FitSugar

A Striptease Bachelorette Party: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Sun, 18 May 2008 03:00:00 -0700

There are plenty of ways to celebrate a bachelorette party. You could always skip the male stripper and have all your party guests learn some stripper moves of their own with striptease dance class. These days, stripper aerobics is super popular and could help prepare the bride to be for her wedding night, but would this type of party be going beyond some of the guests' comfort zone? Is pushing the sexy envelope a good thing to do for a bachelorette party?

So what do you think . . .

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Namaste For the Big Day: Yoga For Weddings

FitSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:00:00 -0700

If you're planning a wedding-related party, anything from an engagement party to a bachelorette bash, why not do something a little different? Since weddings are pretty stressful, everyone will appreciate a party that'll help release some of the tension and anxiety. I'm talking about a Yoga Party, and it's sure to encourage some calmness, self-reflection, and emotional renewal, which every bride and bridesmaid need.

If you don't know of any Yoga instructors in your area, or if you happen to be traveling elsewhere for the party, why not hire someone from Yoga For Weddings? They offer special event packages so you can customize a bridal shower or bachelorette party. Currently, they have teachers in California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Oregon. It may be just the thing if you're not into a night of strippers and barhopping.

If you're looking for more Yoga in your life, you don't have to stop at just one session. Yoga For Weddings also offers packages of six or 12 classes, or six months of classes - for yourself, you and the groom, or for you and your entire bridal party. It's a great way to stay fit, healthy, and centered in the time leading up to your special day.

Head to IDoSugar for more wedding coverage.

Dealing with Your Bachelorette Party (or ANY) Hangover

FitSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:45:00 -0700

It's Wedding Party Week here on the Sugar pages, and FitSugar has been loaded with some wonderful ideas for alternative bachelorette parties. However, if you are planning on going the traditional route you might just get loaded yourself. Here are a few tips for dealing with the hangover that might happen if you get a bit more than tipsy at your bachelorette party.

Drink water before you go to bed!!! It is no joke that alcohol dehydrates you.
Your skin will also feel the effects of dehydration from alcohol, so before you go to bed, slather on face moisturizer to prevent that dry feeling when you wake up.
Nip the headache in the bud and take two ibuprofen tablets, to help diminish the headache and body aches that accompany a hangover.
Clean up!!! Take a nice hot shower upon waking - alcohol resides in your pores, the steam from your hot shower will help sweat out the alcohol and the smell.
Juice it!!! Drink juice - fructose, such as honey or fruit juice, may help your body burn the alcohol faster.
Physical activity (wink - wink, nudge nudge) can help your body burn through the excess alcohol by eliminating the toxins by sweating.

My buddy DearSugar has some suggestions for dealing with hangovers.

Please remember to drink responsibly and never, ever drink and drive.

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Bachelorette Party Idea: Private Yoga Class

FitSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Not into doing shots and going to see male strippers for your bachelorette party? Instead of going out and getting a lap dance from some muscular stranger wearing a g-string, how about doing something centering and physical like a private yoga class?

You can hire an instructor you know or contact a local yoga studio. AN istructor could either come to your home, but if you don't have the space, you could have the private class at the studio or gym where they teach.

Or check out this service - Yoga for Weddings. It's made up of a network of yoga instructors from New York, London, Seattle, and Miami. Even if you don't live in those cities, if you book them far enough in advance, they can get an instructor to come to you wherever you are. You can do one private class or sign up for a class package.

Just e-mail or call Yoga for Weddings to discuss details or to schedule a private Yoga session.

I love this idea because it supports your healthy, active lifestyle. You can't get a massive headache hangover from a yoga class, but you may learn to stand on your head. Yoga is all about inspiring you to stretch and move your body, so you can open your heart and calm your mind. It'll be an experience you and your girlfriends will always remember.

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Mehndi Party for the Bride to Be

FitSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 03:00:00 -0700

When my best friend got married, she wasn't into the all-night strip joint and bar-hopping scene. Before she met her now husband, she spent a year abroad in India, so when it was time for her Bachelorette Party, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

In Indian traditions, the bride gets together with all her female friends and family right before she gets married and they have a Mehndi Party. She gets adorned with henna tattoos all over her hands and feet, so she looks beautiful on her wedding day. Of course, you may want to plan this party a few months before your big day, unless you want to wear henna with your fancy white dress.

