The Bride’s Guide to Staying Healthy While Planning a Wedding

I’m so excited to announce that my daughter is getting married this fall. Throughout the planning process, it can get pretty stressful at times. Believe me, we’ve already experienced it first hand. Plus, I remember when I got married years ago. My anxiety level went so high that my jaw locked up and I was diagnosed with TMJ. I literally went around for about two weeks not being able to open my mouth, except for about an inch!!! It can get pretty crazy!! My daughter and I have learned, from watching other brides, that the stress level is even more intense now because of the expectations to have an amazing “event” with all the “extras” that weddings now include. Even without expectations, wedding decision tensions can mount between family members, bride and groom, and/or between vendors and the couple. It’s an exciting time and a crazy time all rolled into one. Because of this, it’s really important to practice good wellness techniques during this time.

To give you all some wellness advice for your Wedding planning season, I employed the help of my mother, Mrs. Nancy Spradlin! Together, we came up with 10 wedding wellness steps!

1. Get plenty of rest. This may mean going to bed earlier or it may mean that you need to take a nap. Rest is important because it will give you the recharge needed for all of you vendor planning meetings. Also, studies show that sleep prevents sickness because sleep strengthens our immune system. See this study.
   
   Finally, not only is sleep good for immunity, but it’s good for the camera!! With engagement and wedding photos plus videos being such a large part of today’s weddings, it’s a must to get enough rest so that you don’t have the dark circles and puffy eyes that lack of sleep causes!
   
   
2. Keep a planner or a “To Do” list – The stress of wedding planning is diffused somewhat when everything is written down and you can see a visual picture of what needs to be done and when. It becomes much more manageable. So instead of your mind being full of all the decisions you need to make, you only have to concentrate and be mindful of the ones on your list for “today”! There are some great wedding planners out there. Here is a link to LiveAbout.com’s Free Printable Wedding Check Lists
   
   
3. Lay off the sweets, labeled as refined carbs, and instead increase energy by eating whole grains carbohydrates. Refined carbs mess with your blood sugar making you very tired. The speed, in which the insulin from the sugar runs through your body, is very quick, vs. how whole grain carbohydrates slowly react in the body. Whole grains still give you the energy you need, but stay in the body longer. The insulin from whole grains gets into the cells, nourishes them, and assists the body to balance and stabilize the blood sugar. Here’s a list of whole grain carbohydrates that will give you lots of energy as well as more fiber and nutrients for better health!
   
   
4. Increase your vegetable intake. Vegetables in general contain lots of vitamins and antioxidants to keep you healthy during this extra stressful time. Some really important vegetables to consider are: spinach, carrots, broccoli, garlic, brussels, kales, green peas, beets, asparagus, cabbage, chard, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and collard greens. Here’s a great article explaining the benefits of each of these wonderful veggies.
   
   
5. Instead of reaching for the coffee that we all love, reach for more water during this time. Caffeine dehydrates you, and can leave you feeling lousy during stressful times. It can also dry out the skin, which is again, not camera friendly. Water refreshes the skin and keeps you feeling good. Too much caffeine can also up the tension in the room, when things are getting a little crazy.
   
   
6. Have a good check up by your family physician or a functional medicine physician in your area. Get thorough blood work done, and have all of your vitamin and mineral levels checked.
   
   
7. Check with your Dr. first, but you may want to consider the following supplements during this time. Ashwagandha for stress. It’s an adaptogen that works naturally to calm tension or feelings of anxiety. Another great supplement is Calcium Magnesium. It is good for relaxation, sleeping better, constipation, and for mental health/stress relief. It’s best taken at night in liquid form. A couple of others I’ll mention are CoQ10 for the heart, and Extra B-12 for stress and an overworked mind!
   
   
8. Exercise, but don’t over do it! It doesn’t even have to be formal, because in reality, if your planning a wedding, who has the time, with a full time job and all your other responsibilities as a woman!!!, Right? Simply taking a daily walk, clean, play outside with your pet, or do your favorite you tube exercise video. All of these are great exercise. For all of you beautiful brides trying to lose weight during this time, my advice is to get the size bigger! I’m just saying….why stress out about pounds NOW! If you have committed love now, you’ll have even more after the wedding and I promise, it has nothing to do with the extra five. Get a dress that flatters your figure and just worry about being healthy! The weight will come off without the stress of bootcamp type exercise that leaves you hurting or injured, if you simply treat yourself right by eating the right foods, and getting plenty of natural exercise. Read this great article about Natural weight loss from Healthline.
   
   
9. Give your plans, all the stress and everything that is running through your mind to God and let Him carry it for you. Our desire to control everything could be our greatest enemy, or it could be the perception you have of yourself that leaves you feeling incapable to make good decisions. Whatever it is, rest in truth about yourself from God’s Word, and it will be okay. God is good, he created you, and He will enable you to do more than you imagined, and/or he will help you to learn to receive help from others during this time. Here’s some great verses to encourage you.
   
   
10. Practice peace! Let God’s peace rule your heart during this time. It really is going to be amazing and everything is going to be okay!!! Have assurance and let go of any anxious thoughts and replace them with the comfort that Christ brings. Practice this by praying not just prayers for your meal, or at night before bed, but during the day when things get crazy. Stop and pray!!!