Body Beautiful, Part 3: Armed and Ready

From squats to exfoliation, here’s how to get dress-ready for your big day

As a bride-to-be, you have a to-do list a mile long. But while you’re booking your reception site, hiring a photographer and testing out

As a bride-to-be, you have a to-do list a mile long. But while you’re booking your reception site, hiring a photographer and testing out bands, we’d like to remind you to remember the most important part of the whole ceremony: You!

“Brides get so caught up in the wedding and being busy,” says Richel D’Ambra, owner of Richel D’Ambra Spa & Salon in Philadelphia, “they forget about themselves.” To help you look and feel your best as you walk down the aisle in that gorgeous gown, we’ve teamed up with local fitness and beauty experts to help you prepare your most visible parts — your back, buns, arms and legs — for their Big Day. Try these exercises — most of which can be done at home — to target these four key areas, and then take in a spa treatment to enhance your glow.

Part 3: Armed and Ready

Elegant arms complement any dress, so make sure yours are toned for your wedding day with the following exercises.

Push-ups: “Push-ups work the whole upper body: the shoulders, arms and chest,” says Garrison. So get down and introduce your nose to the ground. If you aren’t yet strong enough for standard military style, start on your knees.

Tricep dips: You can do dips on the floor (easiest), a chair (moderate), or the parallel bars at the playground or gym (difficult). Using your body weight for resistance, lower yourself down until your elbows are at a right angle and push back up.

Bicep curls: Holding a dumbbell in each hand with your wrists facing up, bend your elbows and raise your hands to your shoulders, then lower back down.

For each exercise, shoot for a minimum of 3 sets of 10 repetitions. “If you go through the first set without difficulty or strain, you should increase the weights,” says Snyder. Muscle fatigue means you’re getting the job done.

See part 1 for exercises to tone your back.

See part 2 for exercises to firm your posterior.