This weekend is my 2 year wedding anniversary. September pretty much wraps up the infamous “wedding season” that runs through the summer, and the invites stop showing up in the mail for a bit.
All these brides (and let’s be real, bridesmaids too) that were so focused on fitting into that dress, find themselves going into cold weather, and “food holidays” with no motivation to stay on track!
Both my husband, and I, actually lost weight in the months, and year, after our wedding, so I thought I’d pass on some tips to help you avoid the newlywed distraction.
1) Set a New Goal: Okay you had a goal for those pretty pics, and all those eyes on you, or maybe it was more about the swimsuit on the honeymoon. Now what? For me, I immediately started a new fitness program. We both did! We didn’t start the same one, but you two workout together, that would be awesome.
I had gotten in such good shape for the wedding, that instead of backing off, I kicked it up a notch. I did Max:30 and my husband did 21DF Extreme! With both of us committed to new programs, we had a plan to finish them for the new year, which kept us on track over the holidays. I started January in better shape than our wedding day.
2) Let the Party Go: This part was hard for me. To go from summer, to bachelorette party, to rehearsal dinner, to wedding, to honeymoon, and then just *poof* it’s over? Never one to want a party to end, it was easy to want to keep the drinks and food flowing. For me, the best thing was to do, was to focus on the NEXT party!
Hey, New Years Eve was coming eventually right? We weren’t dead, but we also weren’t 21. It was totally okay to go back to “real life” for a while, and just enjoy the quiet. It is honestly a lot easier to bond, and build a strong relationship, without all the distraction anyway.
3) Set an Active Tone for Your Relationship: If you build habits right away, you can have an active marriage. You can plan fun couples activities that don’t involve dinner, drinks and a movie. Hikes, anything fun and active from Groupon like dance classes, cooking classes, paddle boarding, bowling, you name it. Those coupon sites are full of fun.
We traveled the entire year after we got married, and we did a lot of walking tours to check out new places, but you can be a tourist at home too! Take turns picking the activity. You might just fall in love with something that becomes “your thing” but you won’t know until you try.
4) Learn to Cook: Okay maybe you do already know how to cook, but is it healthy? Do both of you know how, or is one person stuck with all the work and learning? You can take classes, or just shoot each other recipe ideas, to do together. Normally one person does do most of the cooking, but for healthy eating to last long term, it’s better if you both know how, and can help each other out.
As the primary cook in my house, I am very aware that if one person is tired, overworked, or not feeling well, it’s way too easy to just order a pizza. If you both know how to cook healthy foods, you’ll enjoy the same foods, and be more likely to stay on track.
5) Think, and Talk About, the Future: Sometimes we are so focused on the vanity side of things, when working for that wedding dress, that we forget it has major benefits for our health. You are a family now, what kind of life do you want to have? Will you be having kids? If so, what kind of habits would you like them to see? What medical issues run in your families, that you want to avoid?
You found the love of your life, and you want to be with them for as long as possible. It is hard to experience everything you are looking forward to as a couple, if one, or both of you are to sick and tired to participate. Now that the wedding has passed, it’s time to think long term!