Brides who want to look great create a niche for fitness firm

Nobody on the face of the earth, says Camie Cragg, is as interested in looking good as a bride whose wedding day is just a couple of months off.

And that's opened a niche for Cragg's company Camie Cragg Fitness as it seeks to create space for itself in the crowded fitness business in northern Nevada.

"A wedding is one of the biggest motivators for women," says Cragg. "They know that 50 people or 400 people will be staring at them. They want to look sexy and confident in that dress."

As Cragg opens an 8,000-square-foot fitness center at 3865 Mira Loma Drive, she's marketing her pre-wedding fitness program through venues such as bridal fairs and My Wedding Library, the Reno-based storefront and Web site that connects engaged couples with suppliers.

By the time they're done with the program, brides deserve that piece of wedding cake.

In the 12 weeks before her own 2010 wedding, Cragg worked out six days a week, abstained from alcohol and stuck to a strict eating regimen with lots of Greek yogurt, salmon and fresh vegetables.

Camie Cragg Fitness combines Cragg's long experience in athletics she was a heralded two-sport athlete at Galena High School and Dominican University of California with her university training in marketing.

Twice, doctors have told Cragg that her medical issues would force her to give up her athletic career, and twice Cragg has proven them wrong.

From that experience, Cragg says she learned that a positive mental outlook is the single most important factor in health, fitness and wellness.

Her slogan "I can ... I will" is emblazoned across the firm's marketing materials.

Her husband, veteran northern Nevada entrepreneur Walt Lyman, serves as vice president of the privately financed company.

Two trainers work alongside Cragg at the new fitness facility.