Don't Invite Stress to Your W... Health Article

You've set the date. You've picked out your dress. You're excited about your wedding day, right? Well, maybe.

While your wedding day can be one of the best days of your life, it can also be one of the most stressful. Many brides neglect themselves through the many weeks or months leading up to that special day. Because they're intent on making sure everything's just so, they may let important priorities—like staying healthy—slide. Yet simple steps can help keep you in top form.

"Moderate exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day really helps reduce stress," says Rachel Rolfes, founder of StresserCise for Life in Denver. She encourages doing exercise you love.

Rolfes also urges brides-to-be to get enough sleep and eat right. "Too little sleep can lead to stress and fatigue," she says. Enlisting others to help with your wedding plans can make for a better night's sleep. And a healthy diet may help head off the digestive problems that Rolfes often sees in future brides.

Some couples seek counseling to handle the pressure that goes with getting married.

"I find brides and grooms are often anxious about leaving their family of origin and about saying their vows in front of friends and family," says Philadelphia psychiatrist Joseph Volpicelli, M.D., Ph.D. "I tell them mistakes happen on everyone's wedding day and that they give a wedding character and something to look at and laugh about later."

His number one recommendation? "Try to have fun and let go of your need for everything to be perfect."

To sustain your glow from the inside out:

• Eat healthy foods and exercise daily.

• Make sure you get enough sleep.

• Keep caffeine intake to a minimum.

• Find quiet time away from the tumult.

• Come up with a realistic plan to reach your weight-loss goal.

• Seek support from friends and family. Find a willing ear just to listen.