5 Steps To Glow On Your Big Day

Caterer. Check.

Photographer. Check. 

Venue. Check. 

Bride’s health and wellbeing…….Unchecked.

Wedding planning is an exciting and joyful journey. But it can also a stressful and busy time, so that your health and wellness as a bride becomes a lower priority. 

When your health and wellbeing is on the back burner, this puts you at risk of not feeling your best not only on your big day, but throughout your bridal journey. 

Looking good is important, but feeling good is imperative too. Many fitness or health coaching programs marketing to brides focus only on weight loss. We recommend a holistic approach that does not just focus on weight loss, but on your mind, body, spirit health. Our Bridal Wellness Program transforms your mind, body, spirit health holistically and sustainably, so you can glow on your big day from inside out. Our goal is that you continue applying the principles you learn beyond your bridal journey and after your wedding day.

By following these principles, brides to be will experience: 

• Optimal weight 
• Clearer skin
• Reduced brain fog
• Increased energy levels
• Improved muscle tone
• Flatter tummy

These are five steps you can take throughout your bridal journey to glow on your big day: 

1. Intentional nourishment. Restricting calories or foods from our daily nourishment will elicit a stress response because living in a state of calorie deficit is miserable and unsustainable. You may lose water weight, but you will not feel your best much less glow. Instead, I recommend nutrient-dense, high-fiber, nourishing, filling foods. These include: 

• Fresh fruits
• Veggies including greens
• Whole grains (rice, quinoa)
• Legumes (beans, chickpeas, tofu, edamame)
• Nuts/nut butters (unless you are allergic)
• Seeds (chia, flax, sunflower). 

This nourishment pattern reduces inflammation which helps not just with weight, but with achieving clearer skin, optimal digestive health, reducing brain fog, and improving energy levels. 

I encourage Brides to Be to add all these to their plates and not worry over whether a food is “allowed” or not. When we fill our plates with nutrient-dense foods, there is no need for complex food math such as calorie or macro counting.

2. Joyful exercise routine. When I am asked, “What is the best form of exercise?” my response is “The one you love”. In addition to bringing joy, physical activity should include cardiovascular routine, stretching, and strength-training. Muscle building is essential to create muscle tone and definition. Regular physical activity reduces stress and helps you sleep. I encourage Brides to Be to incorporate an exercise routine that flows naturally into their lifestyle, and bonus if you can pair up with a friend.  

3. Restorative sleep. I call sleep the “forgotten supplement”. Poor sleep has the same effect on our mind, body, spirit health as a sedentary lifestyle and suboptimal nourishment. Restorative sleep helps maintain healthy weight, clear your skin, reduce brain fog, and increase energy levels. Creating a restful sanctuary for rejuvenating sleep is essential. You can achieve this by: 

• Avoiding electronics for at least 1 hour before bedtime
• Making sure you have a comfortable mattress
• Room temperature a bit on the cooler side
• Decluttered bedroom
• Almost complete darkness
• Gentle white noise in the background

Sometimes supplements such as magnesium and vitamin D can be helpful. I encourage Brides to Be to prioritize sleep to be just as important as physical activity and nourishment to glow throughout their bridal journey, on their big day, and beyond. 

4. Natural stress reduction. Stress almost seems to be a “badge of honor” for brides, a type of rite of passage as part of the wedding planning journey as picking a cake topper. This harmful culture if further glorified in the media we consume (Bridezilla?). I recommend for brides and their wedding parties to ditch that toxic culture that is detrimental to your health but also negatively impacts skin health, digestive health, and weight maintenance. We as a society should normalize bridal wellbeing! These are some natural interventions to achieve natural and effective stress reduction:

• Herbal, non-caffeinated tea such as chamomile, peppermint, ginger, lavender, and/or lemonbalm 
• Aromatherapy! There is a reason spas use this!
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction such as meditation, breathwork, yoga, LINKearthing, engaging with nature, and natural sunlight
• Magnesium-rich foods such as avocado, edamame, spinach, quinoa, nuts, cashews, chia seeds, lentils, and chickpeas
• Daily gratitude journaling

I encourage Brides to Be to pick one or two natural stress reduction methods and use them consistently during their bridal journey to achieve a natural glow. 

5. Meaningful social connections. A lonely bridal wellness journey is destined to fail. Human beings are social by nature, even us introverts need support. Forming an accountability buddy, “pod” or ecosystem is essential for the success of your bridal wellness journey. Ideally, your support team balances accountability and encouragement and compassion. 

These tips will help you look AND feel your best throughout your wedding planning journey. Start now to achieve the brightest glow on your big day. At Culver Wellness Center, we help busy women transform their mind, body, spirit health by addressing all five of these pillars and helping brides embed them in their daily lifestyle.  

Let’s normalize bridal health and wellbeing so brides can glow!

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Dr. Noemi Adame, also known as the Veggies Over Pills Doctor, is the physician/owner of Culver Pediatrics Center and founder of Culver Wellness Center, a transformational holistic wellness clinic for women. She is the host of The Veggies Over Pills Radio Show on Giant FM, writes a bi-monthly column for The Culver Citizen titled “Get Healthy with Dr. Adame”, and is the author of Metamorphosis Holistic Wellness Journal, one of the primary tools she uses to guide clients on their bridal wellness journey. You can follow her on FB @CulverPeds and Instagram @CulverPeds. At Culver Wellness Center, Dr. Adame and her team help women transform their mind, body, spirit health so they can glow from the inside out. Visit her website: www.CulverPediatrics.com and learn about her transformational holistic wellness program for women. 

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