It is every bride’s dream to look flawless on her wedding day. The key to looking your best is preparation.  Plan ahead to ensure that you look radiant and beautiful on the most memorable day of your life…you see planning is your key.

Follow the wedding preparation timeline and I guarantee you will look perfect on your Wedding Day.

6 Months Before

If you don’t yet have a hair stylist you feel comfortable and confident with, schedule a consultation with several stylists.   They will find the right look for you and have plenty of time to experiment with different cuts and colors.  It takes time to get your hair and your body in great shape, so start early.

Begin a hair care regimen using conditioning hair care products. This will repair any damaged hair and improve the health of your hair. Remember to avoid chlorinated water if you have light or bleached hair!

Have your skin evaluated by a professional esthetician, which will determine your skin’s condition and proper treatment.   There are a multitude of skin care products and treatments that will give your skin that glowing look every bride should have on her wedding day.

If you have any body hair you would like to eliminate, make an appointment to begin receiving waxing services well in advance.  Waxing is a service you do not want to try three weeks before your wedding.

Now for the BIG-Gee!  You want to look in the best shape possible for your wedding day.  Do you need to lose a few pounds?  Begin a workout program to get in shape for the big day. Start with a Body Composition Analysis and let the fitness expert guide you on how to reach your goals.   You can workout on your own, but if you need help, begin working with a certified personal trainer who will customize a workout according to your personal fitness goals. 

Don’t forget that a healthy diet and workout routine will also improve your skin.   Stay hydrated! Make sure you drink at least 64 ounces of water each day or even better, drink half your body weight in ounces of water.  If you weigh 180 pounds, you will want to drink 90 oz. of water.

Don’t want to workout much less eat right?  Now for those of you who do not want to work out and you still want to look the best ever, there are some options:  One option is to try body wrapping to lose inches.  Make sure you use a body wrap that does not dehydrate you or heat you up to remove water.  You want a body wrap that reduces fat in the body and will also tighten, tone and firm your skin.  You want to lose inches, so make sure that you are using a product that works.

Another alternative is to look for supplements that help your body control your appetite and also help your system work to lose weight.  There are many around, but you need to check them out to make sure they alkaline the body, they provide the nutrients that you need, and that people have seen results.  Don’t depend on advertising to make decisions for your supplements.  A multi-vitamin, a green supplement, and something to calm those nerves might be a good start.

5 Months Before

Schedule a consultation with one a professional make-up artist who will try out different looks to determine which is best for you on your day.

Start receiving monthly manicures and pedicures to get your nails in       tip-top shape.

Also start receiving regular microdermabrasion or micro-current treatments for younger, smoother looking skin.

4 Months Before

Evaluate your fitness program with your personal trainer and make any adjustments according to your goals.   If you are not working with a trainer, review your supplements, and at home wraps to make sure you are focused on your weight goals.  Half the fun of getting there is having a goal.  If you are still eating fast food, don’t forget your fat fighters.

Forget flower arrangements for an hour and walk around the block to unwind.

3 Months Before

Start getting your hair trimmed every four to six weeks to keep it healthy.

Make an appointment with your hair stylist and make-up artist to preview your wedding day look. Remember to bring your veil and headpiece to make sure they coordinate with your hairstyle. This will give you plenty of time to make any adjustments.

Pick up a teeth whitening kit or have your pearly teeth whitened to have the best and brightest smile in all your wedding day pictures!

2 Months Before

Concentrate on keeping your skin beautiful – with a at home facial. Keep moisturizing and use our specialty skincare products for problem areas.  Using a facial mask at home helps to seal in the moisture, plump the skin and if you are over 30, minimize those fine lines.

1 Month Before

Schedule your last facial treatment.  This ensures that you will not have any breakouts on your wedding day.  Continue your supplements.  You will need the supplements more than ever, due to your stress level, your lack of time, and your huge “to-do” list.  Continue body wrapping twice a week.  Now is not the time for any bulges in the wrong place.

2 Weeks Before

Meet with your hair stylist to receive your final trim and hair color treatment.   Make sure you are staying stress free with maybe a yoga or pilates class and get plenty of sleep each night.  Use a facial mask every other night to keep the skin well hydrated and plump.

