Tomorrow marks 100 days until my fiancé Tom and I officially tie knot – it’s happening!! When I was in elementary school, our class used to celebrate this type of monumental countdown with 100 pennies or 100 gum balls, however these days, all I can think about is how I should probably be scrambling to do 100 sit ups instead…
As a bride-to-be, there is a constant pressure to lose weight or #ShedToWed for the big day. Articles that read ‘Wedding Day Ready Arms’ or ‘Booty Busting Workouts’ are all over my Pinterest board and Facebook newsfeed. Now don’t get me wrong, I love having resources like this and this at my disposal, but sometimes it’s hard to not fall trap to the pressures of losing weight. The scale used to be something I tucked away behind my sink, but now, it’s out in the open, constantly taunting me and yelling at me to get to the gym!
Recently, Women’s Health editor-in-chief, Amy Keller Laird declared that the fitness and health magazine would no longer include the phrases ‘Bikini Body’ or ‘Drop Two Dress Sizes’ on their covers (for good). It got me thinking about my own journey down the aisle and the role fitness and healthy living has played. Sure, it would be amazing to lose weight, but I care more about how I feel walking down the aisle than any number on a scale. At the end of the day, no number in the world will make me happier than seeing Tom for the first time as my husband.
Yes, the next few months will inevitably be a tug-of-war between feeling like I should go to the gym and just being happy with myself. And of course, you don’t have to be getting married to understand that struggle, but the declaration from Women’s Health has taught me that perception of the ‘perfect body,’ or in my case ‘wedding day body,’ is changing, and feeling my best is all that matters on April 16th when I become Mrs. Sjoberg.
My New Year’s resolution? Through the rest of this planning process and come wedding day, I’m living by the mantra “If you feel good, you look good.”