Find your best self before the wedding ceremony and read marriage, relationship, and wellness tips from Denver wedding officiant, Michael Moody.
Bridal Bootcamp Exercise Program: Legs/Shoulders/Core (30-40 Minutes)
Introduction
Time to be your own personal trainer in LoHi! You still need to exercise outside of your personal training sessions, right??? Perform the exercises in this order. Note the descriptions next to each exercise (e.g., position of the bench or cables) and perform 12-15 reps for every exercise. Also, perform 12-15 reps on each arm if you’re performing a single-arm exercise. Don’t forget to answer the questions in the “Assessment Section” after your workout. Let’s get you ready for your wedding ceremony in Denver, Colorado!
Bridal Bootcamp Circuit 1
1st: Stationary squat with arms raised in a V shape
2nd: Plank with your feet on a bench (30 seconds)
3rd: Cable chopper with a step (same side)
60-second break
4th: Squat with alternating lateral step and dumbbell hammer
5th: Alternating straight arm raise to the ceiling from the pushup position (30 seconds)
6th: Mountain climbers (30 seconds)
60-second break
7th: Squat from a seat with your hands behind your head (don’t round your back)
8th: Dumbbell shoulder press
9th: 60-second jump rope, Stairmaster, or bike
60-second break
10th: Single leg squat while holding a bar (keep your torso squared)
11th: Prone shoulder raise on a bench
12th: Mountain climbers with a twist (30 seconds)
60-second break
Stretch your body to new boundaries before your wedding ceremony in Denver! / Photo: Dinielle De Veyra
Bridal Bootcamp Circuit 2
1st: Walking lunge with straight arm rotation (rotate arms until they’re above the knee in front)
2nd: Deadlift, dumbbell hammer curl, and dumbbell shoulder press (1 fluid movement)
3rd: Cable chopper with a step (alternating sides)
60-second break
4th: Step-up with a medicine ball at your chest
5th: Squat with a dumbbell shoulder press
6th: Mountain climbers (30 seconds)
60-second break
7th: Backwards lunge with dumbbell curl
8th: Kneeling dumbbell shoulder raise in front of armpits (thumbs up)
9th: 60-second jump rope, Stairmaster, or bike
60-second break
10th: Step-up and backwards lunge with dumbbells at your side
11th: 1 arm shoulder press on a seat
12th: Mountain climbers with a twist (30 seconds)
60-second break
Assessment Section
No fitness or personal training program is perfect. Let’s reflect and adapt! Answer the following questions:
How would you adapt this training program?
Which back and chest exercises would you swap out?
How could you make this fitness program more challenging?
How would you change the order of the exercises?
Would you include more breaks in between the sets?
Would you include an even ratio of back and chest exercises instead?
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
Wedding Planning Tips
Bridal Bootcamp Exercise Program: Back/Triceps/Core (30-40 Minutes)
“True physical success begins with observation and reflection.”
Introduction
Time to be your own personal trainer in LoHi! You still need to exercise outside of your personal training sessions, right??? Perform the exercises in this order. Note the descriptions next to each exercise (e.g., position of the bench or cables) and perform 12 reps for every exercise. Also, perform 12 reps on each arm if you’re performing a single-arm exercise. Don’t forget to answer the questions in the “Assessment Section” after your workout. Let’s get you ready for your wedding ceremony in Denver, Colorado!
Bridal Boot Camp Circuit 1
1st: Wide grip pulldown with a slight slant back or Assisted wide grip pull-up machine
2nd: Tricep cable pushdown with a bar
3rd: Plank on your elbows with alternating arm reach (45 seconds)
60-second break
4th: Wide grip pulldown with a slight slant back or Assisted wide grip pull-up machine
5th: Tricep cable pushdown with a curved bar
6th: Plank on your elbows with alternating arm reach and toes on medicine balls (45 seconds)
60-second break
7th: Wide grip pulldown kneeling on a Bosu or sitting on a stability ball or Assisted wide grip pull-up machine
8th: Tricep cable pushdown with a straight bar
9th: Squat and twist with the medicine ball at your chest (45 seconds)
60-second break
10th: 1 arm cable lateral pulldown
11th: 1-arm cable pushdown with a handle
12th: Plank with elbows on the floor and feet on the bench (45 seconds)
60-second break
Bridal Boot Camp Upper Body / Photo: Jonathan Borba
Bridal Boot Camp Circuit 2
1st: Wide grip cable row (knee height)
2nd: Tricep dumbbell kickback on the bench
3rd: 60-seconds on the Stairmaster or jump rope
60-second break
4th: Wide grip cable row with squat (hip height)
5th: Tricep dumbbell kickback on the bench with a wrist twist
6th: 60-seconds on the Stairmaster or jump rope
60-second break
7th: Close grip cable row seated on a stability ball (chest height)
8th: Pushup with your feet on the bench
9th: 60-seconds on the Stairmaster or jump rope
60-second break
10th: 1 arm cable bow and arrow (chest height, row with a step back)
11th: Tricep dumbbell kickback on the bench
12th: 60-seconds on the Stairmaster or jump rope
60-second break
Assessment Section
No fitness or personal training program is perfect. Let’s reflect and adapt! Answer the following questions:
How would you adapt this training program?