Henna tattoos are all natural but not at all permanent. The henna only stains the outer layer of the skin, so it lasts about 2-4 weeks. The dried leaves of the henna plant are ground into a greenish powder, and then mixed with lemon juice and warm water (and anything else in their family's recipe). The chocolate-colored paste is applied with a cone (kind of like baker's use for decorating cakes) or with a thin stick.

The designs are extremely intricate and take hours to apply. The bride has to sit and wait for the paste to dry and set, so if she needs anything, all her gal pals take care of her. After a few hours, the dried paste is then peeled or brushed off the skin, revealing an orange print. Some people even wait until the next morning before peeling off the design to ensure a darker stain - I even slept with plastic bags on my hands, I like being decorated. Never wash the dried henna off with water since that will make the design fade faster. The color darkens over the next few days, but as the dead skin cells begin to slough off, the henna tattoo, too, begins to fade away.

Fit's Tips: If you love this idea, contact your local tattoo parlor, spiritual bookstore, yoga studio, or salon. Someone is bound to know someone who does Mendhi in your area. The artist can come and do just the bride, or do all the guests at your Bachelorette Party. Then for the 2-4 weeks you'll have a visual reminder of this special day spent with the girls.

Want to see what it looks like after the paste is peeled off? Then read more

Depending on family traditions, some brides have their husband's initials hidden in the designs, and the couple is not considered officially married until the groom finds them. I've also heard that as long as the henna remains on the bride's skin, she doesn't have to perform any wifely duties (like washing the dishes and doing the laundry). Too bad henna only lasts less than a month.

Stick to Healthy Eating, Even at Your Bridal Shower

FitSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 02:30:00 -0700

Now that you're engaged you're going to be attending a lot of parties in your honor: Engagement parties, showers, bachelorette parties, etc. Nothing can kill healthy eating like a wedding shower complete with a plate full of potato salad and cake.

To make sure you don't overindulge this wedding season, here are a few tips to keep you from stressing over eating at parties:

Don't show up on an empty stomach. Have a little something healthy at home, this way you won't feel the need to stuff your face upon your first sighting of the buffet table.
Have a say. Chances are the person planning the party may ask what kinds of foods you'd like to have there. Ask for healthy options as well as typical party fare.
Make sure you eat. I know this one seems obvious, but everyone wants to talk to the bride and sometimes it's hard to get a bite in. Chances are your body is already running on low fuel as it is and the last thing you want is to get sick because you're not getting enough nutrients. Can't break away from Auntie Emily telling you about her bunions? Ask a good friend or mom to fill a plate for you with lots of healthy (and yummy) stuff.
Drinking can be your worst enemy. I'm not saying don't drink, but drink in moderation at these parties. A drunk bride can be a little unsightly, not to mention the added calories you'll be getting from that 4th vodka tonic.
Party games anyone? Parties do not have to only consist of drinking and eating. Ask the planner to plan activities that get everyone moving and burning off a little of that ganache. Pin the veil on the bride anyone?
Don't be too hard on yourself. This one is important! These parties are meant to be fun. If you splurge and have a few extra pieces of cake, it's OK...besides you didn't want to be rude, now did you? Just promise yourself you'll hit the gym for an extra 5 minutes the next day.

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Rejuvenate and Party: Spa Day Bachelorette Party

FitSugar — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:15:00 -0700

It is Wedding Season, here at the Sugar Network, and this week is dedicated to all the parties that happen before the BIG Day. Now, not every bachelorette party needs to be about drinking too much or making extravagant wedding dresses from toilet paper. You can do something fun and relax while you chill with your best gal pals - yes, I am talking Spa Day.

There are many options when you are planning your Spa Day bachelorette party, mostly because there are so many spas and day spas to choose from. Many spas will offer group discounts of 10-15% for groups larger than 4 or 6. Often the guests can pick or choose their own treatments and you can all hang out together between massages, or you can have your pedicures all at the same time. Make sure the spa has a hot tub so you can all hang out together as one big, crazy bachelorette party. No splashing though since that is often considered poor spa etiquette.

You can also opt for a party crated by Mobile Spa Party in the comfort of your own home (you supply the hot tub). Their tag line is "A Day Spa at your Doorstep" and they offer day spa services including: facials, skin treatments, massage, manicures, pedicures, and more. Unfortunately, the Mobile Spa only operates in a handful of metropolitan areas across the US. Here is the link to their locations listed by state and metro area.

Some upscale nail salons are open to hosting parties, where you and your party have the entire salon to yourselves. Generally you supply the food and beverages and they provide the mani's and pedi's. There is no reason not to go out on the town with pretty fingers and toes, so you can combine a little pampering with a little partying.

