Amanda goes wedding fitness training

When I got engaged in October, it was one of the happiest days of my life. I'd been seeing my fiance, Jody, for a long time, and I was thrilled that we were finally making things official. Plus, I got a gorgeous marquis-cut diamond ring out of the deal.

Score!

But, no sooner was the ring on my finger than reality set in. I would have to plan a wedding. And, unlike most women, I've not been planning it since kindergarten. I had no idea what sort of cake I wanted, or what type of dress I liked. I was still kind of clinging to the idea that I might be able to get married in jeans. My mother quickly dismissed that notion.

I found myself making decisions about things like cake fillings and invitation lettering — things I would NEVER normally think about.

I got a lot of flak about handing over all decisions about decorations and flowers to my aunt, an interior designer. It's called delegation, people, and it's my new best friend.

In the midst of all this, I also wanted to lose some weight. I work out every morning before work, and my Amanda Goes exploits keep me in decent shape, but I was wondering if there was anything I could do to ensure I'd look my best on my wedding day. Fortunately, unlike my other wedding decisions, I knew exactly where to turn for wedding fitness advice — fitness coach Linda Gottlieb. Gottlieb, who is based in Milford, does in-home personal fitness training, and specializes in individualized telephone and e-mail coaching. I'd interviewed

Gottlieb for a few stories, and approached her about my wish to become a fitter, more confident me before my wedding day.

She told me she actually has a fitness program designed for brides. Not only does she teach exercises designed to keep us in shape, but she also focuses on things like posture and poise.

That was good news. My father is our designated family photographer, and he's constantly admonishing me about my stooped and rounded shoulders. "You look like you're being marched to your death," he once remarked about my college graduation photo.

Clearly, that's not how I want to look in my wedding photos, so I liked the idea of incorporating posture training into my fitness program.

I arranged to meet with Gottlieb at my apartment on the first Thursday in June, roughly two months before my wedding day. When she arrived, the first thing Gottlieb did was take my measurements. I don't care how confident you are — having someone go at you with a tape measure is intimidating.

Though I'm usually pretty open about this stuff, I'm not printing my measurements. I didn't even write them down. I'm sensitive that way.

Gottlieb also calculated my body fat percentage. To do this, she used an electronic, hand-held device into which she entered my height, weight, gender and age.

Then, I held the doodad with both hands, while Gottlieb pushed a button. Apparently, this sends out an electrical impulse that takes your body fat reading. According to this unholy device, my body fat percentage is 32 percent. That means 46 pounds of my body is fat. Ew!

But Gottlieb said it wasn't that bad. In fact, if I could reduce it just a little bit, I would be fine.

To that end, Gottlieb handed me a gift — a pedometer. I was to fasten this to my waist every day, and it would count my steps. Most Americans take only 3,000 steps a day, she told me. My goal was to get up to 10,000 steps daily.

I told Gottlieb that I try to move as much as possible during the day, and that I work out every morning. She asked what I did. I told her I lifted four-pound dumbbells, and did a bunch of stomach crunches and other exercises. The thing is, I did more than a hundred reps of everything, which Gottlieb said is worrisome.

Maybe, she suggested, I should do more difficult exercises. That way, I could get a decent workout without doing the same moves over and over. Also, she wanted me to replace my four-pound weights with 10-pound weights.

"No Barbie weights," she told me.

In an attempt to improve my workout, she showed me some exercises, all of which could be done at home. The new moves included tricep dips, which help eliminate loose skin under your arms, making them look toned and smooth.

The dips can be done using a sturdy bench or chair. In my case, we used the coffee table. You hold yourself up, with your palms on the front of the bench, and your hands about five to six inches apart. Rest your bottom on the furniture, then lift it off and slowly lower it to the ground, keeping your feet flat. Then, slowly return to the start position.

This is harder than it sounds. As I lowered myself down from the coffee table, my arms and shoulders burned. Usually, Gottlieb asks clients to do two sets of 12 reps of the dips. She told me I only had to do two sets of six or eight reps. Should I be offended?

Other exercises included two varieties of lunges, and sit-backs, which are sort of reverse sit-ups.

Gottlieb also taught me some tricks to improve my posture. She said most people have a habit of carrying their weight forward, which means rounded, slumped shoulders.

The correct posture is to have your shoulders back, chest out, abdomen sucked in and head up. Gottlieb had me assume this pose. That, she said, is the way I was to walk down the aisle. To help train my body into this posture, she suggested I stand tall and straight, with a towel strapped across my shoulders. I was to rotate my body from side to side, standing straight.

With my tutorial finished, Gottlieb left, and we agreed to meet again in a few weeks.

