I am not going to change that attitude, any more than I am getting on the cover of GQ magazine. So, let me offer some proven solutions for the stress of fitting the dress, anyway.
Just hopping around or riding a bike to "burn calories" is not enough, if you seriously want a good physique. You might lose weight with strict aerobic exercise, but not necessarily in the right places. The popular exhaustive exercising and starvation dieting will stress the new bride out even further and wreck what figure that she has. Go ahead and run like a marathoner and take every aerobic dance class throughout the week.
Couple that with four hours of sleep a night while living on carrot sticks and you are on the road to health disaster. This routine often results in thin arms and legs from over-work and a pot belly from the excess water that your body naturally takes on from protein deficiency.
If you are a naturally stocky woman, you need to focus on that hourglass shape. Accent the straight posture, wide shoulders, curvy hips, ala Sophia Loren. No, not Lindsey Lohan or J Lo. Skinny legs and arms on a pear-shaped body just looks plain unnatural. A friend of mine's wife-to-be, used to drive and ambulance and was used to hauling people up on a stretcher. She was very muscular in her back and shoulders. But, her wedding dress looked amazing on her with her well-defined, V-shaped back.
The stocky woman can accentuate their wide shoulders with rowing motions and lat pull downs. They can tone their legs with reverse lung squats, single leg squats and calf raises. Shoot for 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions with 30 to 60 seconds rest in between. Do not rest too long between exercises. Finally, she can finish (or start) with an abdominal routine consisting of: torso raises (for lower back), side bends (tighten those handles), reverse crunches (lower abdominals) and, last, crunches (upper abdominals).
With well-defined hips and a wide back, the stocky woman already has a good hourglass foundation. Something that so few appreciate.
If you are a naturally thin woman, you can build your posture, upper back and stamina so that you can hold those graceful poses for the photographer and long hours at the head table. Many narrower postures tend to slouch, which is very noticeable in a low back dress. It is better to strengthen the back of the shoulders and the upper back, so you have this beautiful widen back that accents you narrow waist.
Being thinner, you probably have reluctuance to use heavier weights. The trick around this is to pre-exhaust different muscle groups. This means, lateral raises with dumbbells for 10 repetitions and then going immediately into shoulder presses. The same with rowing motions and then immediately into bicep curls. For legs and waist, you can follow the stocky woman's routine. Train for good form and fight the urge to follow the "more-is-better" mentality. If you are already slim, getting leaner really won't be noticed much at all.
Then there are the naturally pear-shaped women. Too much cardio-type exercise can exaggerate the pear-shape by reducing your bust and building up tree trunk thighs. Look at some of the older aerobic instructors. The smart ones balance their training. The excessive dance-class leaders tend to increase their pear shapes.
Take a hint from the other two workouts. Work your chest, upper back and shoulders with basic lifts. If not weights are available, use rubber cables or good old-fashion knee push ups and rowing motions. 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions each. If you are already aerobic dancing, running and/or cycling, go easier on the weights for your lower body.
Now the neglected area of diet and rest. You need to EAT! Drink plenty of water and eat high protein. No white carbohydrates such as: white flour, white rice and white sugar. You do not need it during the final few weeks. Save it for one cheat day a week. Eat complex carbohydrates, such as: brown rice, lentils, yams, millet, carrots and green vegetables. Keep fruits to a minimum as well. (C'mon ladies it is only for three weeks.)
And rest. Brides-to-be spend more time stressing out and less time sleeping when they really need their sleep. Sleep improves the skin, muscles and mood. Please strive for at least seven hours a night, O.K.? You need your rest or your muscles will not burn as much fat. Sleep reduces cortisol, which causes more weight gain. And do not keep your fiance up at night stressing over the same things. He has enough to worry about. (Like missing a football game.) Just kidding. Good luck.
As a former groom, my main concerns were:
1. Costs;
2. A fast exit out of the ceremony;
3. How many of those hors d'oeuvres I could grab before the guests ate them all.
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