Which back and chest exercises would you swap out?
How could you make this fitness program more challenging?
How would you change the order of the exercises?
Would you include more breaks in between the sets?
Would you include an even ratio of back and chest exercises instead?
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
Wedding Planning Tips
Bridal Bootcamp Exercise Program: Chest Presses/Back Rows/Chest Flyes
“Become a human scientist and rediscover your physical self.”
Introduction
Time to be your own personal trainer in LoHi! You still need to exercise outside of your personal training sessions, right??? Perform the exercises in this order. Note the descriptions next to each exercise (e.g., position of the bench or cables) and perform 12 reps for every exercise. Also, perform 12 reps on each arm if you’re performing a single-arm exercise. Don’t forget to answer the questions in the “Assessment Section” after your workout. Let’s get you ready for your wedding ceremony in Denver, Colorado!
Bridal Boot Camp Circuit
1st: Dumbbell Chest press on a flat bench
2nd: 2-arm cable back row (close grip handle/facing machine: position the cable at chest height and pull your elbows past your sides)
3rd: Cable chest flyes (facing away from the machine: position the cable at chest height and fly your straight arms in front of the chest)
-Now perform 10 standard pushups before jumping on the Stairmaster for 60 seconds.
60-second break
4th: Dumbbell Chest press on an incline bench
5th: 2-arm cable back row with a squat (wide handle/facing machine: position the cable at shoulder height and pull your elbows past your sides)
6th: Cable chest flyes with an alternating lunge (facing away from the machine: position the cable at shoulder height and fly your straight arms downward…just below the chest)
Now perform 10 pushups with your feet on the bench before jumping on the Stairmaster for 60 seconds.
60-second break
7th: Dumbbell Chest press on a flat bench with elevated feet and knees
8th: 1-arm cable back row (facing machine: position the cable at chest height and pull your elbows past your sides)
9th: Cable chest flyes (facing away from the machine: position the cable at chest height and fly your straight arms in front of the chest)
-Now perform 10 pushups with your right foot on the bench before jumping on the Stairmaster for 60 seconds.
60-second break
10th: 1-arm cable chest press with a lunge
11th: 1-arm cable back row (facing machine: position the cable at shoulder height and pull your elbows past your sides)
12th: Cable chest flyes with a squat (facing away from the machine: position the cable at shoulder height and fly your straight arms downward…just below the chest)
-Now perform 10 pushups with your left foot on the bench before jumping on the Stairmaster for 60 seconds.
60-second break
13th: Dumbbell Chest press on a flat bench
14th: 2-arm cable back row with single leg squat (wide handle/facing machine: position the cable at knee height and pull your elbows past your sides)
15th: Dumbbell chest flyes (facing away from the machine: position the cable at chest height and fly your straight arms in front of the chest)
-Now perform 10 standard pushups before jumping on the Stairmaster for 60 seconds.
Time for a nap!
Bridal Boot Camp Upper Body Program / Photo: Cottonbro
Assessment Section
No fitness or personal training program is perfect. Let’s reflect and adapt! Answer the following questions:
How would you adapt this training program?
Which back and chest exercises would you swap out?
How could you make this fitness program more challenging?
How would you change the order of the exercises?
Would you include more breaks in between the sets?
Would you include an even ratio of back and chest exercises instead?
Wedding Planning Tips
Weight Loss Plan Week 1: A Fresh Start to Optimal Health (and a Flat Waistline)
“Your tiny efforts each day will have a cumulative effect on your optimal health.”
