I just looked at my calendar last night.  It’s the one hanging from my fridge, the only thing that gets me where I am supposed to be every day!  As I flipped through, looking at my weekend plans for the remainder of the summer, I realized wedding season is truly in full swing (I have four on my calendar so far).

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE weddings!  It makes me so happy to see people I care about start the rest of their lives together.  Plus, I get really excited for shakin’ my groove thing on the dance floor.  The only thing is, between work, trips to see the family, cookouts, concerts, baseball games and camping, (not to mention other random obligations and activities) the last thing I have time to stress out about is looking good and feeling great in my dresses for all those weddings!  I’m sorry, but losing “the last five pounds” to look my best is just not in the cards. 

Luckily for me, and all you other ladies with a summer full of weddings, looking great doesn’t have to mean being miserable while dieting for a month!  Jockey® has a summer wedding dressing guide just for us!  The slimming and smoothing shapewear and underwear options from our No Panty Line Promise® collection will help flatter all of our womanly curves (even the ones we aren’t too proud of).  You can define your bust and waist, smooth out your midsection, slim your tummy and rear, tone and smooth out your thighs and get all over shaping.  Plus, keeping your panty lines invisible is a breeze with the No Panty Line Promise® panties.  

If you’re anything like me, it’s great to know I have one less thing to worry about this wedding season!  Now if I could just find the right shoes, necklace and purse…

Don’t sweat the dress this wedding season, check out our wedding dressing guide to find a style that will help you look and feel your best!  Do you have any “prep” secrets to looking your best at summer weddings?  We’d love to hear them!

-Sami Seagren, jockey.com

Bridget M., of Oklahoma City, Okla., is teaching her pre-school class all about Jockey®, thanks to her personal shopper Diana Benisch. Diana and the Consumer Relations team supplied Bridget with two Jockey Being Family bears.

The young students in Bridget’s class are taking turns bringing the bears, affectionately named Brownie and Cupcake, home with them for a week. While Cupcake and Brownie are at the children’s homes, they are the subject of photos (during dinner for example) and artwork, all of which is brought back to the classroom and put on display.

“Thanks so much,” says Bridget, “I always thought there was something special about Jockey®, and now I know it!”

I have come to that threshold that every dieter must cross, I fear:
LIFE. It’s just getting in the WAY of things!

First, my hip started to hurt after pushing myself in a race a few weeks ago. After still trying to run on it for a week or two, popping ibuprofen like crazy, and beginning to walk like a pirate with a slight limp, I decided that perhaps it was time to give running a break. (I mean, pirates are cool and all in the movies, but walking like one? Not so much.) No big deal, I thought. I enjoy biking, so I figured I would just cross-train with that in place of hitting the pavement every day.

I was excited to change up my exercise routine…until my bike decided to double-cross me! Day 1 of Operation Bike, I whipped out my air pump to fill my semi-flat tire, and this awful creaking-crunchy noise of rubber separating from metal ensued. My tire was done for. Flat. Kaput. I guess, after ten years of good use, I should have expected that it might wear out. So what did I do instead of biking? In frustration, I threw my bike back into storage, stomped out the door, and went running. I had to stop two miles later: my hip was hurting even more.

Well, I decided I must do what I just hate doing the most in the summer: I would forego exercising outdoors, and hit the gym instead. The next morning, I went to the gym that I usually don’t go to until the snowflakes start falling. I walked up to the doors at 6am, yanked heavily on the metal handle—and nothing happened. The doors were locked! The gym was closed! Not only did I look like a pirate as I half-stomped, half-limped back to my car, but I sounded like one, too, as I grumbled to myself. (Yes, I actually muttered out loud to myself—good thing nobody was around to hear me, because I probably sounded like a crazy person!)

No bike, I can’t run—now what? Since I was up anyway, I decided to bust out an old workout DVD that I used to like doing. I got home and scanned my DVD collection, only to find that my DVD was missing.

Okay world, who sent you out to get me?

Normally, I don’t like to complain. And I don’t like to make excuses. It’s the easiest thing in the world to find reasons why you CAN’T do something. But after all of those things happened and got in my way, I just couldn’t find the motivation to work out (or even figure out how to, with my go-to options canned). It was not a good way to start my week off. I managed to work out at the gym two afternoons this week, but then staying late at work got in the way one night, as did get-togethers with co-workers after work, celebrating with my roommate when she got a job offer, meeting up with some friends for some birthday drinks, and going out to dinner with my boyfriend… Every night, it seemed there was something going on that was getting in the way of staying on track.

I began to wonder: How do others deal with a hectic lifestyle, but still eat healthy and exercise? And I am not even talking about being on a diet, but just generally staying fit and eating right as a way of life, as we all should be doing. I know people who are married, people with children, people who are involved in groups around the community, people with a much more demanding workload, people with older bones, and people who have a tighter budget who can’t afford the healthier (but often more expensive) foods. How do they all do it? Somehow, they make life work.

It puts things into perspective for me. Sure, we all have days where life just gets in the way. We’re human. All those people I aspire to be like, they have off days too. But they also have days where they still just make it work. I think I can do that, too, if they can.

How do you make it work when life gets in the way? When the kids are eating pizza, how do you stick to your salad for dinner? When you want to go for a workout but the gym is closed, what do you do?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and advice…I think we ALL could use it for those off days!

Next up: I am taking part in a six mile Mud Run this weekend to raise money for multiple sclerosis. I know running to help others will get me motivated and back on track—I’m already looking forward to it! I can’t wait to show some pictures of me, muddy head to toe, and let you know how it goes.

Fat Stats:
Starting weight: 166 pounds
Last week: 154.5 pounds
This week: 155 pounds (A slight gain—but I’ll get it back off next week!)
Goal weight: 145 pounds

Yo ho ho mates,
Amanda
@jockey_amanda

Wallace M., of Carmel by the Sea, Calif., was shot down last month in Afghanistan when his helicopter was hit by enemy fire. Not able to lift more than five pounds, he’s just beginning what could be a long recovery process.

While helping him with his Jockey® order, personal shopper Laura Fonk was deeply touched when she heard what had happened. She thanked Wallace for his courageous service in the armed forces. Then, she sent him a special “thank you” card signed by everyone in the department, along with an assortment of red, white and blue Jockey Five-Star T-shirts…for a five-star hero.