for 3 sets, then change  (on all 4’s, heel to sky w/ bent knee, fire hydrants, 45 degree kick)

4 sets of ab blasters (30 bicycles, 20 V-Ups, 20 reverse crunch, 30 crunches)

Run 5 sets of stairs

If you have more time:

15 each Biceps Curls, Triceps Dips, Overhead Press

10 each Front Raise, Lateral Raise, Reverse Flyes

Fun and Fantastically Effective!

Physical Activity Stages of Change Questionnaire

Take this brief test to see what stage you are in. For each of the following statements, please circle Y or N. Please be sure to read each statement carefully and to answer truthfully.

For the two statements, being physically active includes activities such as walking briskly, jogging, bicycling, swimming, or any other activity in which exertion is at least as intense as these activities.

1. I consider myself currently physically active.                                                         Y     N
2. I intend to become more physically active in the next 6 months.                   Y     N

For the next two statements, for physical activity to be “regular,” it must add up to a total of 30 minutes or more per day and be done at least days per week. For example, you could take one 30-minute walk or three 10-minute walks for a daily total of 30 minutes.

3. I currently engage in regular physical activity.                                                   Y     N
4. I have been regularly physically active for the past months.                         Y     N

Scoring
Now look at your responses to the four statements and identify which stage matches you. Read the section of text in the following pages that applies to your stage.

Precontemplation: Statement 1 = no; statement 2 = no
Contemplation: Statement 1 = no; statement 2 = yes
Preparation: Statement 1 = yes; statement 3 = yes; statement 4 = no
Action: Statement 1 = yes; statement 3 = yes; statement 4 = no
Maintenance: Statement 1 = yes; statement 3 = yes; statement 4 = yes

Which stage are you currently in? ___________________________

Source: Adapted from Marcus, Banspach, Lefebvre, Rossi, Carleton, and Abrams 1992.

Definitions and more information about your stage of change:

Precontemplation
If you are in this stage, you are probably not too interested in this book and may just be glossing over it. Maybe this book was a gift from a cruel but concerned family member or friend. But as long as I have your attention, let’s put together a quick list of the pros and cons of exercise. Physical activity yields so many benefits that to not do it really is to ignore your health. Many people could improve their health, spirit, energy, and quality of life if only they would exercise.

Here are pros and cons of exercise I generally hear from the brides I work with:

Pros
I feel healthier
I have more energy
Exercising helps me reduce stress
Exercising helps me sleep better
I can move more easily and have more flexibility
I am stronger

Cons
I don’t have any time
I hate all forms of exercise
I don’t like to sweat
I’m too old
I’m too out of shape
I have no energy for exercise

As you can see, the pros far outweigh the cons. With help, support, and encouragement, the precontemplative person can move to the contemplative stage. For those who “hate” exercise or feel they may be physically limited to doing it, there are forms of exercise for all levels of capability, whether it’s rowing, walking, gardening, kickboxing, belly dancing, or ballroom dancing. Exercise does not have to be a daunting, painful experience that means maintaining a sweating, lung-burning 45 minutes to give you results; even moderate activity can make a tremendous difference. Every 10 minutes counts, and starting out slowly is smart.

Furthermore, I don’t buy the “I don’t have time” argument because people seem to have plenty of time in their lives for television. Take some of that TV time and turn it into something productive. It’s about setting priorities and including activity into your daily life. Before you know it, your exercise and healthy eating program will be making a difference in your life.

Hopefully you’re now motivated enough to enter the contemplation stage. Go on and read the next section. You’ll feel better about yourself.

Contemplation
If you’re at this stage, that may be why you picked up this book. Thank yourself for being here. You have probably made a list of exercise pros and cons and are wondering what to do next. You are the ideal reader for this book and the reader for whom I outlined the Level One stage in Chapter 4 of the fitness section. After reading the remaining chapters in this part of the book, you should begin your exercise program by turning to the fitness section and reading my recommendations.