1 Week Before

Have your eyebrows waxed and receive any other facial or body waxing for the last time.  Confirm your hair, make-up and nail appointments.

Stay out of the sun as much as possible. No bride wants to be sunburned on the big day!  It is okay to spray tan, but don’t try it this week f you have never done it before. 

1 Day Before

Get a Manicure and Pedicure, and a massage.  Or better you exfoliate and moisturize your body.   Stay extra-hydrated.  Body wrap those places that need a couple of inches here and there.  Don’t forget your water and your supplements.

Take a nap! Rest assured that you will look your best on your wedding day!

The Big Day

Allow yourself ample time to get ready.  Take a deep breath, smile and have fun! You look beautiful, in shape, and you are walking down the aisle to the man of your dreams!

For trusted sources on body wraps, and supplements for that big day, the following web sites may provide more information and specifics.  Body Wraps or Body Wraps and Supplements.

 Cellulite is totally misunderstood from factual information to actually smoothing the dimples.  Some think that only exercise and diet will cure cellulite, but as many skinny “exercise toting” workout maniacs will tell you, almost nothing works for cellulite (“almost”).  Beauty magazines and workout guides still talk about trapped fat modules, toxins, lack of exercise, and a bad diet as the precursor to cellulite.  Current treatments produce some visual improvement, and the newer FDA approved VelashapeTM  has a huge affect on the cellulite, but is even more effective when combined with the It Works Ultimate Body Applicator.

What Causes Cellulite?

Cellulite results from a hormonal disease driven by estrogen and the destruction of collagen.  It is a very complex disease that includes hormones, the menstrual cycle, and enzymes.  The fatty tissue in men and women is exactly the same, except the woman has a receptor that signals the body to reserve the fat for a potential baby.  This monthly buildup of the enzymes and then the menstrual cycle accounts for cellulite in women.    Studies are ongoing in Asian women to discover why they do not have cellulite. 

It is no wonder that women experience the highs and lows of the month, as the body undergoes some 400 “periods” in a lifetime.  This up and down of hormones including estrogen, progesterone and the stimulation of the enzymes is very critical to the connective tissue which holds the collagen and fatty tissue.  One thing to remember, toxins do not cause cellulite nor does a bad diet or lack of exercise.  Cellulite results from a hormonal roller coaster and is really a disease.

Can Cellulite be Cured?

There is no single miracle cure for cellulite, but there are treatments that produce results for smoothing, toning, and firming the skin.  Laser therapy, high frequency energy, and micro-current can all have an effect on treating cellulite long term.    VelashapeTM, one of the newest FDA approved treatments for cellulite has produced fabulous results as it delivers heat into the fatty tissues.  At the completion of a VelashapeTM treatment, often a wrap is added to make the treatment have even better results.  One of the wraps recommended by the VelashapeTM treatment provider is the It Works Ultimate Body Applicator.  When applied after the treatment, the wrap continues the treatment and results in possibly more inch loss and smoother skin.

Applying the It Works Body Wrap after a VelashapeTM  treatment includes applying the wrap, covering with saran wrap, and drinking one-half your body weight in water.  The water is extremely important for moving the fatty tissue out of the body and eliminating the toxins.  The wrap alone is an excellent wrap for toning, tightening and firming the skin, but when it is combined with the powerful energy of the fat busting technology, the results are very successful.

The Wrap Cellulite Recommendation

If you choose the VelashapeTM route be sure to take along a wrap and a large, large bottle of water.  When your choice of wraps is in question, choose the one that clearly will give you the best results with your treatment.

If your budget does not include VelashapeTM, just check out the body wraps from It Works! Marketing or if you would like more information on body wraps click here.  You will see, they work!

Body wraps have been around since ancient times.  It is believed that former civilizations used clay and mud on the skin, not only to exfoliate the skin, but to utilize the rich minerals in the mud for healing, detox and weight loss.  The detoxification actually occurs due to a physiological effect in the brain. Once the detoxification process begins with a body wrap, it creates almost a circular affect with the body losing waste.  The body is eliminating the bad toxins while the skin is absorbing the “good” ingredients applied under the wrap.

