Healthy Bride, Not Skinny Bride with Rachel Hollis' "Five To Thrive" -

Healthy Bride, Not Skinny Bride with Rachel Hollis’ “Five To Thrive”

We live in a diet culture. There are hundreds of diets claiming to shrink your body. Women are constantly criticized for being too big, too small, too short, too tall, too (fill in the blank). Enter Rachel Hollis, author, motivational speaker, and fierce equality and female empowerment advocate. Rachel Hollis encourages her followers to do her “Five To Thrive” to become the healthiest, best version of themselves. Your fiance is marrying you, as you are, beautifully and wonderfully imperfect. Therefore, let’s make healthy your goal, not skinny. Here are Rachel Hollis’ “Five To Thrive” and examples on how it will help you prepare for your wedding, the healthy way!

Photo by: Brooke Lark via Unsplash

1.) Drink Water

Most of our body is comprised of water. In order for your skin, joints, digestion, hair, and cells to regenerate and do their job, you need to drink water. Drinking water is the simplest way to get healthy. Rachel’s recommendation is to drink half your body weigh in ounces of water every day. I have tried it and I can honestly tell you it makes a huge difference in my energy levels and skin health. Fun fact: Coffee, iced tea, & lemonade do not count. It has to be water. But never fear, you can drink coffee as long as you drink your water.

2.) Exercising at least 30 minutes per day.

Exercise is imperative on your journey to get healthy. If you are not usually an active person you need to reset your habits a bit, but trust me, it will be worth it. Exercise helps increase endorphins, the happy hormone. Elle Woods, anyone? This means 30 minutes of exercise can decrease your wedding stress, big time! Exercise also gives you more energy. Wedding planning can feel like a stressful part time job. An extra boost of energy will give you the energy you need to balance work, wedding planning, relaxation, & fun time. Most importantly, exercise prevents health issues such as: heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression. What’s not to like? Build it into your schedule every day and you will feel amazing.

3.) Give up one category of food that is not good for you.

Okay friends, put down the cookies. This is not to say you cannot treat yourself every once in a while, but the old adage ‘you are what you eat’ is a real thing. Aside from drinking water and exercise, what you eat has the greatest effect on your health. Examples of junk foods we love that are bad for us are: Cookies, cola drinks, juice, cheese crackers, chocolate, sour candy, ice cream, cake, chips, & pretzels. Long story short, these foods cause a craving in your brain making you want them more and more. If we cut junk food for 30 days the odds of our bodies craving what is bad for us decreases drastically. You’ll be amazed how good your body feels. We recommend you replace whatever food you cut with something delicious and actually healthy for you. There are plenty of easy, Pinterest-worthy recipes that you and your body will love far more than the cookies.

4. Wake up on hour earlier every day and do something for yourself.

This means going to bed earlier, instead of sitting on your phone for an hour before you go to sleep. Fun fact: The blue light emitted from phones and computers keeps you awake, bad idea before bed. “You’re telling me to wake up earlier?!” Yes! This means you get to drink your coffee in peace, read a book you’ve wanted to read for a while, and/or eat a real breakfast to start your day off right. We are always rushing from one thing to the next, especially in the morning. A little relaxation time is important and healthy! Waking up an hour earlier starts the focus of your day on you and your health.

5. Write down 10 things you are grateful for every day.

Did you know, according to science, focusing on what you are grateful for everyday wires your brain to be more positive? The more you count your blessings and focus on what you are grateful for, the more your brain is trained to look for the good in every day. Multiple studies have shown people who practice gratitude every day have more life satisfaction and less stress. What’s to lose? Commit to doing it every day you will feel healthy and happier.

We can’t wait for you to look and, most importantly, feel your healthiest on your wedding day! You and your fiance showing up as your healthiest, best selves for each other will ensure your marriage will start strong, and continue happily ever after. Get ready to ‘thrive!’