STARTING YOUR JOURNEY
For the next four weeks, you'll review several nutrition-focused articles to help you achieve your health goals (always check your spam). They are the essential supplements to Dr. Fuhrman's book End of Dieting! As you read the book, you might say, "This guy is nuts....there's no way I can follow this plan!". Remember our main goal: To understand how we can operate optimally. We'll learn what our body truly needs and then we'll determine what we can get away with (our body's sensitivity to different foods). If you're patient and don't mind experimenting with your diet a bit, you'll definitely lose weight, improve your health, and feel better every day!
When you start the next section of the plan, 1. Read the article and 2. Complete the "Human Scientist Activities" section at the end (if you haven't already). While the homework is never required, it is always expected :) Let's be honest, though, you're an adult, and I can't make you do anything you don't want to. But.......If you've been frustrated with your poor health or how you feel, then let's figure this out together. Become a human scientist! The more I know about you, the better. Make the next four weeks life-changing! Do the work!
Alright....you're about to be brainwashed slowly..... give in (your body will thank you!). Here is an introduction to Dr. Fuhrman’s approach. We’ll figure out what you can get away with later!
THE NUTRITARIAN DIET
Achieve sustainable weight loss, optimal health, and enhanced longevity by fueling your body with delicious, high-nutrient foods.
The most essential life skill is to learn how to take the best care of ourselves—nutritionally, physically, and emotionally—and that is what the Nutritarian diet is all about. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., a board-certified family physician with over 25 years of experience practicing nutritional medicine, has created an eating plan that incorporates the latest advances in nutritional science to empower you to reach your ideal weight and reverse chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, migraines, and even early stages of some cancers.
Dr. Fuhrman coined the term “Nutritarian” to describe a diet that is nutrient-dense and plant-rich and includes anti-cancer superfoods, which also facilitate weight loss. These foods provide the right amounts of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates) and the vital micronutrients (vitamins, phytochemicals, and minerals) that unleash the body’s incredible power to heal itself and slow the aging process, giving it renewed vitality.
Wedding Weight Loss / Photo: Karolina Grabowska
BENEFITS OF THE NUTRITARIAN DIET
-No more calorie counting
-No more feeling hungry between meals
-Eating delicious, satisfying foods that have anti-cancer properties
-Reversing heart disease, diabetes, and most autoimmune diseases
-Detoxifying your body and overcoming food cravings
-Feeling great and enjoying increased energy
The Nutritarian diet uses no gimmicks or fads. There’s no yo-yo dieting. You’ll achieve your ideal weight while maintaining excellent muscle and bone mass for the rest of your life. This will pay incredible dividends in your life, and in the lives of those you love.
REVERSE DISEASE
Harness your body’s tremendous power to heal itself through proper nutrition. You don’t have to live with a debilitating, chronic disease—the Nutritarian diet allows you to take control of your health destiny through superior nutrition. You’ll eat a nutrient-dense, plant-rich diet of vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, and seeds, with the option of including a small amount of animal products.
DESIGNED TO HEAL
The Nutritarian diet is designed to help you reach your ideal weight as your body heals. And, as your body and palate adjust to the Nutritarian eating style, you’ll lose your cravings for unhealthy and disease-promoting foods such as sugar, salt, white flour, oil and processed foods.
By following the Nutritarian eating style, you will:
-Feel your energy levels soar as you detox from unhealthful, addictive foods
-Reverse high blood pressure, high cholesterol, headaches, indigestion, acne, asthma, and chronic fatigue syndrome
-Protect yourself against heart disease, stroke, dementia, osteoporosis, and cancer
-Don’t assume that excellent health and ideal weight are the result of genetics or luck. The reality is that our health is largely tied to our dietary choices. The Nutritarian diet can help you achieve optimal health.
Wedding Weight Loss Denver / Photo by Sarah Chai
LOSE BODY FAT
Achieve sustainable body fat loss while enjoying delicious and nourishing foods. Conventional diets force you to count calories and live in a constant state of deprivation. That’s why the Nutritarian diet is a game-changer: it’s the only diet designed to help you lose weight as you eat larger quantities of nutrient-dense, plant-rich (and delicious) foods. You’ll not only feel satisfied – you’ll also feel more invigorated as the weight drops off, your overall health improves, and your energy levels increase.
YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE
Based on the latest scientific literature, and his own experience helping thousands of people successfully recover their health and transform their lives, Dr. Fuhrman designed this program, which:
-Does not involve any calorie counting
-Does not require consuming a completely vegan or vegetarian diet.