Benefits of Weight Loss Body Wraps

Depending on the ingredients used in the body wrap, the benefits to the body wrap treatment can be numerous.  No matter what type of ingredients that are used, the wrap will always detoxify the body.  Other affects to the body can be hydration, healing, weight loss, fat loss, and exfoliation.

Let’s focus on the weight loss aspect of body wraps.  While historically most wraps have touted weight loss as the number one reason to wrap, the real truth is that most of these so-called weight loss wraps actually dehydrate the body causing the weight loss to be a temporary loss of water.  The loss of water is the result of covering up the body with a wrap that signals to the brain to send down excess serums.  This perspiration process is what most body wraps produce as a weight loss.  The results are temporary and can actually harm the body through dehydration.

Weight loss wraps need to reduce the fat cells to be a permanent “result” wrap.  The wrap needs to contain ingredients that absorb into the skin.  If it is really going to work for weight loss, it has to reduce the fat cells and it must absorb into the lower layers of the skin (the subcutaneous skin layer).  

1. First, the molecules in the lotion must be small enough to be absorbed into the skin and move to the lower layers of the skin where the fat cells reside.
2. The wrap must increase the circulation of the cells so that toxins can be eliminated.  The faster the cell cycle, the cell’s toxins will be thrown off, but need to be eliminated.
3. Water must be used to eliminate the toxins through the body’s own “waste” system.  The body is very brilliant in that all of the “waste” systems work very hard to eliminate toxins.  The kidneys and the liver are just two great examples of the body’s smart elimination system.  This system requires water and a lot of it.
4. Fat didn’t appear overnight, but fat cells can be shrunk with correct, synergistic ingredients and the correct method of wrapping.  The more occlusive the wrap will produce the best results with weight loss.

Body wraps are a targeted method to jump-start the weight loss process.  Fat loss can be achieved with some body wraps.  Use these body wraps as a tool to weight loss. It is not a quick snap your fingers fat loss, but an ongoing tool to permanent fat and weight loss.  Put it into your arsenal of fat loss tools, just like a better diet, eating right, exercise, and supplements.  All of these tools lead to weight loss and thus a healthier you.

Yes, women have cellulite, not just some of us, a whole lot of us have the ugly cells of so-called fat bubbling under the skin.  Some people told us diets, others said to exercise, while Dr. Peter Pugliese said, it really didn’t matter if we exercised or not, some of us are just predisposed to cellulite.  So, you see, even skinny women have cellulite.

Now, today, we have a unique targeted body wrap that helps with cellulite and the “orange peel” appearance.  How does this work?  Well, there are several ingredients that target just the cellulite.  One ingredient is a mouth full, “methylsilanol mannuronate”.  According to Milady’s Skin Care & Cosmetic Dictionary “tests indicate that as a result of its cutaneous hydration activity, it increases skin suppleness and moisturization, and aids in the reduction of cellulite”.

Most of us have tried diets and exercise, with some success; body wraps are becoming more popular as a way to lose weight, detox the body, and get rid of those little fat pockets that never seem to go away.  And today, you can apply and use the targeted body wrap in your own home; you don’t even have to go to the spa!

Body wraps were originally designed to wrap around the body causing the body to sweat and perspire.  Some people thought this was fat disappearing, but this was actually water weight.  With the home body wrap that we are reviewing, the ingredients are actually infused into the fabric, similar to hormone replacement patch.  The cloth when applied to the body helps to push the ingredients into the skin.

Home body wrap kits such as the one we are reviewing are designed to be used at home and are fairly easy to use. This targeted body wrap can be applied as part of your treatment.  Different wraps can contain many natural ingredients, but you want to look for seaweed or algae as the Detox ingredient for the body. 

If you are using a body wrap in your home, you should allow a total of about 1 to 4 hours for the body wrap procedure – about 10 minutes to apply and the rest of the time you can run errands, clean house, or just relax.  The wrap will work in 1 hour, but it takes 4 hours to be 100% complete.   You can take a shower before you wrap, but be sure you don’t have any oils or lotions on as the wrap is most effective against the bare skin.  You will not want to take a shower for about 4 hours after the wrap and you will want to drink half your body weight in water.  This is not a dehydrating wrap, you will not perspire.  The water is to flush out the toxins.  To get the best results is up to each individual.  Some will plan on 2 a week for 2 months, and maintenance after that…while others will continue their results. 