Start slowly and try not to take an all-or-nothing approach to your new exercise program. If you miss a day or two, don’t worry. Just keep marching forward. Do what you can, experiment with various modes of exercise, and find which activities you like best. Small changes count. Make sure you reward yourself for the little victories such as taking the stairs instead of an elevator and walking further to work each day from your bus stop. Keep setting small, achievable goals, keep telling yourself that doing something is better than doing nothing, and hang in there.

Sometimes the best way to ensure you stick with it is to find a workout buddy. Social support and accountability make a huge difference in people’s ability to stay on track with their exercise program.

Preparation
Congratulations to you if you fall into this stage. You are well on your way to a lifetime of fitness. Although you are still trying to get into your routine, you understand the benefits of exercise. Two words of advice: Don’t stop! Keep exercising, and stay focused on your plan and on the activities you like to do. Your goal should be to do more of what you’re currently doing.

The Fitness section of this book contains workout plans and schedules that may help you (you can also find some in our bridal fitness section on our website). You are the best person to determine what level of exercise you will fall into in our exercise section. Start from where you are today, and don’t push too hard. For example, if you are exercising three times per week but are not doing any resistance training, continue with your three days and add one day of resistance training. Review the exercise programs in this book, look for the schedule that most closely matches your current exercise program, and progress from there. Stay on the path you feel comfortable with, and don’t do too much. The key to your success is to set small, measurable goals and to celebrate your successes when you achieve them.

Action and Maintenance
If you fall into either of these groups, you’re in that 25 percent mentioned earlier. Good job! The key word for you now is maintain. You are doing very well and it’s important you keep going. Be sure you are setting and resetting your goals at approximately six-week intervals. Make sure you are working hard enough to keep your body challenged.  Mix things up.  Whatever you do, don’t get too ambitious and push yourself beyond your limits.

In addition, think ahead to how you will maintain your workouts during vacations, illness, and boredom. You already are doing great and just need to practice some positive self-talk down the road in the event that you encounter any bumps. Congratulations for prioritizing exercise in your life. Now the trick is to focus on keeping it a priority in the long run.

I hope this excerpt from The Healthy Bride Guide: Fit and Fabulous from this Day Forward helps make the changes you are embarking upon a bit easier and less stressful.  Change is hard, and as a bride you have plenty of it in your life right now, but embrace the challenge and go forth!

You are about to embark upon a new life. Things are changing all around you, and now is a great time to begin a new healthy lifestyle make over. Are you ready?

Let’s take a look at the stages of change and what it takes to really make a long lasting shift in your lifestyle. Then you can decide if you are really, truly ready to embark upon a healthier lifestyle….from this day forward.

The key to a lifetime of fitness is consistency. Getting started with a regular fitness program, or if you have started one, staying with it can be a challenge. You are not alone. Only 25 percent of American adults participate in the recommended levels of physical activity,which is certainly not a good statistic. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in this country, and for many people, this tragic life experience is avoidable.

Let’s get clinical

Let’s take a look at the stages of change and help you determine where you fall in “The Stages of Motivation Readiness for Change Model continuum”.

We will ask you to take some tests and to look deep into yourself to determine whether you are ready to adopt a healthier lifestyle.  Next, we will review your current state of health using our wellness and risk factor inventories.

Take your time, be honest, and be thoughtful. What you end up writing down may surprise you.

According to The Stages of Motivational Readiness for Change Model, individuals move through a series of stages as they adopt and maintain a new habit (Prochaska and DeClemente 1983). This model was determined after researchers studied groups of people participating in smoking and alcohol cessation programs and monitored how they moved through the behavior change process. The model has been validated and applied to a variety of behaviors, including smoking cessation, exercise, contraceptive use, and diet.

Behavioral change is rarely a casual, single event. The Stages of Change model shows that, for most people, a change in behavior occurs gradually (you didn’t decide to get married overnight, for example), with the person moving from being uninterested, unaware, or unwilling to make a change (known as the precontemplation stage) to considering a change (the contemplation stage) to deciding and preparing to make a change.

