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For some years now, the vast majority of wedding gowns have been strapless. That means lots and lots of bare arms and shoulders. If you love the fashion but are a little nervous about the state of your arms and shoulders, now's the time to get busy. If you have an exercise ball and a pair of hand weights, you're all set. Failing that, a bench, or even a padded footstool and a couple of one-pound tins of tomatoes might even do the trick!

Chatelaine.com has several series of excercises designed to target certain muscle groups. This link will take you to the exercises focusing on the back and shoulders. As with any new exercise program, you'll check with your doctor first, but once you've been given the green light, just a few minutes every day will make a difference. Be patient: take it slowly, but in about six weeks you'll be seeing the improvement.

Exercising together, as a couple, has multiple payoffs for your relationship. First, it makes you both more accountable to the work out routine. If your mate is there counting on you and encouraging you, you're less likely to skip out. Second, it helps you balance your fitness training. Since most women prefer cardio exercise and most men prefer strength training, working out together helps you both get the balance you need for optimum health. Also, working out with a partner is healthier because you have someone to spot you or help you when needed. Finally, it helps bring you closer. Couples find that especially work outs like yoga or pilates help bring them eye-to-eye in a relaxing atmosphere – and this builds intimacy even outside the gym.

If you do decide to work on a mutual fitness program, keep compromise top-of-mind for success. Choose a time, place and activity that works for both of you, or take turns with your favorite activity. Don't turn work outs into a competition. It's about getting healthy and getting closer together, even if you can run a whole mile further. Finally, make togetherness the priority by blowing off the hard-sweat work out and taking a walk through the park or relaxing bike ride once in while. This will keep the fun factor high and boredom at bay.

Looking for a way to burn off a few calories and tone up for the Big Day? Need to de-stress? Want some tips to sex up your honeymoon?

You can do all three at once when you sign up for any of a wide number of classes available out there. Lap-dancing? Sure. Pole-dancing. Check. (They'll even sell you the pole.) Striptease? Got that, too. Can't imagine walking, let alone dancing, in super-high heels? Not to worry: there are even classes in Mastering the Stiletto! It's fun, and you know your groom-to-be will love it, too!

It's not just for fun: an hour-long class can burn 300 calories. Nice to know that you're doing something good for yourself when you're learning to be baaaaad.

via: Chatelaine

The Gaylord Palms Hotel in Kissimmee, Florida offers what looks to be the ultimate in girlfriend getaways. Yes, it's a boot camp, but with more of a health and beauty focus rather than a relentless thigh-busting sweat-fest. You and your best gals get a 90-minute fitness consultation to put together your personal plan for physical health; a 60 minute class where you learn how to meditate and melt away bridal stress anytime, anywhere; a 60 minute nutrition consultation to make sure what you put inside facilitates what you want to see outside; an up-do "how to" to help your locks look as gorgeous as the rest of you; a professional make-up consultation, and group exercise classes to kick off each day. So if the bridal meltdown feels like it's lurking at your door, check out the details here, and tell Bridezilla to chill.

Unless you're the avid outdoorsy couple, "fitness" and "honeymoon" are probably at opposite ends of your vacation spectrum. "Fitness?" you mock. The only way you're planning on working up a sweat is between the sheets. Ahem.

And that is why we here at AisleDash are so pleased to be able to present you with this terrific new fitness book. "Get Fit In Bed"! Is that not a perfect piece of reading material to take with you? It's even illustrated, with clear, step-by-step photographs. So now, what are you waiting for? Start working up a sweat!

We know it doesn't sound pretty, but we're pretty sure you know exactly what we're talking about when we say armpit flab. It's impossible to keep track of the number of times we've listened to brides and bridesmaids complain about that little bit of skin (or fat, or pudge, or whatever you want to call it) that creeps over a strapless dress near your armpit. It's not particularly flattering, but it happens to most women.

A post at FitSugar gives instructions for an exercise that targets that specific area -- the Lying Peck Fly. If you're really concerned about that area, give it a try.

With the success of shows like Celebrity Fit Club and The Biggest Loser, it really was only a matter of time until gyms jumped on the "boot camp" bandwagon and offered intensive fitness programs to some of the most motivated customers out there: Brides looking to shape up before their wedding day.

The Boston Globe recently did an article about this trend, and it brought up an interesting point - while at first blush a "bridal" exercise class might sound like another gimmick designed to ease the way for a bride and her money to part, it can actually be incredibly motivating. Working out with a buddy is one of the best ways to stick to a fitness program, and sharing the experience with 6-10 other women who have similar fitness goals in mind (even if your immediate motivation is looking good rather than your cardiovascular health) isn't necessarily a bad thing.

If you're looking for a way to get your butt in shape in time for your walk down the aisle, one of these fitness classes may be just the thing you need!

Lots of people want to lose weight for their weddings. Way too many do it the wrong way. Smart dieting and exercise are the only healthy way to lose weight -- we've all heard this before. But now that you're planning a wedding, you're going to have an even harder time finding time for the gym. We know that. You're not going to drop several dress sizes without a serious dedication to fitness, but there are baby steps you can take to improve your health and metabolism, even without pumping iron and running laps, or cutting way back on your favorite foods.


These are simple steps that we should all consider, whether we're trying to lose weight or not. In fact, it's not about losing weight, it's about getting healthier, period. And hey, once you see how easy and effective these small changes can be, maybe it won't be so hard to take the next steps toward better health and fitness.

It's not what it sounds like -- it's not bad news, I promise!

