NEW YEAR...NEW YOU!

Our Top Resolutions For The Newly Engaged.

The New Year brings a feeling of fresh starts and new beginnings. And for you newly engaged, January is the most popular month to begin wedding plans. If 2015 has you saying “I do” you might consider some of these resolutions. 

Here’s to becoming a better version of you!!


RESOLUTION 1: SHAPE UP

Kick off the year with a new workout regiment and be sure you reach your goal—whether it’s to drop a dress size, get a toned body or both! Walking down the aisle will feel so much better if you’re fit and trim.


RESOLUTION 2: GET CREATIVE

DIY elements are a fun way to make your wedding more personal. Try something simple: table numbers, favors, and ceremony programs are a good place to start!


RESOLUTION 3: ADD BALANCE TO YOUR LIFE

Make 2015 a balanced year by spending equal amounts of time on work, wedding planning, and some downtime too. A day at the spa is a wonderful way of making sure that you get time for yourself (a rare luxury, we know).


RESOLUTION 4: ENJOY THE JOURNEY

The period of your engagement is an exciting time in your life. Banish the negative and work towards staying calm and stress­free by enjoying each other. Take a few moments in each day and spend it with your soon to be spouse without talking or doing wedding related items.


RESOLUTION 5: SET A BUDGET

Financial conversations can be difficult, but is very necessary. It's not only important, but should be one of the first steps in the planning process. It will save you a lot of heartache in the end. Once you have set a budget, stick to it the best you can!


RESOLUTION 6: DON’T USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS YOUR JOURNAL

Yes, planning your wedding is exciting, but it doesn’t mean you have to tell everyone every detail. If you want to share your wedding details, you should start a blog instead, and those wish can keep themselves up-­to-­date on your wedding plans. No need to broadcast your reception woes to the world on Facebook or Twitter.


RESOLUTION 7: CELEBRATE YOUR FRIENDSHIPS

You'll be asking friends and family to spend time and money to be a part of your wedding. Reciprocate by making the time to be with them and showing how much they mean to you. Send an email to an out-­of-­town friend, pick up a small trinket for someone you frequently see, or just spend a lunch date listening to friends—rather than rambling on about wedding plans.


RESOLUTION 8: STAY POSITIVE

Sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down in the little details. Will it rain? Will there be enough vegetarian canapés to go around? What if there isn’t enough wine? You need to not be pessimistic or think of the worst outcome, just try to look at the bright side of life. It will be the happiest day of your life, even if it rains, and you have to go with plan B. Some things are out of your control, and you just have to accept that.


RESOLUTION 9: EAT WELL

Today’s world has us so busy we don't have time to think about eating properly. Set aside a little time to plan in advance. This resolution may lead to a healthier bride and may do more for you than any other fitness type goal.


The best to you on your engagement! Stay tuned for more inspiration and advice throughout the year—and we wish you lots of happiness in the process!

By Patricia Canole

Health & Fitness: Rest Easy

Effective Ways To Wind Down, Rev Up, And Feel Your Best All Day Long.

Sleep is elusive. With lives multitasked to the umpteenth degree, many brides-to-be come up short on shut-eye. You toss and turn as you slumber (an average of 7 ½ hours a night, says the National Sleep Foundation), upsetting the all-important REM-rich cycles while unconsciously fretting over wedding planning. Here, two compelling reasons to get enough rest.

Your Weight 
Brides who skimp on sleep are significantly more likely to be overweight than those who
consistently get seven hours of shut-eye a night. When you’re sleep-deprived, your body produces more stress hormones such as cortisol, which slows down your metabolism and ups production of appetite-increasing hormones such as leptin.

Your Health 
Being tired means you’re more susceptible to everything from developing diabetes to catching colds. Experts indicate that after six nights of four hours’ sleep, you may have an increase in higher blood sugar (an early warning sign of diabetes) and weaker immune systems than those who slept eight hours. Sleeping only six hours a night increases the risk of heart disease by 18 percent.