-Is instrumental in reversing many chronic health problems
-Provides the key to overcoming food addiction
-Puts an end to “yo-yo” dieting and the health dangers that go along with it
-Outlines a diet plan with foods that you will come to prefer
-Helps you feel and look younger
-Helps protect against certain types of cancer
-May add healthy years to your life
When you follow the Nutritarian diet, you can eat until you feel satisfied and, over time, your appetite for empty-calorie foods will decrease. You’ll feel great and give your body the tools it needs to fight and reverse chronic disease.
Weight Loss / Photo: Karolina Grabowska
ACTIVITY SECTION
It's time to focus on the trends and patterns of you! With this being said, I need a little data:
1. Journal: Please complete 3 days of a food journal. Write down what you specifically ate with the time and general amounts (no calories). Be honest-I won't judge! I want to help you find the right substitutes or modify them wherever needed.
2. Goals: To increase accountability, I'm asking you to email 3 specific goals. Always keep last month's goals in mind. Did you reach your goals? Why or why not? What would you have done differently? Were the goals realistic?
Please take two minutes to respond to this-it will guide your programs and behaviors for the next 4 weeks. The more specific, the better. The greater focus for you, the more likely you'll reach your larger goals.
Dietary Goal:
IE: 1 soda per week, 4 glasses of wine per week, 1 cheat meal per week, 50% veggies with every meal
Fitness Goal:
IE: 4 days of exercise, walk 12,000 steps per day, perform a perfect lunge, perform a pullup
Life Goal:
IE: Don't work over the weekend, Take a breath whenever I'm stressed, Spend more time with my spouse
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!
Wedding Planning Tips
Episode #29 - Overcoming Illness and Poor Health with a Natural Diet and Mindfulness | Asha Gala
Introduction
Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that steer the social stream of consciousness….Truly a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Each episode is a glimpse into the trends and patterns of human behavior and the underlying influences that guide us in different directions. Whether we focus primarily on nutrition or the unconscious, guests share insights, thought-provoking lessons, the nuances of creativity, and the elements of being… us.
Today, we examine the role of mindfulness in transforming your physical health with Asha Gala, a lifestyle coach and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) Teacher from the farm at Ethos Primary Care. No doubt, a relevant topic for those listeners interested in improving their health and reversing illness. We discussed the early cultural influences on her diet in Mumbai and the challenges of transitioning to the American way of life and diet as an adult. Most certainly, Asha’s experience with her daughter’s chronic sickness opened up a new world of “food as medicine” as she sought a remedy…and we explored the connection of that journey to the challenges her patients face today.
#29 - Overcoming Illness and Poor Health with a Natural Diet and Mindfulness | Asha Gala
We also dissected the early influences on Asha’s dietary and lifestyle approach and how to convince ourselves to move outside of our wired way of life. Our conversation naturally flowed to the common obstacles to transforming your health, the role of compassion, and the importance of the readiness for change. We highlighted the foundation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and the role of awareness and the breath, as well.
To learn more about Asha Gala, https://www.ethosprimarycare.com/asha-gala.
About the Author: Michael Moody, Wedding Officiant
Michael Moody—author of the self-improvement book Redefine Yourself: The Simple Guide to Happiness and host of “The Elements of Being” podcast—is an ordained minister serving Denver as well as other towns across Colorado. He is a 2023 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award winner in both Denver and Chicago (his eighth consecutive year), was named “Best Business of 2024 and 2025” by Three Best Rated, and earned “The Best Wedding Officiant in Commerce City, Colorado for 2024” from Quality Business Awards USA. Since 2012, he has officiated more than 300 weddings.
Specifically, Michael officiates wedding ceremonies in the Denver neighborhoods of LoDo, River North, Washington Park, Cherry Creek, City Park, Central Park, Capitol Hill, Cheesman Park, Park Hill, Highland, Platt Park, Lower Highlands, Sloan Lake as well as the zip codes 80215, 80214, 80204, 80203, 80205, 80207, 80218, 80219, 80222, 80223, 80224, 80246, 80238, 80221, 80022, 80230, 80231, 80202, 80209, 80247, and 80210. Michael also serves as an ordained minister in Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Aspen, Vail, Estes Park, Golden, and more.
If your Denver neighborhood or Colorado town isn’t listed here, no worries! Please contact Michael to propose a wedding ceremony location in a different area!