Photo by Jeffrey Holder
Fit to be Tied
by Emily Kovach
Your wedding day is an occasion where you’ll see people from all different facets of your life. For maximum confidence and comfort, feeling good—in heart, body and mind—is paramount. For many of us, feeling good is inextricably linked to looking good, and while we’re not advocating any kind of drastic body “makeovers,” if there ever was a time to focus on your fitness and wellness regimen, the few months leading up to a wedding might be it. After all, feeling good isn’t about the number on the scale; it’s about standing tall and proud, feeling strong and self-assured. Local gyms and fitness centers offer different packages designed to help the wedding-bound create realistic goals and see them through. Paired with a clean, mindful diet, these programs can help you feel your best, banish stress about fitting into the dress or suit on the big day, and empower you to rock the thousands of photos you’ll be posing for at your wedding.
This small chain of local fitness centers offers programs called “Sweat for the Dress” and “Tighten for the Tux,” which are two-month packages of 24, 30-minute, personal training sessions. These are not one-size-fits-all sessions; trainers work with each client’s specific needs and goals to achieve the desired results. You pay the same whether you’re an existing member or not, and all eight Sweat locations run this special throughout the year.
If you want your workout to do double duty, Ploome should be your go-to. Every class at Ploome helps support REQ.1, a sister nonprofit that “empowers victims of violence to transcend trauma and heal through movement and art,” something that’s intensely personal for founder Christina M. Stolz, an assault survivor. Her community-driven fitness boutique specializes in pilates, though the class schedule at the Northern Liberties-based studio ranges from stability-ball core work to high-intensity interval training to a session called “Rage Against the Machine.” It offers a monthly, unlimited class membership that doesn’t require a contract, so you can hit it hard for just a few months before your wedding day.
If going to a typical gym just isn’t for you but fitness is where you want to spend your wedding dough, a personal trainer might be a better call. Bones Fitness in Rittenhouse is a membership-free personal training gym that pairs a certified fitness trainer to your exact goals and needs. Due to popular demand, Bones has developed a special wedding-prep regimen: “Final Fitting Fitness.” This five-week intensive program includes one evaluation and goal-setting session, five weeks of hourlong, one-on-one training sessions, and nutritional guidance and exercise homework.
