The Executive Edge

Brides and Grooms are realizing getting in shape for their wedding is not only to look good that day , but also for the rest of their lives.

Flowers? Check. Rings? Check. Sculpted shoulders, abs of steel? Check and check. In the North America, almost 3 million weddings take place every year, and excess flab is not invited.

North American brides and grooms-to-be have engaged in boot camp-style training, flocking to "bridal boot camps" to ensure that the only thing bulging when they don that dream dress is their biceps. They are realizing that the military style boot camps of 5 or 6 years agao have been replaced by a new style Bridal Boot Camp.
"No one is yelling at you or making you feel bad about yourself. Its motivational and inspirational" says Allan Fine creator of Bridal party Boot Camp in Canada. A new kind of boot camp program for today's bride and grooms.

Those new Valentine brides and grooms-to-be can now join the troops if they wish because Allan Fine just opened another a bridal boot camp in Calgary, a new fitness special boot-camp packages for brides, grooms and members of the wedding party.

In a society obsessed with body image, women can feel particularly pressured to look perfect on their wedding day, when all eyes are on the bride.

And so, weddings and weight loss are a match made in heaven for many fitness trainers, particularly Allan Fine of Calgary, who came up with the concept of bridal party boot camps as a healthy way for brides and grooms to slim down and fit that gown.
" Almost all bridal boot camps forget or leave out the groom. He needs to get rid of that belly and slim down as well, it's his wedding day to."

The brides and grooms -to-be may be the ones who do the ordering at flower shops and boutiques, but at boot camp it's a different story.

"Every recruit who signs up is given their t-shirt and water bottle," Fine says.

Then, unlike military bot camps where someones yelling at you making you feel like your 2 inches tall and the drill sergeants get in your face. As soon as you walk in, it's 'Drop down and give me 10 push-ups', we explain to you what is going to happen. Bu make no mistake says Fine "We will push you harder than you have ever been pushed before!" You will be sore for the first 2 weeks promises Fine.

The brides and grooms have to lift weights until their muscle scream, do sit ups and leg raises to make their bellies flat. Each grueling session lasts an hour and there are three or five sessions a week for up to four months.

If anyone lags behind, they get "told to pick up the pace." But Fine says brides are the most motivated people she trains.

"Everyone knows that a wedding is about two things: the bride and her dress. Everyone wants to see how beautiful the bride looks. The bride has so much pressure to look beautiful on her wedding day, she'll do anything it takes to look fabulous."

Tanya signed up for Fines boot camp six months before she was due to get married in 2008.

Although she says her husband has always loved her regardless of her size, Tanya wanted to look "perfect" walking down the aisle.

At first Boot camp was really hard but when she started seeing results, she became more dedicated. She not only stopped canceling sessions, she began hitting the treadmill and using an exercise bike several times a week on her own. She also changed her diet and started taking vitamins and supplements.

When her wedding day arrived, Tanya had dropped from more than 30 lbs of fat . The dress that was originally too small for her had to be taken in to fit her slender new frame.

"Everyone said I looked great. Some people I hadn't seen in six months, and they were in shock."

Fine has expanded the bridal party boot camp concept to include grooms and members of the wedding party, but he says future brides in particular tend to be concerned about how they will look on the big day.

"It's special for the bride. When it comes down to it, the lady getting married will do anything to look great on that day. What better way than to get in shape?"

"We thought it would be a good idea to have a residential boot camp specifically for brides, because they all want to drop a dress size before the wedding or at least drop a few pounds," Fine says.

Along with fitness training and nutritional advice, Fine boot camp will also include "lots of pampering," like skin rejuvenation and teeth whitening.

But Fine promises the exercise regime will be "intense" and brides will receive follow-up diet and fitness advice when the three days are up. Most boot-camp brides don't get facials between workouts, but they are reaping other rewards.

Wedding planning can be stressful, and Tany and Darcy both note that the training sessions are a great way to blow off steam. And many brides are inspired to continue, even after they've hung up their gowns.

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