Why I choose to move - Collab with JD Williams

‬ #plussizeactivewear
The whole "New year New Me" thing just doesn't work for me.  I see the perks of choosing the start of the new calendar year to be the time to embark on something new but in my opinion that should not be the catalyst to shed any weight you may have put on over the festive period or to begin any drastic fad diets or to set yourself unacheivable goals that you feel you must bust a gut to attain, simply because society tells you that the way you are is not good enough in some way.

I don't make resolutions, I set myself goals.  Goals that I know will positively change my life in some way.  Goals that I can control and achieve. Goals that make me feel better about myself.

This year I set myself a list of goals which I will be posting all about soon but for now we are gonna talk about the two that I am most excited about.

- Move more
- Love myself a little more

As you may know I am a BOOSTfit Fitness Instructor.  I am also overweight.  I am strong and able. I love dancing. I exercise because it means I get to dance.  I dance because it makes me happy. The more I dance the more I move. I move more to increase my fitness levels.  I exercise to improve my breathing and endurance. I do not move to lose weight.  I don't exercise to lose weight. I enjoy moving my body.  I love my body. I like seeing my body changing and becoming stronger. I am not the picture of perfect health, but I am not unhealthy. You cannot judge my health by looking at my photo.
Shop this T-shirt from JD Williams
 The two goals I have set require a level of commitment to maintain, they are both life choices. Choices which will in fact be boosting my own happiness and in turn helping me listen to my body and learning to love it a little more. Allowing myself to care more about the fabulous vessel that I inhabit and to care more for my mental well-being by choosing happiness overall.  
To move more I have chosen to increase the amount of times I go to class whenever I can.  I plan to also increase the intensity of my workouts when I do.  Not drastically, just take things a little higher, dig a little deeper, jump a little more and push a little harder.  When one embarks on such a journey and one is a fashion blogger, one should treat themselves to snazzy new active wear. (Hey JD Williams...wake up...it's your time to shine!)


Adidas Sports Leggings
JD Williams made my day when I found out that Adidas sell plus size active wear!  These Adidas Linear Tights are perfect for working out. I got these in a size 20 and they fit like a second skin. I have washed and worn them several times and they have not lost shape nor lost colour or started bobbling. The fit is not restricting and the material is breathable. They kept my legs cool through out classes too.


These leggings have all sold out but they have many other similar styles available online (Shop HERE) and as far as I can see these are available up to a size 24. It's not a full size range but for a straight size fitness brand to recognise the desire from us plus size folk to have stylish and durable active wear and to deliver at an affordable price point, it's progress. Hopefully this will spur more brands to follow suit and also to extend the range to incorporate more sizes.


I love this Pineapple Dance hoodie, it's so warm and comfortable.  Unfortunately this hoodie is now sold out but JD Williams stock other Pineapple active wear some of which goes up to a size 30.  I sized up with this hoodie and went for a size 22 as I like to wear my hoodies nice and oversized.  


Elomi make fantastic sports bras that offer support for larger cup and back sizes.  They are my sports bras of choice. This is a size 38GG keeping me nice and secure for all kinds of movement.
Shop Elomi Energise Sports Bra
There are so many brands available via JD Williams like Glamorise, Panache, Shock Absorber and Freya all catering for both larger cups and back sizes. Make sure you check them out.


I am fully in support of anyone who chooses to lose weight, as long as they are doing it for themselves and not to conform or because others have told them they have to. You have to live your best life. That being said I am fully in support of anyone who chooses to live their lives exactly the way they want to and if that means that they are happy in the skin they are in then that makes me happy just as much.

However you choose to live...whether you choose to move or not. Promise me three things;
  • You will make a conscious effort to love yourself a little more.
  • You will try to believe that you are stronger today than you were yesterday and with hard work and perseverance, tomorrow can be even better.
  • If you choose to move - do it in style and start your active wear shopping with JD Williams

xXx

Disclaimer
Written in collaboration with JD Williams

Photos by QR Photography
**Special Thanks to Natalie S**
xXx


"Witness The Fitness" with Anna Scholz Plus Size Fitness Wear range

‬ ‪#‎bodypositive‬
The launch of Anna Scholz' plus size fitness wear range was celebrated with a good old wiggle as a few of us were asked to take part in a "Boogieful" class run by Charlotte Clarke.
 


Chloe of Chloe Pierre LDN, Rivkie; Editor-in-Chief of Slink Magazine & myself joined Anna and two of her team including Michaela of Cardiffornia Girl to create a little video to showcase the new range.

