Whether you’re a bridesmaid or a bride, as wedding season approaches, you may have fitness on your mind. Whatever your goals may be, your bridal party can be an asset in achieving them.
“Bridal party fitness groups are a great way to not only keep everyone accountable and focused on their own goals, but it also [helps] build a deeper connection with the entire group,” says Allison Tibbs, a personal trainer and healthy lifestyle coach based in San Francisco.
Each bridal party is different and may be made up of friends who’ve known each other for a long time or people who’ve never met before. Setting goals and working out together can help you get to know each other better and seal bonds that are already there.
“When organizing a fitness plan for your bridal party, you first want to get clarity on a few things,” says Tibbs.
- Fitness goals – what does each person want to focus on? Some may want to get more toned and build muscle, others may want to lose fat or lean out.
- Physical capabilities and limitations – everyone will have a different fitness level, past or current injuries, different medical histories, etc.
- Preferred fitness styles – some may hate cardio while others love it, some may want to try CrossFit but others may be intimidated by it. Brainstorm group classes, sports, at-home workout routines or other activities that have something for everyone.
“Once you have an idea of where everyone is on their journey,” Tibbs says, “then comes creating the commitment.”
She suggests answering the following questions:
- Will this plan include working together or does everyone live in different locations?
- How many days a week do you want to commit to?
- How will you keep track of your workouts?
- What will the plan actually involve - group workouts, at-home workouts, gym workouts, mileage, etc.
Once you have figured out the details, it’s time to think about how you will hold each other accountable, Tibbs says.
The key is to keep things friendly and to work as a team.
- Make it a friendly competition: “Have a way to track everyone’s progress,” says Tibbs, “like using a Fitbit group for a steps challenge with fun prizes that can be revealed at the bachelorette party!”
- Make it collaborative: Tibbs recommends using Facebook Messenger, IG Chat or Slack to share your workouts and stay connected.
- Make it community-focused: “If possible, schedule to do workouts together either in person, like taking a bootcamp class together, or hopping on to Zoom [a video conferencing platform] at a designated time and [doing] a group workout together.”
Having workout buddies to cheer you on and keep you accountable has been proven to help people be more successful in reaching their fitness goals – and who knows, you may find a new crew to exercise with long after the wedding’s over.
“There is something so powerful [about] being in the trenches working together towards a goal and having fun along the way,” says Tibbs.