Cellulite body wraps have many advantages.  It is a lot less expensive to wrap cellulite at home than to go to a spa.  Body wrapping at a spa can cost from $75 to $150 depending on your area of the US.  A typical body wrap kit for home is going to cost between $50 and $100 and contain enough wraps for 4 sessions.  If you are applying to the thighs, you may split a wrap in half.  Aside from helping with weight loss and removing toxins from the skin, body wraps also improve the texture of the skin, firming, tightening and toning the skin. And one of the biggest advantages of targeted body wraps is their ability to successfully remove cellulite from the body.

If you have tried everything to remove that cellulite without success –consider trying a home targeted body wrap to remove the cellulite and shrink the fat.  Body wraps may not be for everyone, like pregnant women, and if you have medical conditions, like dialysis, you should consult your physician.  Most people who use a body wrap will claim that it is a very effective way to get rid of cellulite and lose fat.

Find out here where you can get the best targeted body wrap on the market today.

Nancy Reagan is considered a spa expert and consultant.  She is extremely knowledgeable in body treatments and the spa industry, and is a professional marketer and distributor of It Works! herbal body wraps worldwide.

Okay, it can happen to even the best of spas.  My jewel of a friend needed a little escape, so I scheduled 2 massages last Saturday morning.  We drive 45 minutes to the five star spa.  The hotel is brand new and over the top.  The reason I chose this spa…I knew that the massages would be great and the service outstanding.

The appointments were at 9:00, also the time that they open.  We waited at the glass doors and finally at 8:55 the spa concierge appeared and opened the doors.  She wasn’t really rude, but not really friendly either.  She was just doing her job.  She had us fill out the forms and blandly showed the locker rooms and lounge.  We quickly changed into robes and waited for our therapists.

I was called quickly into the treatment room and bid goodbye to my friend.  Little did I know, she was going to read a magazine for a half hour, before she realized that no one was coming to get her.  She then asked spa concierge about her massage, and her therapist was a “NO SHOW” for work.

Now I have many questions.

1. Don’t you have your therapists arrive 20 minutes before the first appointment?
2. Shouldn’t you know before client intake if your therapist is missing in action?
3. Be prepared in advance.  Be a good Boy Scout.
4. Have a backup for No Show Therapists.  It is going to happen. Have an on-call therapist.  That is why Broadway shows have understudies.  The show must go on.
5. If you fail in your service, provide an over the top gift to apologize.  A mumbled “I’m sorry” with a gift certificate does not complete the service transaction with delight.

We left the five star spa without delight or happiness, never to return.  Why pay for five stars when you can pay less and get the same treatment?

What exactly IS cellulite? I know that it is fat, but why does it look different on everyone? And why is it mainly on women? Excess fat accumulates when the body takes in more nutrients than it can use. This fat is stored in the fat cells, which are located in the connective tissue between the dermis and the muscle tissue. This area also includes elastin and collagen fibers. An abnormal accumulation of fat compresses the surrounding tissue, which in turn, can suppress the blood flow and the lymphatic drainage from that area. If lymph reflow back to the area is inhibited, the fluid can build up between the fat cells and give a dimpled appearance.

Recent studies also indicate that enzyme damage accelerates as we age and an enzyme produced in the body breaks down elastin and collagen. When this breakdown occurs, the area appears with the “lovely” orange peel appearance. Many of the newer cellulite gels and creams contain enzyme inhibitors like ‘centella Asiatica’ or ‘Echinacaea’ that can reduce some of this damage. In women, the fat tends to distribute more on the hips and thighs for storage during pregnancy. This fat storage enables the body to maintain enough storage for breastfeeding and the reflow of lymph to the affected areas. Breast milk production can assist in fat mobilization and tends to accelerate post-pregnancy weight loss.

Want to take a peek at a product that helps the dimples?  Try the Ultimate Body Applicator and the Defining Gel…used together, it can make a dramatic difference in the appearance of cellulite.  Check out the starter application package , look under great products, and measure your results.

