Sue Fleming - Buff Brides: The Complete Guide to Getting in Shape and Looking Great for Your Wedding Day

The photographer will be taking pictures from
every angle and I do not want to get
back shots with the waving wattle!

I must have toned arms, I'm wearing a sleeveless gown!

This is the most important day of my life.
I'll do whatever it takes to get in shape!

s a certified personal trainer who has worked in the health profession for more than ten years, I constantly hear concerns like these from nervous brides-to-be. Over time, I began to notice that more than half my clients were panicked women who gave me six months' notice to get them into gown shape, so it seemed only natural to develop a fitness guide that would be useful for such a large population. The majority of my clients are women looking for custom-made weight training and fitness programs to prepare them for their wedding daythe day they consider the most important of their lives. Brides-to-be have the mentality This time I'm going to do it! and it gives me great pleasure to see them accomplish their goal. My clients are aware that wedding cake and flowers make a great impression; however, those things are gone before the next day. Photographs last forever!

Every year, 2.4 million women in America get married. Each bride starts planning her wedding with a vision of what she wants her special day to be like. I have spent countless hours with panicked brides-to-be who are united by the same goal: to look great and be in shape on their wedding day. Every little girl grows up with the vision of walking down the aisle in her beautiful gown. We've all dreamt about what that gown will look like, how perfect we will look, how wonderful we will feel. Why not make that dream a reality? The exercises outlined in this book will make that dream come true!

A wedding is a milestone in your life. There are three major rites of passage in most people's lives: birth, marriage, and death. This is the only one over which you have complete controlso take advantage of the fact! This book is your personal guide to looking and feeling your best for your big day.

Over the past few years, weddings have changed drastically. There are many new trends and ideas when it comes to the ceremony and reception. This holds true for bridal fashions as well. Today's wedding gowns are sleekermany styles are cut low and show off the body. This is a huge concern for many of my clients, each of whom has a problem area that makes her feel self-conscious.

That is exactly what makes Buff Brides an essential tool for all brides-to-be. It integrates strength training with cardiovascular fitness training for optimum results. This book will guide you through the most effective exercises targeted to brides' most troublesome areas. Just like planning a wedding, working out is a commitment. I tell all my brides-to-be that in order to see results you have to be consistent. The workouts in Buff Brides are practical, easy to follow, and successful. There are no shortcuts, however; you have to make the commitment.

You may be asking yourself, Does the Buff Brides workout guide really work? Yes, it does, and I have the success stories to prove it, from people who didn't give up. Perhaps at times they lost some of their drive for fitness, but they kept up their commitment to the program anyway. These brides-to-be found the exercises easy to do at home and fun; most of all, they obtained results! I want to share a couple of examples of clients who successfully made the Buff Brides commitment.

Elizabeth never had a problem with her weight. At 6 feet, 1 inch, she was tall, beautiful, and excited about her upcoming May wedding. One December morning, exactly five months in advance of the big day, her wedding dress arrived. As Elizabeth put on the dress for the first time, to her utter dismay it was too tight in the waist. Although she was tall and lean, her abdominals were her problem area. The dress was fitted (like a corset) around the waist, so there wasn't much room to play with. When the shop owner was questioned, her response was Oh, I know why that size doesn't quite fit. The dress you tried on was off the rack and had been stretched a bit by different-sized girls. We probably should have ordered you a size largerbut I know you'll fit into it in May. Upon further investigation of the dress by the seamstress, Elizabeth learned that only one inch (half an inch on each side) could be saved. She was in big trouble. She immediately phoned me and said, Oh, my God you know, I can't lose my waist. I'll have to have a rib removed like Cher!

That's where it began. Elizabeth was a machine. We worked out four times a week, utilizing the exercises outlined in this book. During her next two fittings she found her waist size was slowly coming around. The fourth and final fitting was four days before the big day itself. I accompanied Elizabeth to this monumental event. As she pulled the white wonder over her head and zipped it upit was too big! Elizabeth had lost more than 13 pounds! The seamstress screamed, Good girl! I'm so proud of you! Her mom, who was also there, was relieved as well. In the end, the seamstress had to take in about two inches.

That's just one example of a panicked bride-to-be who found success through this program. You get the idea. Fitting into her wedding dress comfortably and looking her best is on the mind of every bride.

Here's another success story.

I received a panicked e-mail from Alison one chilly January morning. Help! I'm getting married in June, and I must start working out tonight! I have only six months to get my arms ready for this wedding! Fortunately, my schedule was clear that evening and I had the pleasure of meeting another future success story.

What I found remarkable about Alison was her commitment to her goal: preparing her body to look its best on her wedding day. Her dedication was endless. Even a long day at work never caused her to cancel. She started working with me twice a week, then quickly added another session at six in the morning. She was tireless. We gradually began to see arm definition, flatter abdominal muscles, and stronger legs. With each challenge I presented to Alison, her response was How many days until the wedding? People began to notice her changed appearance; heads started to turn, and she was constantly asked, Are you working out?

Needless to say, Alison looked terrific on her wedding day. Her spaghetti-strapped gown looked fabulous with her toned biceps and triceps. Her posture was elegant as she walked down the aisle because of the various back-strengthening exercises we had done over the previous six months. But most of all, she felt healthy and happy, and she was proud of her accomplishments. Working out consistently also helped alleviate some of the stress that inevitably accompanies wedding-day preparations. And her dress fit perfectly. She knew that all of the hard work she had done during the past six months had been worth it.