- Getting healthy for
a wedding [article]
It's 7am on a beautiful summer day in New York's West Village, and while most of the picturesque neighborhood is just starting to shake itself awake, Heidi Bretschger, a 25-year-old account executive for designer Cynthia Rowley, is already hard at work ‑- at the gym. "It's definitely a challenge to get up early and work out multiple times a week," Bretschger admits, "but I've got a goal to meet, and a deadline that's coming up." Watching the petite blonde attack her sit-ups with gusto, one would think she's in training for a decathlon or mountain climb. But what she's actually facing is a lot bigger: her wedding.
Try the Bridal Bootcamp meal plan at home.
Since 2003, the New York Sports Club chain has offered an intense 12-week training program designed to address the concerns of brides-to-be. Originally called "Buff Brides," the program was renamed "Wedding Ready" in May 2005, and has been modified to include grooms, bridesmaids, mothers-of-the-bride and anyone else who needs to get in shape for a big event (including high school reunions). Along with 24 personal-training sessions ‑- which the client must commit to using at least twice a week, no excuses ‑- the package includes an initial fitness assessment and a tote bag stocked with a Polar heart-rate monitor, journal, water bottle and discounts on stress-relieving massages. (Nonmembers who purchase the program also receive a three-month NYSC membership.) But more than anything, "Wedding Ready" gives harried brides some much-needed structure, a respite from making decisions ‑- and tons of motivation.