Okay, I have seen it all, cellulite gone in seconds, reduce fat, lose weight, etc.  I don’t believe half of what anyone says, less from what they do, and even less from….well, you get it I’m sure.  The beauty and spa  industry has its share of magicians, and I don’t know what made me stop at this booth….but I saw a picture of these legs…you know, the dimply, cottage cheese legs…you know the legs- I really have legs, but every product known to man has not stopped the dimples.  I am convinced that I was born with it, I inherited it, and it will never go away unless I have some invasive surgery or a leg transplant.  Now just look at those legs…would you believe it?   And inches gone in 45 minutes?

There were people lined up getting measured and putting on target body wraps….this was at the Premiere Orlando Beauty Show June 2nd.   The product was called It Works!  (It better work) Now this is cool, I want to try this.  And like the lollipop that I am, I tried my first of many ultimate body applicators.  The wrap is very cool when you put it on, and I wore it for almost two hours, but they told me that you only need 1 hour because it uses 80% of the targeted ingredients after 1 hour.  I wore the applicator and came back to get measured.  1 inch off my waist….get out…let me see the ingredients. 

Well, I looked through the ingredients,  there is nothing magical, but I think it is the blend that must make it work.   It is formulated without lanolin, propylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, lanolin, artificial colorants, synthetic fragrances or animal by-products.  And then I saw the parabens….well they need something to preserve all of the vitamins and essential oils, but they don’t have formaldehyde and they are very, very low parabens.  From my esthetician days, I know that masks impregnated with products soak into the skin faster than if left to the open air.  The brain has a physiological function that makes it think that you are suffocating the skin, so the body sends down messengers to create circulation in the area that has on the mask.  The skin will then soak up the ingredients from the applicator faster because the mask is covering the skin totally and it is occlusive to the skin.  A great deal of information, but it basically means the brain causes the skin to soak up the ingredients.

You can see more videos here of the applicators being applied to the face, the neck, the abdomen, or the legs.  And you might too become a believer….Now, I am trying to build protocols for body treatments, facials, and of course, the turkey gobble neck.  The product actually works….it diminishes the fat cells… and what American woman doesn’t want to put on a wrap, curl up with a book, in front of the TV and lose inches.  You mean to tell me I can lose inches without exercising? Am I dreaming?  Check it out!  It Works!

How to get the most out of Yoga??

#1. You should wear loose clothing, (not loose like if you stand on your head, your shirt will fall over your head)- Loose as in not too tight. No shoes or socks, so you must have pretty toes, and no cracked heels.

#2. It is important to breathe. Don’t hold your breathe, but breathe in and breathe out with conviction…like you really mean it. It will start to make a difference in how your body responds. With every exhale, you get to stretch just a little further and just a little further. Inhale through the nose and exaggerate your exhale through your mouth.

#3. It helps to have eaten at least 4 hours before a session of yoga, so that you have strength and energy to last the hour or so. You would think that all of that stretching and posing would not require so much energy, but it does…it will wear you out and change how your body looks.

#4. Do you ever hear people say…oh I couldn’t go to the gym, because I’m not in great shape. Ha, you will never hear that in yoga. It doesn’t matter whether you are 15 or 95, pencil-thin or robustly rotunda, limber like a ballerina or stiff as ladder-backed chair…it just doesn’t matter. Anyone can take yoga…I mean anyone.

#5. As the weeks go by, feel your body respond to the movement, the poses…the muscles change..you start to become aware of your breathing, your posture…and for 1 hour…your mind takes a backseat to your body. It’s hard to think about something, when you have one leg in the air, one arm in front of you, one shoulder turned to the sky.

Yoga isn’t a religion, it was ancient wisdom telling us to take time for us!

As one to always try our spas for new ideas, I decided to try the newest spa in the Bahamas on a recent mini-vacation. The massage sounded nice and they had seven different kinds….ranging from Swedish, to Shiatsu, to Sports to Aromatherapy. In addition they had all kinds of body wraps from a mud wrap to seaweed to salt glows. I was really looking forward to the experience not only to relax, but the holiday was crazy and I really needed a massage. I decided to have a Swedish massage and a seaweed wrap. My friend had never had a massage and opted for the Swedish massage and the mud wrap. I just wanted a nice, relaxing massage, you know the warm, fuzzy kind of massage Little did I know, that we were in for 2 hours of torture.

