- Getting healthy for
a wedding [article]
Throughout it all, Gryte keeps the focus on creating tone, upper-body definition and a strong core, not on losing weight; though dropping pounds is a natural side effect, the program is not about the scale. "I just want the women to feel good and healthy, and be happy and confident," she states. When women do lose weight, it's being done in the proper way, with the trainers providing guidance and nutritional advice. "Most brides lose five pounds or more in the weeks before the wedding," Gryte explains, "but that's from stress and not eating. I never want to send a bride walking to the altar looking gaunt." She also doesn't want to see a bride slouching her way down the aisle: As an added bonus, many of the exercises that focus on the back muscles and posterior delts ‑- including the backstrokelike "pec dec" series ‑- help keep shoulders from rounding forward, improve posture and make the brides really aware of their stances.
Once they've experienced the increased energy, focus, fitness and endurance the program can bring ("I'm sure I'll be the last one on the dance floor," smiles Bretschger) most clients end up continuing their training long after the cake's been cut. "They come in worried about looking good for the wedding and the honeymoon," says Gryte, "but then they get hooked on feeling good, having a stress release and working toward a goal." Case in point: Katherine Lane, one of Gryte's "Wedding Ready" graduates. Married for nine months, Lane has continued her twice-weekly sessions and is currently working toward a new goal: climbing Kilimanjaro. Which, after planning a wedding, should be a snap.