Mobile Bay / Bay Buzz / Blog 2011 / Getting in Bridal Shape

Jul 8, 201101:33 PMBay Buzz

Getting in Bridal Shape

One of the first things that went through my mind after getting engaged was, “I need to be in unbelievable shape on my wedding day.”

I’ve always been a regular exerciser, but there’s something about being the star of your own event that provided me with a whole new level of motivation to whip my booty in shape, literally.

About four months ago, I decided to try out a Pilates class at the Bounds YMCA in Daphne. How hard could it be? I have ran half-marathons (ok, I did one) and completed a couple of sprint triathlons so I thought I was already in decent shape. Pilates class taught me I was not.

I would dare any man to try to complete a Pilates class without trouble. You can’t. I took my fiancé once (who at the time was in way better shape than I was), and I’m pretty sure he thought I was punishing him for some reason. It’s hard. Really hard.

But I’m no quitter, so I decided to stick with it. In just four weeks, I started noticing results in my arms, back and abs. Yes, just four weeks! I’ve made it a priority to attend class at least three times a week. If I get too busy to make it to the gym, I will do about 15-30 minutes on my own.

Allyson Johnson is my Pilates instructor. You can take one look at her and know that she knows what she’s doing. She’s also a personal Pilates reformer trainer. Pilates reformers are the machines that A-list celebrities use to get in red-carpet shape, I hear. If you want her digits to ask her to also whip your booty in to shape, give me a shout.

So, here I am four months later and each class is still really hard for me to complete. As long as I keep seeing results, I’ll keep going. The question is, will I keep up with this after the wedding?