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Fashionable Plus Size Activewear . . .
Let me tell you a wee little bit about the winter in my neck of the woods. It snowed . . . It rained . . . It was cold . . . It was miserable . . . and I . . . well, I ‘blossomed’! Now nothing fits the way I’d like it to.
In that everyday I’m tempted by something I’ve come across amongst the suppliers Chris and I have come to love, I’ve made a conscious decision to get off my derrière! Time to get out of my ex’s old sweatpants and my ancient sweatshirt and ‘get out there’ looking ‘stylin’ - LOL.
I have never been terribly svelte but that hasn’t stopped me from loving clothes . . . and shoes . . . and bags . . . and accessories - hence the creation of this site. It just seemed so much easier shopping on-line as opposed to wandering around some of the monster malls that are within miles of where I live. Within half an hour of hitting the shops I used to find they all started to look the same to me – didn’t have my size – staff were too busy with their friends or checking their electronic devices to help me and all I wanted to do was get out of there! Now, where’s the exit? And where did I park?
With the daffodils ‘cautiously and optimistically’ bursting forth in bloom, I’ve decided that it’s probably safe for me to stick my nose outside the back door and hit the pavement . . . walking . . . (definitely don’t want to overdo it!) . . . Time to get out of these old sweats which had me searching amongst the folks Chris and I have found that might have fashionable active wear for my initial forays communing with the pavement.
This was definitely not as simple as I thought it was going to be! I found lots of women’s workout clothes that might well fit me in a month or two (or three, with luck) that I’d love to have, but, what about right now? I needed to find something bigger than a size 12. Why?, I wondered, is this proving to be so difficult. To me, it made sense that there has to be more than a few of us who find ourselves with a few extra unwanted pounds. Curiosity had me googling why women gain weight and, amongst the reasons, I found:
► Stress, which often leads to ‘comfort eating’
► Emotional, psychological issues/factors
► Boredom – Work? College? Long hours?
► Finding – making! – the time to shop/prepare nutritional snacks and meals
► Pregnancy
► Lifestyle changes such as getting married! (Hmmm, tell me more!)
► Becoming less active – ie: Seasonally brought about, changes in routine . . .
► Eating the ‘wrong’ foods!
► Aging . . . (Now I’m really in trouble!)
► Stopping smoking
► Medications such as antidepressants, birth control pills & corticosteroids
► and, my personal nemesis – not eating regularly. I wait until I’m ‘starving’ then snack as I’m preparing a ‘decent’ meal. By the time my meal is ready I’m no longer hungry but feel that I must eat at least some – or all! - of what I’ve prepared because, it’s ‘better’ for me than whatever I ate earlier that was ‘quick ‘n easy’. (Hmmm, ‘quick ‘n easy’ - that could potentially sequel into a whole other story LOL, but I’ll spare you!)
Looking at some of the weight gain triggers it’s no wonder I pack on the pounds every winter (and sometimes in between). I just know I’m not alone when it comes to battling those extra pounds so why is it so difficult to find anything to wear to exercise in that is quality made AND that feels good AND moves with me AND that flatters? Why? Why? Why?
In answer to my own question I learned that the average dress size for a woman in North America is between 12 and 14, yet a 12 is the biggest size many women’s sportswear lines are available in. Even more disturbing was learning that many sportswear manufacturers call it a day at size 10! They tend to cater to the body type that is long and lean as opposed to curvy or muscular.
Don’t get me wrong. While they do seem to be the minority, one can, with some careful shopping find brick and mortar shops that carry plus-size active wear. I just know, that when it comes to me, when I’m feeling down on myself because nothing fits properly I’m not quite so keen to hit the malls and struggle to find (A) those shops that carry plus size clothing and (B) have a ‘decent’ selection of workout clothing. I find I get discouraged and disheartened and frustrated far too easily which usually leads to me doing something that is definitely not in my best interest! “Sure I’ll have whipped cream on my mocha!”
As I’ve just realised I’m up up over 800 words – a potential blog faux pas! – it’s probably a good time to introduce you to Junonia, if you haven’t already had the good fortune to discover them for yourself. As I contemplate the day I’ll fit my dream tankini it’s good to know that Junonia is there to keep me grounded and comfortable ‘getting out there’ and not looking like the proverbial sack of potatoes! (In case you can't tell I’m having one of those, ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself’ days but as soon as I start exercising again I just know there’ll be fewer and fewer of them.)
It’s said that when you look good you feel good . . . regardless of your size . . . so, on that note let me go and see what I can find to tempt us both!
Needless to say, there is far more to be found at Junonia than I have displayed here. I hope you'll do yourself a favor and check them out for all kinds of terrific active (and leisure - my specialty) wear finds.
If you swim, walk/run, embrace yoga, work out in the gym or train, bike, hike, golf, play tennis, ski or enjoy adventure travel and are looking for something from QuikWik® or that offers UV/sun protection you owe it to yourself to check out Junonia.
As always . . . 'Tanks' for dropping by . . . and good luck AND don't forget to have some fun!
Hilary