Hewitt and fiance Ross McCall have talked about details here and there, but have yet to set anything in stone. You know, now that the writer's strike is over, J. Love is busy! For the Oscars, she hosted the AIDS Project Los Angeles' annual Oscar viewing party at the Abbey, a West Hollywood gay bar, and her hit show, The Ghost Whisperer was just picked up. Now that the show is a go, she'll have to at least wait for her hiatus from that, if she's even able to find time to plan in the meantime.

She assures us, though, that she's "very excited, obviously."

She also assures her fans that, if she starts hitting the gym, it won't be because of the bikini pictures taken of her shortly after her engagement. Hewitt continues to have a healthy, positive body image, but also acknowledges that exercise is important for health, and she and her hubby-to-be want to be happy and healthy well into their 80s.

Exotic dancing isn't just for pros anymore, not since many fitness clubs and entrepreneurs started offering classes to the masses a few years ago. Top 3 reasons why you should do it?

1. Fitness: Think about it. You can limber up, strengthen some of those little used muscles and spice up your workout routine at the same time.
2. Fun: Okay, maybe you'll feel a little goofy, but it is fun. Some places offer party packages so bust it out for your bachelorette bash. You'll have fun laughing along with your girlfriends, then take the party favors home to him.
3. It's sexy: Face it. Whether you choose pole dancing, chair moves or exploring your naughty/nice dichotomy with props and characters, he's going to love it. You might even get a dollar tucked into your G-string.

What would you do to look beautiful on your wedding day? New hair style? Professional makeup? Carefully planned out lighting?

How about crash dieting your way into a dress that's two sizes too small?

According to a post at the New York Times' Well blog, that is precisely what more and more brides are doing: "More than 70 percent of brides-to-be want to lose weight before their wedding day, according to a new study from Cornell University. To reach the perfect wedding-day weight, more than one-third of them use extreme dieting tactics such as diet pills and fasting. And while most of us buy clothes that fit, about one in seven brides-to-be buys a bridal gown that is one or more dress sizes smaller than she normally wears."

Nearly half of the women in the Cornell study engaged in some form of extreme dieting to reach their goal (which was an average loss of 21 pounds), including starvation diets and over-the-counter diet pills. Participants in the study also reported drinking large amounts of water, which isn't necessarily bad for you, but isn't a proper substitute for actual food.

I will admit that in the months before my wedding, I was religious about going to the gym, and careful about what I ate. But skipping meals is a fast track to mood swings and illness, neither of which are what a bride really wants to remember about her big day. Give yourself a break; have your dress fitted for the body you have NOW and eat some lunch, already. You will look -- and feel -- better on your wedding day.

Want to tone a particular body part before the wedding? Chatelaine offers a list of forty exercises for six different areas of your body: arms, legs, back and shoulders, hips and butt, abs, and chest. Some require special equipment, like a stability ball or five-pound weights, but most require nothing fancier than a floor to stand on and maybe a soup can!

Just a few minutes a day can make a difference. Do them slowly, do them regularly, and in time you'll see the difference. Guaranteed!

While there is no official scientific study to prove that new MBT trainers reduce the appearance of cellulite, there is no doubt that they give you a superior workout. MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology, and these shoes look a little different from your average sneaker. The secret is in the sole, which is built to simulate walking on a sandy beach (umbrella drink and tan muscle men not included). This forces you to engage a lot of neglected muscles, improving leg tone, abdominal strength, posture, circulation and varicose veins. With all that benefit, your thighs are bound to look a little tighter, too, right? MBT devotees stand behind the cellulite reduction claim. Here's why: "The appearance of cellulite is diminished by lessening fatty deposits, stimulating circulation and drainage, and reducing water and toxin retention. MBTs address all of these factors..." MBT shoes are certainly cheaper than liposuction, but they will cost you about $200 and up. If they live up to their reputation, though, it could be a worthy investment.

Okay, so I'm not the first one to mention it today, but having developed a pre-holidays addiction to frozen chocolate eclairs, followed in close succession by shortbreads and brownies and turkey, oh my! ... I've developed a nice little extra inch (or three) on my waistline, and a case of bad skin that makes me wonder if I've somehow turned fourteen again, in the middle of the night. Not to mention my hair has never felt more like the crunchy stuffing that belongs in a horsehair pillow, and my caffeine intake has hit an all-time high (helloooo rebound headaches when that 5th cup goes neglected on Saturdays).

So ... it's time to shake it up ... and shake it off ... and while I'm at it, fix the zits and madwoman-of-the-mountain hairdo. Where better to find the ultimate detox, degrease and deprogramming plan, than in the land of bride-dom? When else are you more motivated to shed the muffin-tops and cultivate glowing resplendent beauty oozing from every microscopic pore?

Stay tuned my beauties, as I take on my very own bridal beauty bootcamp to find out what works and what doesn't for the good of all bride-kind ( ... and my ever elevating glucose tolerance). And believe me when I say, I wouldn't do this for just anybody.

First thing tomorrow, I start ... I promise ... I do.

It's January -- a time when many of us start to think about exercise and getting a little healthier. Fitness expert Sue Fleming created the BUFF Brides program to help brides-to-be get in their top physical form before the big day. From book to DVD to reality TV show (Discover FitTV), BUFF brides is growing in popularity as participants shrink in size. The DVD (about $12.99 at amazon.com) comes with a resistance band and a series of exercises to help you slim your abdomen and hips, shape your arms and shoulders, and build cardio endurance. Program users say it's suitable for novice and more experienced exercisers, it's easy to stick with, and helps you feel fit and sexy in your wedding dress.