IN Fitness

Getting fit for your wedding is one thing, but a Perth personal trainer who specialises in training bridal parties is on a crusade to stamp out something called brideorexia.

Justine McInerney might have started a personal training business, but she has also got a serious message to teach her clients.

A nurse, midwife and personal trainer with 18 years of experience in the health care profession, Justine owns Runaway Brides, a training business which gets bridal parties fit for a wedding.

While Justine can help people look great on their big day, her ultimate goal is to educate brides and grooms to exercise safely and focus on the long term goal of maintaining their health and fitness during their marriage, rather than only on their wedding day.

“We want brides and grooms to start their marriage feeling healthy and strong, thinking clearly and glowing from within,” Justine says. “We encourage couples to train together. We like to say that couples who train together stay together.”

A good 70 per cent of her clients are women but Justine and her team – including fiancé and head trainer Colby Huggins – train all members of the bridal party and their friends. With a focus on fun (as well as plenty of exercise) they also work with young professionals through to older people, many of whom simply want to keep fit and aren’t necessarily married.

“The boxing sessions are really popular,” says Justine. “How often can you hold the pads when your favourite girl is banging the hell out of you? It seems to be a great release for people who are stressed out!

“We find it also gives couples something in common to talk about when they leave a session. It’s something they can share in as they are preparing for the wedding and being in a marriage.”

As well as seeing fit people head to the altar, part of Justine’s mission is to eliminate the rise of bulimic brides to be and brideorexia as an acceptable practise for wedding preparation.

Brideorexia is a term given to the extreme measures brides or grooms take to lose weight in order to look great on their wedding day. That includes strict calorie limits (anorexia), binging and purging (bulimia) and over exercising. It has been around for centuries and continues to be accepted as part of wedding preparations.

“We’ve all come across a friend, family member or work colleague who has dropped a significant amount of weight in a short time in the lead up to their wedding day. Of course most of this weight is put straight back on within the next few years of marriage as maintaining a brideorexia lifestyle is near impossible long term.

“We want people to consider their long term fitness future and in the short term before their wedding, we can help them get into that strapless dress. We’ll also show them how good fitness and regular exercise is an excellent de-stressor without turning them into bridezillas.”