The massage therapist was a rather large and took me into a very relaxing room, but it was cold. She asked me to get under a skinny towel….it was really cold. She came back in and asked how would I like the pressure….I said deep (before I knew how strong she was). After the first touch, I knew that I was in for a deep massage, but not pain. I told her that the pressure was a little too deep, but I don’t think she understood. The elbow into the shoulder blade should have been my first clue, but I was in total denial.

The agony continued with the slapping of the legs (also know as a percussion stroke in a normal massage and usually reserved for the feet), it felt like she was beating me. The strokes of a massage can include tapotaments, one of which is a tapping stroke, but in this case it felt more like a hammer. The ending was like the grand finale. While lying prone, she asked me to put my arms over my head and clutch my hands around her waist. She said to hold tight while she was going to stretch me. I kindly said, hey I don’t think my arms were meant to stretch this way….she said no problem. Little did I know, she thought otherwise.

Because the massage was so rough, I asked how many years she had trained….the reply was three years. And then I thought maybe it was because she was new….so I asked her how long she had been working….she replied two years at spas throughout the Bahamas. (So as least she spreads her torture around!)

I met my friend in the waiting room and asked her how her massage was….she said, “I feel like someone beat the dickens out of me”. I said, “me too”. They must have both trained in the, “beat the client massage school”. The bruises I had the next day was all the proof I needed to know I had a terrible massage, but what really puzzled me was why I did not stop her from torturing me.

Now for the lesson learned–we are in the spa business and I still did not pipe up and say anything. When you have a massage, yes it can be therapeutic, but it should not be painful. Why is it that when you are on the massage table, you feel powerless to say anything? We feel like the massage therapist is the expert and she should certainly know what she is doing.

If you are having a massage there should be great communication between you and your therapist. They should have communicated clearly the pressure, the touch, and the type of massage you are going to receive. Also, they should clearly know what muscle problems you might have. Massage, if not done correctly, can injure the soft tissue.
Massage is suppose to remove the pain and stiffness from the soft tissue, toning muscles, and relaxing muscle spasms. Skillfully applied, massage directly and indirectly influences the structures and functions of the body. The immediate effects are first noticed on the skin with the secondary results including more active circulation and detoxification. So the next time you have a massage, don’t forget to let them know how you are feeling….if they were fixing your car, wouldn’t you speak up?

Taking great care of your skin includes exfoliation. Why you ask? As you age, our skin cells start to slow down (yes, just like the rest of our bodies). Your job is to make sure that your skin cells keep moving fast (like exercising for your skin cells). How can you do this?

At one spa, they have this amazing treatment with microdermabrasion and ultrasound–it is call it the MEGA-MICRO. Microdermabrasion works like a sanding (pardon- sucking machine to create redness (inflammation and speeding up the skin cells) in the skin. The vacuum pressure in the machine combined with the crystals creates the exfoliation and increased turns of the skin cells. Simple exfoliation is great, but the machine has the vacuum, which in all of the major studies–it is the vacuum that actually does the trick to create younger looking skin. The surface exfoliation is nice, but the vacuum and aspiration speeds up the skin cells, thus creating better looking skin. Step 2 of the MEGA-MICRO is ultrasound to penetrate vitamins into the skin. Using topical vitamins is great, but pushing them into the skin is what creates this wonderful anti-aging treatment. Penetration of the vitamins takes about 2-3 months to see the results ( you need the skin cell cycle to turn every 21-28 days ). It is recommended 6 treatments to start and then maintaining your skin with one a month.

And, you need your home care. It is great to have a skin treatment, but you need to maintain at home, in fact, if you have a budget choice between treatment and home care, always choose the home care, because it is daily. Exfoliate at least 3 times a week, to slough the face and body of dead skin cells. When the body is exfoliated, it allows the skin cells below to rise to the top smoother, clearer, brighter, happier skin.