Unpopular option: I don’t believe in “Sweating for the Wedding.”
Here’s why…
A few weeks ago I made a stop at my favorite coffee shop after an intense gym workout. The barista must have seen the giant “I’M ENGAGED” sign on my left finger as well as my sweat drenched tank top. She smiled and said, “it looks like someone is sweating for the wedding!?”
I responded with the awkward laugh of trying not to be rude while getting away from the conversation as soon as possible. She smiled even wider as if she had coined this cliche phrase and waved goodbye as I walked out the door.
I ended up thinking about her comment the rest of the day. Was a wedding day really the only motivation I could have for working out? Did she really think I spend hours of my week in a smelly room surrounded by strangers sweating all over cardio equipment and barbells just for one day of my life? Why couldn’t I just be a woman that cares about fitness and health… and what does this ring on my finger have to do with that anyway?
In all honesty, it makes sense. Kind of. Brides are put on a pedestal with a list of expectations. It is the most important day of her life, therefore it should also be the day she is the most beautiful, right? Every wedding magazine displays perfect size 2 brides and wedding dress boutiques offer a “one size fits all” option to help us find The One. Guests arrive to the wedding ready to not only be amazed by the flowers, the decorations, and the perfect meal, but also by the brides amazing physical transformation amplified by professional hair and makeup and a skin-tight gown. A bride is a princess for the day. She is supposed to look like a princess in every way possible down to the tiny waist and flawless skin.
When I picked up my wedding dress last week, I felt even more pressured to look like a “princess bride” than ever before. As I slipped into the gown- my gown- it was a beautiful and sweet moment until the consultant started congratulating me for the dress being way too big. Like I had achieved something?
So what if my arms jiggle when I dance? And what if I want to give in to that slice of cake in the fridge that is calling my name? I say that life (and the time in your life that you are ENGAGED!) is too short to worry about the little things. I don’t believe in a wedding diet. I do believe in health and fitness overall, but not for the purpose of undergoing a transformation for a wedding day. And if you’re lucky enough to have a groom like mine that will love you “in sickness and in heath” (or in this case “in fatness and in skinniness” lol!) then there is no one left to impress.
So no, I am not sweating for the wedding. I am sweating for today, and for tomorrow, and every day afterwards. I am sweating for my heath and a long happy life, and marriage.
This is so freaking good I was to stand up and cheer. Way to do life the right way! You’re beautiful, inside and out. For real.