Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Post-Wedding Fitness Flubs

Way back when I was still just a "miss," I shared with you the way I changed my body and life by choosing to work out and eat healthily over the past year. Prior to the wedding, I was thrilled to meet my fitness goal and see myself featured in SELF magazine becasue of it.

But now that the wedding is over and life is busier than ever, I feel like I’m falling off the wagon, allowing the old excuses to slip off my tongue and the old comfort foods to make their way back onto my plate. It also doesn’t help that this has been the hottest, muggiest summer since I moved to D.C., making it almost impossible to run outdoors – my favorite way to burn off calories and stress.

Looking at my wedding pictures, I feel proud to see how well my efforts paid off, as I recall just how beautiful and fit I felt that day. But just a couple months later, I can now feel my jeans getting tighter and my motivation lagging. While I used to shun an extra glass of wine or helping of dessert, I now often find myself unable to utilize the message hammered into my head during countless middle school assemblies – just say “no.”

After a few days of utter indulgence in New Mexico, I’ve been doing better by eating reasonable meals and doing 30-minute workouts when I can. But still, I long for my hyper-fit self of last year, who ran 15 miles per week and ate tons of healthy meals loaded with veggies.

What do you think, ladies? Am I destined to gain the “newlywed 15”? Have any of you struggled to keep up your health and fitness routines, either before or after the wedding? How do you stay motivated when you’re busy, exhausted, or thwarted by bad weather?

8 comments:

  1. Haha, you DC people and complaining about the weather. You have no idea. No idea I say!

    And no, I don't think you will fall into an unhealthy lifestyle. You are such a strong woman and I know that if you set your mind to it (maybe make a few fitness goals?) you will definitely succeed.

    I didn't lose any weight for the wedding (it is very, very, very hard for me to lose more than 5 pounds and I weigh a lot, like more than you would ever guess - it sucks) and I'm trying to just keep the same healthy lifestyle I had before hand. Marriage is about lifelong commitments and you can't keep them if you're overweight and unhealthy!

    You can do it!

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  2. Motivation is definitely one of my biggest struggles. In college I walked everywhere, so there was no real need to go to the gym. Now that I sit at a desk all day long, it's a different story. Recently I signed up for a special personal training class at the jazzercise I attend. It's once a week at 7:45pm and I've found that I'm much better at forcing myself to go if I have it penciled in my schedule.

    Do you have a friend that you can schedule runs or workout sessions with? It might give you more motivation if there's someone else to hold you accountable.

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  3. I have a bit of the opposite problem, I lost too much weight before the wedding due to stress so since then I've been trying to put it back on. I've gained about 5 pounds and feel I look better though I don't want to just completely let myself go :)

    My husband has actually been better about losing weight since the wedding. He's lost about 7 pounds and looks great. He tried to lose it beforehand but didn't.

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  4. Haha, definitely a struggler, and the wedding isn't even here yet for me! And it shows :( I've started really watching what I eat, but am an exercise failure!!! No use beating myself up, though - every day is a new day! Congrats to you for meeting your goals - I have no doubt you will be able to get back to your old, healthy ways soon :)

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  5. Ugh, I've been finding it hard to exercise. I started running at the beginning of the summer but with the heat waves hitting NYC, it's been hard! I'm at my ideal weight (my weight doesn't fluctuate much)but I have like no muscle. Oh well, I'll do my best before the wedding and will definitely get back into running this fall!

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  6. It's important to find a place of happy moderation. If you can't run as often as you did before the wedding, or eat as healthily, that's fine. But don't abandon ship altogether. For example, working out for twenty minutes may not be as great as working out for an hour, but it's better than not working out at all. Balance is the key. And never ever, ever under any circumstances give up chocolate!

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  7. I like working out with my husband (though he's changing gyms now). We're trying to incorporate fun exercises/activities too (so it's not just the elliptical all the time!)

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  8. I had my friends wedding in August where I was a bridesmaid so had a bit of motivation to stay the same size, and now my sis is getting married in Dec so more motivation again!

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