How to get strong & fit for your wedding | Advice from a professional RN and Health Coach | Jessica Lanier
I want to start off letting you know that this post is a series of posts called ‘Advice from a Professional - The Wedding Series’. If you want to learn more, or see other posts within this series check out Top Wedding Questions Answered - Advice from a Professional
One of the biggest questions….
How to get fit. This is something that so many people struggle with on a daily basis, but now it’s your wedding! You want to look your best, you want to feel your best, and you just want to be your absolute best self. So where do you even start?
Most weddings are scheduled about a year after the proposal. So when you start thinking about a year from now all the sudden you feel stressed. Talk about pressure right? Not only are you planning a wedding, but you want to be your best self. I get it. That is why we are bringing in the bad boys… the big guns…. or actually the most bad a$$ Mompreneur I know, Jessica from The Health Patriot.
Jessica has such an amazing story. She is an RN who decided to start her own business as a Health Coach. She is one tough cookie let me tell you. You really need to read all about her story to understand what I am saying. Make sure to check out the links below.
I have joined one of Jessica’s fitness challenges and I am beyond impressed. Now this girl is incredibly kind, way beyond super helpful, and is always smiling. Her smile, will inevitably make you smile. She makes you realize that you can do this. She is insanly supportive and one of the most caring people around. After all, her entire business is to help other people! I mean you can’t get more caring than that right?
So, today I am interviewing Jessica. I am asking her all the questions to help you get ready for your big day! Ok, so lets get into it. How do you actually get strong and fit for your wedding? This is a toughie so lets dig into it!
How to get strong & fit for your wedding
Advice from a professional RN and Health Coach | Jessica Lanier | Health Patriot
Q1. What is your top tip for starting a fitness routine?
DO. SOMETHING. EVERY. DAY. Many people get burnt out because they go from zero-to-sixty right away. They go from no exercise to spending hours at the gym which usually ends in feeling sore and defeated. This doesn't help anyone. Pick an exercise program that fits your lifestyle and stick to it. For me, this looks like 20-30 minute workouts in my living room at 5am. I know I can get it accomplished each morning despite having 2 babies at home and running a full-time business. This approach builds confidence and helps me ENJOY my workouts instead of stressing about fitting in a vigorous routine.
Q2. What should be considered when choosing a health & fitness routine while prepping for a wedding?
Obviously, everyone is different. Everyone has different goals, different barriers, different lifestyles, different starting points, etc. It's helpful to work with a professional who can help you navigate these areas and create a program for you that is sustainable and enjoyable- otherwise, you're most likely not going to stick to it. Wedding planning can be stressful. You don't want to add on more stress by incorporating a super intense fitness program. Make sure you adopt a holistic approach to achieving your goals. This strategy will maximize your results both short-term and long-term. Have an intentional nutrition program specifically for your starting point and goals, a sustainable exercise program you enjoy, and make sure you're not just dieting to remove foods from your life. You want to INCREASE your nutrient density as well. This will help your body cope with the stress, boost metabolism, increase muscle gains, and help bring balance and vibrant health to your life.
“You want to be a glowing, vibrant, balanced, energetic bride, am I right?! ”
Q3. When should you start prepping for a wedding?
Some women give themselves 2 years to plan their wedding while others have 1 month. Wherever you're at, you can start now! While feeling sexy and confident in your beautiful dress on your big day is the main goal for many brides, it shouldn't be the only one. You should want to continue to live a vibrantly healthy life after you exchange "I do's" as well! This will be beneficial to your marriage and also in preparing a bride for the next chapter of life for those who want to become parents. Keeping the long game in mind, I'd say, start now! Start living your BEST life today.
Q4. Should you hire a health and/or fitness coach to get into the best shape for the wedding?
I've done it both ways, and from my personal experience, YES! Think of it this way...what would happen if you got in your car to drive to New York without a map, directions, Siri, or your phone to tell you where to go? You could drive for the rest of your life and never get there, right? Having a roadmap and someone to coach you towards your destination is incredibly valuable if you're serious about becoming your strongest, healthiest self for not only your wedding day, but for life. Before I had personal coaching in my own life, there were times when I felt incredibly defeated. I did all the diets, ran a ton, but never saw results. I felt broken- like there was something wrong with me. Now, as a professional coach in this arena, I make sure my clients NEVER feel that way. There's always something we can adjust to help them see better results in their health.