The next day, I decided to give some of Gottlieb's exercises a try — only to realize I had forgotten half of them. So, I did what I could remember, including the tricep dips, the lunges, the sit-backs and some of the posture exercises.

But I was really looking forward to trying out my new toy. I strapped my pedometer to my pants, and decided to have a go at it. At the end of the day, I had made it up to about 6,800 steps. True, it wasn't 10,000, but it was more than double the average of 3,000.

So kudos to me.

During the next few weeks, I met with Gottlieb two more times. At our second meeting, she taught me a few more moves, mostly posture related. One exercise, called a bridge, involved lying on the ground, lifting my buttocks, and shifting my shoulders until my hands were underneath my bottom. Then, I lifted one leg up. After a few seconds, I'd put the leg down, slowly lower myself and start again with the other leg. Gottlieb said this strengthens the back, which helps with posture. She also upgraded my equipment. Instead of the towel I had been using for my posture exercises, she gave me a wooden pole. It was like I'd graduated.

My last meeting with Gottlieb was last week. This time, she had a surprise for me. Exercise balls. I'd seen them before, but this was my first time using these torture devices.

Gottlieb brought a large ball and a small ball. The large one was for balance. I was to sit on it and keep it from sliding out from under me. This I accomplished. It was when Gottlieb had me do more complicated tasks that I faltered.

She had me lift my four-pound Barbie weights while on the ball and, for some reason, they felt like they weighed 50 pounds each. Gottlieb said that's because I was already focusing so much energy on balancing on the ball.

She also had me use my 10-pound weights (yes, I bought some), which felt ungodly. The other small ball, basically a five-pound weight, also felt awkward in my hands as I lifted it while on the larger ball.

Then, things got really difficult. Gottlieb had me do a bunch of balance moves. One was a lot like the bridge move, and involved lying on the floor, with my feet on the ball. Then I was to lift my buttocks, and, at the same time, pull my knees toward me, while never losing contact with the ball.

ARRGH! This was impossible! It took me a bunch of tries before I was able to do it, and, even then, I felt the ball slide a little. Gottlieb said using the ball helps engage your core — the abs, hips and thighs. These muscles are essential to good posture. That may be true, but don't expect me to pick one of these things up any time soon.

Physical suffering aside, I've stuck to most parts of my bridal fitness regimen.

Of course, in the month that I've had the pedometer, I've only made it to 10,000 steps once, when I went to a show in New York with some friends, and we got off at the wrong subway stop. But, I average between 5,000 and 6,000 steps a day, mainly by taking stairs instead of the elevator, parking in the back of parking lots and doing anything that encourages movement.

I've also watched my posture more closely than I used to. Whenever I feel my shoulders slumping, I roll them up, back and down — a trick I learned from Gottlieb. Sometimes, I adjust my posture without even thinking about it. One night, I was talking with my fianc and he got a perplexed look on his face. "What are you doing?" he asked.

I realized that, during the conversation, I had inched toward the wall, and stood with my back straight up against it, another thing Gottlieb had taught me.

Something else began to happen. People began asking if I'd lost weight. My weight was actually the same, but I had noticed my arms were more toned, and that I looked better in clothes. Gottlieb hasn't taken my measurements again yet (typically, she waits three months between measurements), but I can already feel a difference.

Even better, I think my posture is improving. This means there's a good chance my wedding photos won't capture me looking like a hostage.

That would be great. There's so much to worry about when planning a wedding. But even if the food is bad and the music is terrible, at least I'll look good walking down the aisle.

I take comfort in that.

For more information on Gottlieb and her business F.I.T. Training, visit www.fittraining.net or call 877-5270.

-- Getting in shape --

TRICEPS DIPS: This move helps to eliminate loose skin under the arms.

Using a low bench or sturdy chair, hold yourself up, palms facing front on the edge of the bench, hands about five to six inches apart.

Slowly lift your buttocks off the seat, and lower them toward the ground, keeping your feet flat. Then, slowly return to the starting position. Your elbows stay back during the exercise.

Inhale up and exhale down.

Gottlieb recommends two sets of 12, but you can do less (two sets of six or eight) until you get used to it.

SUMO SQUATS: These lunges help tone legs and buttocks. A must for brides wearing a short dress.

Stand with your feet roughly twice shoulder-width apart, and point your toes outward. Hold a fitness ball with both hands in front of you, with arms kept straight.

Bend your knees and slowly lower until the top portion of your thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position. Make sure your knees are pointing in the same direction as your toes throughout the movement.

Inhale up and exhale down. Gottlieb recommends two sets of 12.