You can check it out below...
* Film credit - Indie Jug Films*


Boogieful is a dance class which is open to all people of different shapes and sizes, combining great music and simple yet effective routines to get your heart rate up.


We had such a blast doing the class with Charlotte, she's a lovely and warm lady who knows how to werk it!  She had us all breaking a sweat!  The routines were easy to follow and she broke them down for us!  The routines were set to a combination of RnB, Dancehall and Afro-beats.  I had a tonne of fun and as a dancer I always love learning new moves & routines.


Anna has designed a fantastic fitness range, I wore the City Lights print vest top with the matching print leggings.  There is also a t-shirt and matching zip-up jacket.  The other print available is a black/grey snakeskin print.  Both items were a size 20 and the garments are generously sized in my opinion.  The top fitted well, it was nice and long and didn't shift around or need adjusting throughout the workout.  The leggings are a little long in the leg for me but that's cos I'm only 5ft 4!  They looked perfect on Anna & Mic who are much taller.  I also tried on the Tee which is generously sized at a size 20 it was loose which is perfect for working out and the jacket was just perfect in every way - I would even rock that on a night out as a Bomber!  The quality of the range is apparent just from feeling the fabric. The prints are eye-catching, the fabric is breathable making it a dream to work out in, there's plenty of material, so for those who are longer in the body or are concious of their bums and tums, these tops are ideal.  There is no doubt that the range is priced highly but you get what you pay for.  To find good quality fitness wear that doesn't slack with wear or lose shape or colour with washing is virtually impossible unless you are prepared to pay a little extra for it.  

I have no quarms in paying for decent gear if it lasts and trust me it's durable.  I have worn & washed these leggings so many times and they look as good as they did on the day I got them.



All in all I had a fantastic day with these ladies and I thoroughly recommend the range - big thumbs up all round from me xx

Disclaimer
These products were gifted to me for review purposes. The review above is based on my own opinion of the product and I own all creative content of this post.

What changed?? My Body Confidence story

#psbloggers
Up until September 2014 I had severe dental problems. Lots of missing teeth, broken teeth and decay. I was born with a calcium deficiency which meant I could eat something as soft as a banana and my teeth would break. I was suffering with a severe case of dental phobia after many dental visits ending badly, poor advice and bad experiences. I couldn't go to the dentist. I was ashamed of the way I looked and I was ridiculed for it.


Left to Right - Me age 15 - before pregnancy.  Me age 17 about 6 months after my daughter was born.

I was very depressed due to my teeth and my weight which I have battled with for years. I doubled in weight throughout pregnancy going from a size 12 to a 28 in 9 months. I was a dance student but I couldn't carry on dancing due to my weight gain and baby bump and being left by my boyfriend 7 months pregnant nearly broke me. 

It had taken me 14 yrs with various different methods like exercise, weight watchers, slimming world, diet pills and referral to a dietician to bring my weight down to roughly 18 stone and a size 22. I'd had enough I sought help from my GP as I had hit rock bottom and I was on the verge of a breakdown. 

It was only when one Doc finally listened & referred me for CBT, to the bariatric team at St Georges Hospital to seek advice about potential surgical intervention & to Kings College Hospital to undergo full dental reconstruction that I started to feel the fear ease.  I was ready to take back my life.

Having my teeth done was the catalyst to regain my confidence and build myself back up again. I found my smile. I was finally happy and the positive feedback from all you bloggers and family and friends help me learn to love my body.  I started setting myself little achievable goals and I started to realise that if I conquered my biggest phobia I was capable of anything. I started moving more, I downloaded a pedometer on my phone and committed myself to taking 10,000 steps per day. I hate walking, I would take a cab from my house to my car if I could. I didn't change what I ate I still enjoyed what I love and I bloody love food and cake and doughnuts and chocolate and sweets and all things in between, I just tried to moderate it, like maybe not eating a doughnut a day plus plus a Wispa and a big dinner. I am not a big portions gal so I just needed to curb my daytime snacking at work (I still struggle with this...I reckon I always will)

I found that by me moving more alone was changing my body shape, giving me more definition in my bum and waist and seeing the progress spurred me on to try harder.
Joining LouiseBunnyHop dance & fitness class has boosted my confidence tenfold. Being in a room of real women with varying body shapes and sizes gave me more enthusiasm. I wasn't going to be picked on because of my weight or size.  I was embraced and welcomed. At first I told myself just ease yourself back in, do one class and soon enough I was doing 3 a week as I love it so much.

Since I committed to moving more I have shed just under a stone but I have dropped 2 dress sizes sitting comfortably in an 18/20.

Having a solid support network is what has got me through, I have made friends with people in similar situations at every step of the way and having people who relate and do not judge has been the most helpful tool.