Q5. What is your biggest tip for choosing a health & fitness coach?
There are A LOT of us out there. There are personal trainers, nutritionists, dietitians, life coaches, health coaches, etc. I've worked with many of them and I've become one of them. You need to find someone you can trust who relates to your story. Also make sure they can give you coaching and support in all areas that I mentioned previously- fitness, INTENTIONAL nutrition (different than clean eating), supplementation, and mental/emotional support along the way. This is what I love so much about the platform I can now use to help my clients. Finally, all the pieces can be addressed at once. There are many fantastic coaches out there, so ask them questions and make sure they can fit your needs.
Q6. Any tips for staying consistent during this fitness journey?
Accountability. You need people to encourage you along the way and keep you accountable. Life is busy. If you don't have this piece, you will most likely push your goals to the back burner and they won't happen. This is where a coach and a team can be the magic sauce to a bride's success. Maybe for you, that's a group of friends, maybe it's a group at the gym, or maybe you need something a little more flexible and need an online accountability group to make sure you're staying on course. There are many options out there, you need to find what works for you.
Q7. Any tips for staying motivated during this fitness journey?
Print out a picture of your goal. Make a vision board or write down your goals on sticky notes and post them around the house. It is SO powerful to have your goals in front of you every day. Some people set alarms on their phone to remind them throughout the day. The mental approach to reaching a fitness goal is 99% of the battle. If you can come up with a STRONG WHY to keep you motivated to stick to it when things get uncomfortable it will help you wake up 30 minutes early to workout and say "no" to the donuts that stare you down at work every day.
Q8. Cardio is not my friend and I hate counting calories. What advice do you have?
You're in good company. Ha! Literally my entire business and livelihood is health & fitness. I hate running and I never count calories. :) What's interesting though is that the most common approach people use to lose weight is high cardio and low calorie. If that approach really worked in the long run, America wouldn't be one of the most obese nations in the world. When women go on low calorie (Under 1,200 calories) diets and spend a large amount of time doing cardio, it actually will start to work against them. It throws off our hormones, puts our bodies into starvation mode and most women will end up feeling lethargic and unable to lose fat in problem areas such as their belly, hips and thighs. This is related to hormonal imbalance. Remember when I said you want to have an intentional nutrition program and increase your nutrient density with proper supplementation? THIS is why these two areas are so powerful. There's actually a way to eat more, workout less and burn more fat. Make sure you're working with a professional who understands this concept.
Q9. Anything else?
Don't think of exercise and eating healthy as punishment. We put our bodies through a lot. When it comes to weight loss or getting in shape, it's easy for us to put ourselves down. When was the last time you spoke positively to yourself when you looked in the mirror? One of the most powerful things you can do on this journey is to learn to love yourself where you're at. I know that may sound weird...but it's incredibly powerful to expedite your results! Come up with a mantra or phrase that you can say to yourself every day. Mine used to be, "I am healthy, I am healing, I am strong!". At the time I was very sick, no doctor could figure out why my digestive system and hormones were so out of balance. In the moment, I never thought I'd be "normal" or healthy again. So, I came up with this phrase to speak healing and strength back into my life. It was very powerful for me. Now I use this approach with my own clients.
What is a phrase you can say that would align with where you want to be as the BEST, HEALTHIEST, STRONGEST version of yourself? Write it down on your mirror, memorize it and repeat it into existence!
Q10. How can brides find you? website, instagram etc.
Jessica can be found:
Website: www.health-patriot.com
Instagram: @health_patriot
Find all sorts of awesome fitness things from Jessica Here.
Alright ladies! There you have it. Advice from a super awesome Health Coach. If you are looking for some help, a little guidance, or even ALOT of guidance make sure to get in contact with Jessica.
Do you have any other questions? If you do, please comment below! We will be answering all of your additional questions in the comments below. Please don’t hesitate to ask as it will also help all the other brides out there :)
Wishing you nothing but the most amazing wedding ever!
Bessie
p.s. If you are looking for a wedding photographer and you think we might be a good fit hit me up via this contact form. Lets Chat!
