Many of the brides I work with work very hard leading up to their wedding to get as fit and healthy as they can. Motivated by wanting to fit into their dress or look great in photos, some brides go to great lengths to shed pounds and tone up. Many work with personal trainers or spend thousands on exercise programs, and some try extreme diets as part of their pre-wedding regimen.

I am all for being healthy — exercising, eating right, and taking care of one’s body — but I do get worried about some brides taking it too far.  Extreme measures can be dangerous to one’s body and often times the short-term benefits are quickly lost after the wedding when brides (and grooms!) return to their original habits. I am not a fitness or health expert, but I do firmly believe that creating a healthy lifestyle and establishing good habits with respect to eating and exercising will yield the most significant benefits in the long run.

I’ll admit, exercise and I have a love/hate relationship. I have struggled over the years to be consistent in working out. Add to that the fact that I am head over heels for food and I run a real risk of ending up looking like a big blob! Recently, however, a friend gave me this little exercise and food diary from Green Chair Press as gift; it has rocked my world!

WIth its simple format, this food and fitness journal from Green Chair Press is so easy to maintain!

I love the colorful flatware theme.

I take the journal with me everywhere. It is so small that it fits easily into my purse, and it is cute to boot! I track what I eat and what I did for exercise that day. There is even a space for general notes which I use to jot down things like “I felt tired today” or “Am I starting to get a cold?” I thought having to write down everything I eat would be a burden, but not only has it become a habit, it’s also been oddly fun. I enjoy tracking what I’ve done and the progress I’ve made, and the discipline of having to write down everything I eat has prevented me from having that extra dish of ice cream or reaching for that piece of chocolate. It’s been about three months now and I am half-way through the journal. I just ordered three more so that when this one fills up I have no excuse for not continuing with my food and fitness tracking!

The journal has been very helpful in tracking my progress in exercise. It works really well with the data from my Nike+ workouts. I am able to jot down exactly how many calories I burned and for how long I exercised. Similarly, my Wii Fit workouts have been easy to track as well.

Healthy habits are hard to start but once they are in place, they can become second nature. Chart a course tailored to your own personal goals with respect to diet and exercise and then track your progress. You don’t have to go to extreme lengths or spend lots of money.  Get ideas for workouts online from SELF or healthy recipes from Cooking Light. Before you know it, you’ll be doing your very own, customized Bridal Boot Camp!

Here’s to our health!