Making a change in life requires purposeful, determined action. This does not come without planning, dedication, effort, and a great desire. Relapses are a normal part of change and should not come as a surprise; they are just part of the change process. Many people find themselves moving cyclically through these stages before the change becomes established.

Let’s look at the stages and determine where you fall. Specifically, these stages, as applied to exercise, include:

1. Precontemplation. You are not even considering exercise, let alone scheduling it in your weekly routine.

2. Contemplation. You regularly consider beginning to exercise, but you make no effort to incorporate exercise into your schedule.

3. Preparation. You are working out, but not at recommended levels. Your exercise times are also inconsistently scheduled or not scheduled at all.

4. Action. You are exercising at recommended levels, but have done so only for less than six months.

5. Maintenance. You have been exercising regularly and on schedule at recommended levels for more than six months.

Most people move through these stages at different points in their lives. The movement tends to be cyclical rather than linear; you move through the stages in an orbital fashion.

You can also look at these stages in the context of maintaining healthy eating habits. Because the two topics go hand in hand, when you examine your fitness program, you also should assess your eating habits. Otherwise, you’re not going to be as healthy as you could. Looking at both areas of your well-being will give you a truer picture of where you stand today. In fact, you may find you score better in one area than the other.

Before you move on, go back through the previous list, substituting “healthy eating” for “exercise” throughout to determine what stage of maintaining a nutritious, healthy diet you are in. This will also prepare you for the questionnaire to follow on Monday.  See you then!

(The abouve is an excerpt from The Healthy Bride Guide:  Fit and Fabulous from this day Forward by Christi Masi available on Amazon.com)

Watching the Vancouver Olympics is so inspiring!  I find it difficult to just sit and watch, so have worked out a workout I can do while the Olympics are on TV. This is an indoor workout, so no excuses about the weather!

Jump Rope – during every commercial (this should last about 1-3 minutes and is GREAT cardio)

Between your Jump Rope sesssions:

Squats with weight – 2 sets of 20 (weight should be “heavy” for you)
Standing forward lunge – 15 each leg – with weights
Standing reverse lunge – 15 each leg – with weights
Single leg supine (on your back) bridge (works hamstrings) – 2 x 20 each leg

3 times through:
Chest Press (on ball, bench, or foot stool) 15
Lat Rows   15
Pushups 25

3 times through:
Biceps Curls 15
Triceps Extensions 15
Overhead Press 12-15

3 times through:
Reverse flyes 10
Lateral Raises 10
Front Raises 10

Crunches on the ball or floor x 30 – 50
Bicycles on floor 30 – 50
Obliques each side x 20 each way
Supermans x 10 (hold each for 2 seconds)

Don’t forget to jump rope during commercials!

Have fun watching the games!  A great excuse to get into better shape for sure!

Some brides have a hard time getting started on their bridal fitness and weight loss programs.  There is really no better time in life to start down a path to fitness and health than now.  It’s a happy time, you are in transition, and you’re deciding who you will be as a married woman and couple.  Health is a gift, one both you and your fiance can decide to give each other – from this day forward.

Below are 12 steps to move you toward building a healthy lifestyle for the long term.

Step 1 – Admit you are powerless over your resistance to exercise – that your life is badly in need of a fitness make-over.

Step 2 – Come to believe that a power greater than your own “willpower” can restore you to activity.

Step 3 – Made a decision to turn your “willpower” over to the care of a well organized, balanced, realistic workout schedule.

Step 4 – Make a searching and fearless inventory of your obstacles, objections and resistances to exercise.

Step 5 – You are entirely ready to rely on the plan you have outlined that addresses and overcomes the issues you listed in step number 4.

Step 6 - Admit to yourself and to another human being that healthy eating and exercise is your path to a healthier future.

Step 7 – You have humbly resolved to start slow and build on your successes and you vow to believe that some activity is always better than none.

Step 8 – Make a list of all the diets and workout programs that have not worked for you over the long term, and vow not to go back to them.

Step 9 – Make a direct admission that diets do not work, and you will therefore embark upon a program of eating that includes whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean meats and you will eat in amounts that support your best health.

