Did I fall off the bridal-boot-camp wagon? Sort of—figuring out I would be gone almost every weekend in May (Mother’s Day in Wisconsin, trips to Philadelphia and Delaware) made me swap out my eight-week, two-session commitment for a four-week, one-session stint.

Michelle and her fiancé, Mike, at their engagement party.

If you subscribe to this blog’s e-newsletter (and if you don’t, you should probably get on that), you read two weeks ago that I’ve pulled the (crazy? awesome?) move of joining a 7 AM Saturday workout class for brides. Yes, that means waking up at 6. I, however, am not as crazy or awesome as most of the women in the Fit-Brides program, who also have committed to Tuesday and Thursday evening classes.   

So how are things going? Michelle, who’s getting married in October, is one for two on her goals so far:

“The first week of class was tough. I was sore every day! I’m glad I committed to the program though. Now I’m not as sore, but the classes are still a challenge. Keeping the commitment to attend each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday is even more challenging. Since high school I have always made a point to get some kind of exercise, but I’ve been a yo-yo about it at best. That’s my first goal—to develop a habit of exercising regularly—and it’s going really well.

You can sort of see me in the mirror, struggling along!

I’ve done some crazy things in the name of journalism before (hopping a fence at a John Kerry rally to get an interview; trick-or-treating at Maureen Dowd’s house), but nothing comes close to this one: Eight weeks of “bridal boot camp”—an exercise class geared toward brides-to-be—at Sport & Health in McLean (1800 Old Meadow Rd.; 703-556-6550). On Saturday mornings. At 7 AM.

The Fit-Brides program—there’s also a resistance class on Tuesdays and a Pilates class on Thursdays, both at 6:30 PM—attracts brides such as Michelle Pycior, who started the first four-week session on Saturday and is getting married in October at Raspberry Plain in Leesburg. “I’m pretty healthy already as far as exercise and food,” she says, “but I just want to be a little more toned all over.” Her wedding dress is sleeveless with thick straps—perfect for showing off defined arms.