I’m loving series of blog posts at the moment, so here’s another.. Plus Size Active Wear. I’m not just going to cover gym gear as such either so stay with me for the ride if Lycra isn’t your thing!
As I type this I’m actually laid in bed on a Saturday afternoon, I couldn’t be further away from being ‘active’ in all honest truth! And I’m about to tell you the reason why…
The story goes that whilst on holiday back in October I helped to blow up an inflatable flamingo! A lovely gorgeous Sunny Life branded one in rose gold finish none the less. Whilst doing so I burst a blood vessel in my eye! So I stopped there and then and Luke finished it, however much later on that evening after cavorting in the sea with said flamingo and sunbathing, I twisted in the shower and felt an almighty pain in my ribs. This pain continued and when I got back home I went to the doctors (not just for this reason but mentioned it whilst there!) he said it was a chest fraction and it would take 6-8 weeks to stop hurting. And sure enough it did. Fast forward to last week where I was doing yoga and tried to step up to my hands out of downward dog. I’ve never been able to do that as my stomach and boobs are very much blockers but I tried and all of a sudden my rib pain reappeared. So back to my patient osteopath who I swear must think I’m some kind of walking disaster to find it was never a broken bone but a lot of unhappy bones and joints trapping all kinds of nerves up in there. And that yes, it was probably all set off by my flamingo! I hope my ribs are now fixed 4 months on, but I’m in the recovery pain stage so it’s been no yoga or gym for me this week at all and it’s been really frustrating actually.
So whilst wallowing in self pity and developing a hatred for flamingos I never felt possible, I decided to get writing about some of my fave activities and what I wear to do them in. First up: Yoga.
I’ve mentioned before a few times that I practise yoga , and in the main it’s Iyengar Yoga which is a type of stretching yoga that focuses on the alignment of the body and precision of the moves vs the more popular Vinyasa Yoga which moves from pose to pose more quickly and in a flow. I’ve also started that type more recently which is where I injured myself as I wanted to improve my strength a bit more. Despite what my recent grumbly ribs have been telling me, practicing the former yoga has made me more flexible, stopped a lot of body pains I was getting (my sciatica has never returned after 2 osteo sessions and regular yoga) and I feel just more mobile overall. I have the balance of one of those wibble wobble toy people but I know this and focus on what I’m good at!
To practise any kind of yoga you need bottoms that don’t fall down, ideally leggings as they are just easier to move in and you don’t get caught up in any excess material when moving around. I like a good pair with a high enough waist that when I do a shoulder stand I’m not showing my bum! Being as tall as I am it’s no mean feat though, so when I found these fab Only Play Peace Yoga Tights* with stirrups too I was slightly apprehensive about them fitting me length wise but they are perfect! Thanks to the gals at JD Williams for hooking a gal up!
I’m wearing the size 20/22 here and they go from a size 12/14 to 24/26. I’m such a lazy bum when it comes to shaving my legs for no reason so these having stirrups means I’m not showing my gorilla legs when the bottoms ride up either! I’m sure my yoga class are thanking them. No one needs to see that at 7 in a morning!
I got to choose a full outfit from JD Williams’ fab range of plus size activewear so opted for this Sports Blouson Top* (£18) in black to go with the tights. Im wearing the 20 and think I could have got the 18 as it’s very loose fitting. It goes from a size 10 to a size 32 which I think is so good as it’s the perfect, basic top for any kind of activity. Also I love a bubble hem top, I know they can be a plus size cliché but I do adore them! I like to have a loose fitting top to pair with leggings so figured it was the perfect style, and it’s not low cut so I’m also not flashing my boobs to anyone in my class either! The toggle at the bottom also means I can tie it tighter to stop it slipping (down/up?) when I’m doing a shoulder stand! Basically my aim in class is to show no skin when doing the moves that I don’t show when I’m stood still!!!
I’ve realised how hard it is to take photos of me doing yoga – hardly the perfect Instagram shot is it!? But it’s real life which I wanted this series to be about really. Shout if you have any yoga queries and I’ll do my best to answer from my experience, I’d really recommend trying it out though!
*indicates items provided for consideration of review. As always thoughts and opinions are my own