Monday, October 8, 2012

Six Months Out: It's Gettin' Real

Over the weekend, I got an email notice letting me know that my wedding dress is going to be shipped on, dun dun dun .... January 7, 2013. Goooooodness gracious. I knew the day was right around the corner that I'd have to start in on the dress fittings, but there's nothing like a hard date wake-up call to make things super real.

I guess I should lay off the La Famiglia feasts of Italian food this holiday season up in New Jersey...

After a weekend full of football, bar food and general off-schedule living, I was already for a fresh start today, so the dress email had pretty good timing. Last week, I had a big break-through in my training schedule, and I want to keep that up. I have found myself wanting to go for a run -- a sure sign I am getting back into the groove. I also asked my trainer, with whom I train once a week typically on weights and circuits, if we could work in some boxing, too. After an early morning session with the gloves strapped on, I had muscles screaming at me that I haven't felt in years, and it felt awesome.


I really thought that the wedding would be my be-all, end-all to my constant battle of those "last ten pounds." One would think that the goal of looking extra svelt in all of those wedding pictures would be more than enough motivation. What has been surprising, however, is that stress has continued to trump even the wedding in my efforts to slim things down. I find myself stress-eating, stress-skipping workouts and stress-sleeping more than stress-exercising. While I can set the goals of multiple runs per week plus the trainer plus WW, a winning combination in theory, what ends up happening is real life and I haven't been keeping those goals a priority. I haven't been slipping, mind you; the scale has remained steady. A steady scale is still a FAIL right now, though, as I head into the six month countdown (six months from Saturday!).

So, I am putting out some flares for help. I am getting the man involved with some alcohol-free weeks full of healthy meals. I am meeting up with friends for walks/runs instead of drinks, and I am going to be heading back to LA Fitness for some extra boosts of workouts each week. I am going to be slipping into workout clothes more than go-out clothes and taking more showers as a result (even though next-day hair is a favorite of mine to rock :) ).

Everyone has their motivation and for me, it's my wedding day photos. I already try to live a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle, and it's the idea of the photos that is helping me climb to the next level. What is your motivation to keep kicking your body into shape?

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4 comments:

Lisa said...

I was always afraid of being one of those skinny brides who blows up after the wedding. I still have all my honeymoon outfits, and I bring at least one of them with us on our big trips each year, so I am always motivated to stay the same size. I would hate having to replace my entire wardrobe - especially going a size up!! ;)

Andrea said...

Thank you for posting this. My wedding is in May and I keep beating myself up for not being the size I want to be fast enough. I figure there is no bigger motivation than the wedding to get in the shape I want to be. But why is it so hard?! My engagement photos are coming up on Sunday so I'm definitely crashing trying to get to a decent size for those. Then it's full speed ahead til the wedding!

Jamie said...

My wedding was a HUGE motivation for me...I actually signed up for (and the key - paid MONEY for) a half marathon that I would run 2 weeks before my wedding day. I can tell you that was great motivation - I was in the best shape I had been in since college on my wedding day and honeymoon! Since then, I've used races as motivation (since it keeps me running!) or big events - like right now, my motivation is my friend Jena's wedding, where I will be MOH and have to wear a rather form fitting dress. Maybe even a race like a 5K would be good motivation?

The Blue Hour

Unknown said...

Lisa - that is a great idea to keep it all up after the big day (whether it's a wedding, a reunion, etc)! Thanks for sharing!

Andrea - I hope your engagement photos went wonderfully! I am sure that the love of you and your fiance came through no matter how you *think* you look ;)

Jamie - FAB advice! Go you for the half, that's awesome.