Workout: 5 min warm up, 10 min run, 3 min walk, 10 min run, 5 min cool down.
Motivation: High! The first time I’ve found time to visit the gym in a week and a half.
Actual motivation: Low! The first time I’ve visited the gym in a week and a half and I know I’m going to struggle.
“I could never wear Lycra,” The woman getting changed next to me said. “I hate it when you can see people’s bums all jiggly.”
As I had been the only person running in the gym – and, as such, the only person with a potentially jiggly bum I wondered if she was trying to give me some casual advice.
“The trouble is, all sports wear seems to be really clingy material,” I said, partly in my defence. “Even as a plus size, the XL is shaped to fit, so the potential for jiggling being on display is there.”
“Oh, I know what you mean. I went everywhere to try and get some normal jogging bottoms that don’t show off every lump and bump,” she said.
I would say she was a few years older than me but she clearly goes to the gym a bit and would probably look perfectly fine in Lycra but if she, like me, doesn’t feel comfortable then is that on her or the rest of us for judging people with lumps and bumps?
“I had to buy a man’s t-shirt to wear as all the women’s ones were too clingy,” I reveal. “And when I first started running I wore my maternity joggers because I couldn’t fit in to anything.”
“Maybe we should design our own range of sports wear for normal people?” she suggests.
As friendly as people are at the gym, I decide not to enter into a business partnership with a woman I have only just met but her conversation got me thinking. Why is all sportswear, within a normal price range, tight fitting? Surely that has to put some people (ME) off? Is it the extra expense or that the dry fit material is clingy?
Anyway, all of these ponderings took my mind off the fact that I wasn’t able to complete week 6, day 2. I did the first run ok but then the old mind games started and, on this occasion, I gave in. On the positive side, at the start of all this, running 10 minutes was just a distant dream so I think it’s best I note the progress rather than dwell on the fact I failed that day of the programme.
I’m off to start designing my own range of ethical, non-clingy sports wear.
#ThisGirl.. could if she had some nice clothes to wear…probably…
After The Rain 
I am a size 8 but have cellulite and I loathe all those tight leggings – why can’t there be any sportswear that doesn’t give everyone a total view of my flaws?? PLEASE make your fab sounding range, I would buy it!!
LikeLike
I just don’t get why it all needs to be so tight?! It’s interesting that you’re a size 8 and still worry though. Maybe we are conditioned to be unhappy with our bodies whatever our size?
LikeLike
Neither do I, at school we had loose fitting jogging bottoms – why can’t I find those? I definitely think we all judge ourselves harshly, but it’s hard not to when we constantly see and read things that imply we need to change and be ‘better’! There seems to be some sort of change on the horizon though…fingers crossed that this continues and that kids like Freya never have to read about stupid things like ‘get your bikini body’!! Xx
LikeLike