I almost can’t believe it’s officially our wedding year! Jon and I have already been engaged for a year and a half, so it feels surreal to finally be at this point. We will be getting married in October in Florence, Italy. That leaves 10 months for all the remaining wedding prep, which means it’s the perfect time to start my bridal wellness plan. I’m already a very health-conscious person, so I’m not going crazy with this plan. But I do want to look and FEEL my very best on the big day.
Even if you’re not getting married, these strategies are a great way to reset for the new year and take care of your body and mind. This is what I’m starting to put into practice this January and through until the big day! I’m also hoping many of these habits will become life-long.
Here’s to taking care of ourselves in 2023!
Xx, Kelsey
Vitamins and probiotics
I usually take a multivitamin and probiotic, but I’m planning to ratchet things up a notch with my bridal wellness plan. I just placed an order of vitamins from my favorite, HUM nutrition. The Mighty Night is supposed to help with cell repair and beauty overnight. I also picked up Uber Energy to keep my energy levels high with so much planning to do this year. For the past six months, I’ve been taking these pre + probiotics, which I love. They’ve got a great minty taste and can be taken on an empty stomach. I’m also considering starting Nutrafol again to help with stress-related hair loss. Vitamins and supplements don’t replace nutrition from food, but I’m excited for a little extra boost.
Focusing on whole foods
As part of my wedding wellness plan, I don’t want to get too focused on calories and dieting. Since we’re ten months out, I’m focusing on more whole foods and less processed stuff. This can be hard as a pescatarian, but I’m going to try to cut back on so many overly processed meat alternatives. Of course, I won’t be cutting them all out because I want to keep a very high protein intake. But all the additional sugar and salt in sauces is unneccesary. I’m excited to keep the focus on whole foods because it feels less like I’m telling myself I can’t have certain foods. In fact, I’m planning to give Sakara Life a shot and will let you know how it goes!
Workout 3+ times a week
If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’m a very active person. I grew up a competitive figure skater, so I’m used to moving my body all the time. But the end of 2022 got a bit difficult for me. I was so weighed down by work and life stress that I was lucky to make two barre classes a week. I know I feel best when I’m working out consistently, so I plan to prioritize more workouts overall. I signed up for a Pure Barre membership on Black Friday, so I’m going to keep going to class 2x a week. I’m also looking to add in some Soul Cycle classes and runs.
Weekly green juice
Honestly, I love a good green juice, but they can be super pricey! This year I want to focus on more healthy “treats.” I consider a nice overpriced green juice to be a great way to treat myself. We unfortunately don’t have a lot of great juice spots near us, but there’s a smoothie bar a few blocks away where I can make a weekly stop for something fresh.
Better skincare
Not going to lie, I’m very nervous about breaking out on our wedding day. I’ve struggled with acne my whole life – on my cheeks and forehead especially. If there’s one area for the wedding I’m willing to spend some money, it’s ensuring that my skin is under control (and hopefully also glowing!). I’ve heard really great things about Sofie Pavitt’s acne program here in the city, so I’ve got an appointment for early February to start. I’m very excited because she focuses on homecare versus prescribing medication in order to truly change your skin. Her results are amazing.
Walk more every day
I work from home, so I don’t move around as much as I’d like to. In fact, there are more days than I’d like to admit where I don’t walk more than 2x for 10 minutes. It’s better than nothing, but it’s not great. This year, I want to focus on more walks, more often. If there’s a meeting I can take via my phone, then I should absolutely take it while moving my body. I always feel better when I get out for a walk, it’s just a matter of truly prioritizing it.
Changing my response to stress
Those who know me know I’m a very stressed person. I’m a perfectionist, and I just care A LOT. As part of my bridal wellness plan, I want to work on my response to stress. I recently listened to this podcast which really helped me see that I’ve been sitting in the middle of the stress cycle for a long time. One of the suggestions was to do some sort of movement or breath work after a stressful situation to give my body the physical signal that the stress is over. Since I work from home, it’s easy to jump up and down after a particularly difficult call to let my body come down from the stress. TBC if it works, but I’m willing to try anything to reduce my stress going into this year.
Prioritizing connection
Whether with my fiancé or family or friends, this wedding year I want to prioritize connection. To me this means more intentional date nights with Jon. It also means calling my girlfriends and mom more often to catch up. It also means strengthening my connections with those in my life on the day-to-day. This includes dinners with my girlfriends and asking Jon’s mom to help me with some of the wedding prep.