You know my buddy Bella has something to say on this subject. Check out her post, Bachelorette Weekend: A Spa Pampering Party, for even more ideas.

No matter what you do - have some fun and let all that wedding stress melt away.

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A Bachelorette Party that Burns Calories, Not Brain Cells

FitSugar — Mon, 14 May 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Some bachelorette parties go a little something like this: Gather. Drink. Pile into limo. Stop at bar with penis straws and sashes saying things like "Miss Bride to Be". Male stripper does a dance. Random dude at the bar buys everyone shots. Pile back into the limo. Maid of honor to be tosses her cookies out the window while crying. Blackout. Wake up feeling like crap. The end.

I don't know about you, but this is not always my idea of a good time. How about trying something different for your (or your best friend's) bachelorette party. I'm thinking Sheila Kelley's S Factor...

Led by an instructor, an S Factor Bachelorette Party is a totally creative way to celebrate a bride-to-be. The two-hour party is designed with fun in mind, yet still provides the gentle, rigorous workout that the S Factor is famous for. The first part of the party consists of a luxurious warm-up that takes students through all S Factor movements and positions learned in the regular classes. Depending on the size of the party, everyone will learn the first part of a lap dance routine and a beginning pole trick or two. The best part is, the bride-to-be will learn a full-on lap dance routine that she will perform for her friends (and later her husband-to-be). The cost for an S Factor Bachelorette Party is $550 (for up to 10 women). For more information and to book a party, go to SFactor.com.

Fit's Tip: Party hardy after you've burned off some calories -- Especially since food or drink are not allowed and, due to safety regulations, alcoholic beverages should not be consumed before or during the party.

Dos and Don'ts of Healthy Wedding Planning

FitSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Let's face it: planning a wedding is stressful. Depending on how big your wedding is, it could be one of the most stressful projects you've ever taken on. So amid all the excitement, it's important to keep yourself fit, healthy, centered, and sane. Here's what do to (and what not to do) when planning a wedding the fit and healthy way.

Do make a plan. It sounds basic, but start by planning out your timeline, then go down the list one by one. Otherwise, you'll easily feel overwhelmed.
Don't be shy about accepting help. People have gotten married many times before, so why start from scratch? Registry checklists, like our downloadable registry, will save you serious time. You'll also have people offering to help you left and right, so let them!
Do come up with a fitness plan. If part of your plan includes getting fit for the big day, map out a workout schedule - with the help of online programs or a trainer - to keep yourself on track.

For a few other ideas for how to stay sane while planning your wedding, read more.

Don't overdo it. Getting in shape shouldn't mean setting unrealistic goals that require crash-dieting and unsafe lifestyle changes. Losing a maximum of two pounds a week is considered reasonable.
Do make time for yourself. You'll be bombarded by people and questions right through the wedding day, so set aside some alone time for yoga, massages, walks - whatever.
Don't neglect your workouts. Make sure your exercise routine doesn't get lost in the shuffle. Put workouts on your calendar, alongside all your wedding appointments. If you want, recruit a special wedding workout buddy.
Do control your party-food intake. You're likely to attend some engagement and bachelorette parties before the big day, but if you're trying to stay slim, keep your indulging in check. Have a bite of something you're craving, then move on.

Any of you recent brides out there have anything to add? If so, share them in the comments!
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Destress On Your Big Day: Yoga for Weddings

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:00:00 -0800

For all you bride-to be's out there, I just came upon this great website called Yoga For Weddings. Basically, it's a service that offers private yoga classes for brides, grooms, and their families, focusing on de-stressing and making strong connections.

Real teachers will come to you, and give classes for the months leading up to your wedding, such as a Bride Class, Groom Class, Bride & Groom Class, Parent Class, In-Law Class, Bachelorette/Bachelor Party Class (definitely not your traditional party), Bridal Party Class, Sibling Class, Groom & Dad Class, Bride & Mom Class, Bride & Sibling Class, Groom & Mom Class, or Family Combo Class.

They offer private classes for the day or week of your wedding, and classes for after the wedding, like for your Anniversary (aww).

I love this idea. Currently, they have teachers based in New York, London, Seattle, and Miami, but they'll work with you through their network of yoga instructors, depending on where you need them. Just e-mail or call Yoga For Weddings - schedule one class or a class package, and they'll come to you, offering you peace and relaxation on your special day.