 

RESTED DEVELOPMENT Think you’re slumber savvy? Don’t be so sure! Answer these questions to reveal if you catch enough z’s.

Do you generally wake up before your alarm goes off every morning?

A.    Yes

B.    No

Best answer: A 
You’ll wake up on your own if you’re getting enough sleep, which many of us aren’t. More than 43 percent of women report feeling so tired it affects their day-to-day activities three days a week.

How fast do you fall asleep when you get into bed?    

A.    As soon as your head hits the pillow

B.    Within 10 to 15 minutes

C.    You toss and turn for almost an hour

Best answer: B 
If you lose consciousness almost immediately after crawling under the covers, you’re sleep-deprived. But if you toss and turn, consumed by stress, you may be spending too much time in bed, which contributes to insomnia. Try going to sleep 15 minutes later.

How much caffeine do you consume?

A.    You’re useless without your morning brew and afternoon cappuccino (not to mention those two diet sodas you drink with lunch.

B.    You have a cup of coffee in the morning and either a cup of coffee or a diet drink in the afternoon as a pick-me-up

C.    Just one cup in the morning.

Best answer: C 
The less caffeine you crave, the more rested you are. If you can get through that 3pm slump (your body’s natural low point) without reaching for a the cup of java, then you’re master of your sleep domain.

By Patricia Canole
For more health & fitness tips and trends, visit ForTheBrideMag.com

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Fitness: Getting Healthy in a Fast-Paced, Digital World

6 Apps & Websites to Help Brides-To-Be Get Healthy
By Stacy Shiffner

We hear it all the time, brides want to get in shape for their big day, but they lack the time to go to the gym, have a session with a trainer, or even cook healthy meals. Luckily for today’s tech savvy bride there are endless ways to get healthy in no time, using tools on your tablet or smart phone. 

Here is a look at some of our favorites:

FITNESS

RunKeeper

RunKeeper

If you enjoy long walks, running or bike rides as your fitness means then RunKeeper is a free app that you will certainly want to download on your smart phone. This tool will use GPS to track your activities’ distance, pace, and time. RunKeeper also allows you to measure your heart rate and set goals for yourself. Bonus: you can take pictures of your route and share them with your RunKeeper followers or social media friends.

Fitocracy

For those who enjoy playing games you’ll love the idea behind Fitocracy’s game-like technique of using quests and challenges to push you from one workout to the next. By connecting with the community of Fitocrats you’ll have the support (or competition) of others using this free app. You will enter your daily workouts and gain points for doing so, unlocking steps to move on to more challenging workouts and levels.

DailyBurn

If variety is your priority then DailyBurn’s mashup of yoga, cardio and aerobics is a good choice for you. By streaming the video straight to your tablet or television you can quickly access workouts from some of the world’s top trainers and perform them in 30 minutes or less. While this program is certainly for those who want a traditional in home workout you can still use the on the-go features such as daily reminders for water intake, an exercise log, and nutrition log.

DIET

SkinnyTaste.com

Do you know that diet is half the battle when it come to getting in shape, but don’t know what cooking healthy entails? Visit skinnytaste.com where recipe developer Gina puts together recipes that are both tasty and portion-control friendly. All her recipes contain calorie counts and Weight Watchers points. Gina also blogs regularly to answer popular questions about healthy eating and obstacles we all face when dieting.

FitDay.com

If you want to find out where your nutritional problems are coming from check out fitday.com and make use of their food library to enter a log of your eating habits. Watch as this site shows you intake levels of fats, sugars and more so you can see exactly what you need to cut from your diet and where you need to improve.

MyFitnessPal.com

Calorie counting has become a staple in today’s world and your diet routine should be no exception. Use myfitnesspal.com (or their free app) to log your foods to analyze your calorie counts for the day. The app can also search meals from common eateries for you. MyFitnessPal.com will deduct the calories you burned in your workout from your total calorie intake to give you stats for the day, week, and month.

For more fitness & diet tips to get in shape for your wedding day, visit forthebridemag.com.

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