It's funny that my teeth were holding me back from achieving a dream that I had had since I was young. I always wanted to Model and be a MUA and now I am doing both of these things. I have more ambition more dreams. I want to complete Bunny training an become a Louise BunnyHop instructor, I love dancing and I want people to feel how I feel when I go to her classes; empowered, confident and full of a new found lease of life.

I am loving the definition of my curves which I never have seen on me before, it's giving me more confidence to step out of my comfort zone with regards to embracing fashion.

My most important fact is that I am happy and that is making me strive to continue on this journey towards being the healthiest version of myself possible.

I love my body and that makes me want to take care of it which I had not been doing for many many years.

I hope that gives you a bit of an insight to me, if you ever want someone to talk to about your journey I'm here...I'd love to hear your stories.
Xx

 Me before dental work & in the immediate weeks after surgery.

My new smile :)

10,000 Steps....How hard can it be?

10000 steps
For those of you who follow me on the Book of Faces or Insta I'm sure you will have seen me rambling about this 10,000 steps a day lark.  Well just to keep you in the loop, I have set myself a little goal to help get me beach ready for my holidays this year.

The goal is to take at least 10,000 steps per day.

Now for anyone who knows me they would NEVER associate me with walking.  I have even gone as far as saying things like, "I HATE walking" or "Fk walking, call me a cab!"   I would not be known as the sort of person who would go for a walk for fun or walk anywhere if there was a viable method of public transportation to use.  So for me taking 10,000 steps seemed a stretch and most definitely an unachievable one at that!

I began tracking my steps using the SHealth app on my Samsung Galaxy phone which has a built in pedometer.  (I fully intend to dig out my proper pedometer as I know it will give a more accurate read, but I have put it in that extra safe place that only the safe place fairies know how to find!)  

I started on Tuesday 6th Jan 2015 and since then here are my achievements so far...

06/01; 5,486 - I made no conscious effort to take any extra steps this day other than my usual routine for the last month.
07/01; 13,354 - I decided to walk to London Bridge train station (1 mile) which added 20 odd extra minutes walking time to my day, but I took the more scenic route over the Millennium Bridge & along the River Thames.  I love living in this city!   During my lunch breaks, I am opting to take as many steps possible just by exploring the lovely old architecture & sights around London that I often take for granted.




08/01; 11,829 - I walked to London Bridge (1 mile) on this day in the pouring rain.  I didn't have a brolly or anything and by the time I got to my destination I looked like a drowned rat (or maybe Kat would be more appropriate!) I took a lovely long walk at lunch around the town, but I didn't walk back after work as it was my Mama's 61st birthday dinner, so had to rush home.  I still hit my target though! 

 09/01; 16,781 - On Thursday I really pushed hard; the walk from my house to my train station & vice versa is approx 3,000 steps each way, I walked both from London Bridge to my destination & back at the end of the day which is a mile each way and for lunch my buddy Leanne & I went on a extra long walk around the town. It's amazing how far we got in a little space of time, we even went round the block a couple of times cos we had tonnes of time left before her lunch was over!

 *Little added bonus steps that I would usually miss out on (but not anymore!!)
- Taking the steps instead of the escalators at train stations.
- Walking to the bank which is 1/2 a mile, each way.
- Counting every step I take, cos every step counts!

 With all this in mind I am finding that it is actually not as hard as I thought to rack up 10,000 steps if I just get out & move a bit more.  I'm finding it quite enjoyable and I like the fact that it's something that I never thought I would want to do and I am proving myself wrong!

 The real challenge comes on weekends, especially when that is the time I set aside to interact with you lovelies.  How am I gonna manage 10,000 steps over the weekend, especially cos I drive everywhere!?

 So in my infinite wisdom in a mad moment I turned to Andy and said, "Babe, let's go for a walk today!"  

 10/01; 12,939 - So there I am Saturday mid morning, donning my timms to go on a 4 mile walk around Limpsfield Chart.  Andy picked the route, which mainly consisted of muddy fields & hills (and steps, oh the steps!!)  It was a challenge, it was hard but the views were breathtaking and it was good to experience that little bit of gorgeous countryside right on my doorstep!  10,000 steps was a breeze with this baby! 

Today is a totally different story, I am currently sat in my bed, basking in the glorious sunshine pouring through my window & blogging so hold tight & see how this goes.  In fairness, if I can even do 1/2 the target today, I will be happy...but obviously gonna strive for the 10!

 All in all - I'm uber proud of myself and I hope this little spurt of energy that I have does not fizzle out, I'm really trying hard!

 Xx