Step 10 – Continue to take personal inventory of your activity and eating programs and promptly correct what you find out of balance with your health goals.

Step 11 – Seek through planning, scheduling, support and forgiveness to improve your health through knowledge, awareness and the power to carry out your plan.

Step 12 – Having a healthy awakening as the result of these steps, you will carry this message to others offering your support and encouragement for their success.

If you need help organizing your 12 steps to bridal fitness bliss, give us a call, or send us an email. We are happy to help out!  It’s not too late to join our bridal bootcamp classes or our free 2010 Healthy Bride challenge.

Not sure you read USA Today, this morning, but there is an article about the high level of children’s stress.  Now, brides are not children, but the adults in the survey also reported feeling stressed.    There is really no time that is happier and more stressful all rolled into one big happy event than a wedding.  The economy is definitely adding to the stress level of the average American, and adding the cost of a wedding to an already shaky economy is enough to elevate anyone’s stress level from average to high.

So what’s a bride to do?

The best advice is to find a way to manage the stress.  Catching the level as it rises is much better than letting it go to the explosion level.

Exercise is (of course) our #1 recommendation for stress management.  Regular exercise can be a major stress reduction strategy.

The American Psychological Association just released their “”Stress In America 2009” report.  They surveyed 1568 adults in July and August 2009.

Their findings:

This year, 49% of respondents reported turning to tunes when worried; 44% said they exercise. Reading helps calm 41% of respondents, while watching television or a movie and social interaction help ease the stress of 36% of those surveyed.

Despite the prevalence of sedentary activity, a bright spot is that the report found that Americans are looking less to smoking and alcohol use than they did a year ago. In 2008, 18% of respondents said they smoked or drank to reduce stress. This year, that number shrank to 14%. The number of Americans–4%–who said they gamble away their worries was the same this year as it was in 2008.

Though 42% of Americans this year say their stress is rising, compared with 47% in 2008–nearly a quarter of respondents say they experienced high levels of stress in the last year. (This is measured by an eight, nine or 10 on a 10-point scale.) Irritability or anger, fatigue and lack of interest or motivation top the list of symptoms.

Such high stress levels can result in conditions such as high arrhythmia of the heart and hardening of the arteries, says Dr. Joseph W. Stubbs, president of the of Physicians and an internist in Albany, Ga. Stress also increases adrenaline, which increases the heart rate, potentially leading to high blood pressure. The number of migraine headaches may also increase for sufferers.

The Cost of Stress
The workplace also suffers in absenteeism and lost worker productivity. A study conducted last year by the Emory Institute for Advanced Policy Solutions found that firms that focus on improving employee health through worksite health promotion programs showed that the savings are greater than the cost. The study reported that program, for example, reduced health risks such as high cholesterol levels, smoking and high blood pressure, and saved the company up to $8.8 million annually.

“We found that the design of some of these programs have been found not only to reduce medical costs, but more immediately increase productivity,” says Ken Thorpe, professor of health policy at Emory University. We know the designs of these programs can produce return on investment of up to five to one.”

Such programs may help Americans deal with health-related stress issues, but with unemployment at a 26-year high of 9.8% and expected to grow by year’s end, it’s not likely that Americans’ stressors will soon abate. Still, there are ways to cope.

Those dealing with job-related stress should maintain healthy habits, even if the amount of time available to devote to them has lessened. This includes setting aside time for daily exercise and relaxation techniques. Taking attention away from work by socializing with friends also may also help relieve anxiety.

It may seem counter-intuitive in uncertain economic times defined by the constant threat of unemployment, but taking a vacation could help alleviate job worries. Removing yourself from daily demands and changing your environment allows you to recharge so you’re better able to perform in the office.

If getting away isn’t an option, Stubbs recommends lifestyle changes such as getting a good night’s rest, eating well and exercising. He also suggests cognitive behavioral therapy, and in some cases, medication.

The experts have spoken.  Make your plan for how you will manage your stress….from this day forward.