Bras.
Whether you are teeny tiny like me or full-figured, finding the right one can be a huge pain both figuratively and literally. For me, I’m still devoted to The Handful for most workouts. Contrary to popular belief, tiny-on-top girls cannot wear any bra they come across in the junior’s section (unless you are a junior and then carry on). Especially if you’ve had children, you will discover as you get older that A cups need wrangling just like their bigger sisters which is why I still adore The Handful sports bra. I’ve been wearing them for years (and yes, I buy my own – not getting paid nor compensated in product to write this) and they are my go-to bra. The only exception is when I’m doing something really high impact like a plyometrics workout and then I love my Champion maximum support bras. (Until I try to take them off anyhow – removing a sweaty “maximum support” sports bra is like taking off a wet swimsuit. Over your head. In a pool of Jell-O.)
But most women do not share my small issues and so Gym Buddy Krista and her friend recently agreed to do a trial run (hee!) of Leading Lady‘s new bras designed especially for full-figured and nursing women. They tried out the seamless racerback bra and the wire-free sports bra top. (Dear Leading Lady, please use full-figured models to model full-figured bras. That redhead is adorable but I’m pretty sure she’s in the AA club with me and I don’t mean the one with 12 steps.) While they agreed the first bra was super comfy and the second one was adorable and comfy, neither offered enough support on their own to handle a high-impact workout. Both ladies loved them for lower impact work like weights though and even for sleeping in.
Bottles.
I recently did a story for Shape about hidden hazards in foods and as part of that got to interview some really cool experts. And these experts all had, well, not very nice things to say about plastic. Apparently BPA is just one of dozens of known carcinogens in all kinds of plastics so buying a water bottle that’s BPA free is a great first step but ideally you wouldn’t use plastic to store water at all. Of course glass is awesome for storing water – when it doesn’t shatter all over the gym floor. Enter the Bamboo Bottle Company! While their solution isn’t perfect (the top and straw are still plastic), it takes out a lot of the risk by taking a glass bottle and encasing it in bamboo for protection. Brilliant! I’ve already dropped mine on the wood gym floor (maybe more than once, ahem) and it totally didn’t break!
Biscuits.
Okay these are really snack crackers but that wouldn’t have been alliterative and you know how I love my alliteration. Anyhow, this will surprise no one but I often have what I call a snack crisis at our house. My kids want something quick and yummy and I want something healthy for them. And not just healthy-ish but actually really good for them. We agree on fruits and veggies and proteins but carbs are where it all breaks down. Pretty much any snack geared towards little kids is a nutritional disaster. Even the beloved Annie’s brand – it may be organic but the first ingredient in almost all her products is enriched white flour! Thankfully a new little company called Somersault Snacks has solved this problem with their line of “crunchy nuggets made out of sunflower seeds and whole grains.” There are only 7 ingredients in the basic flavor and all the flavors – sea salt, cinnamon crunch, salty pepper, dutch cocoa and Santa Fe salsa – are so delicious. My kids devoured them all (although the cinnamon crunch was by far the favorite). The only downside? The Sante Fe ones were the last thing I ate before I got the worst stomach flu ever (I didn’t get it from the snacks, it was norovirus) and so now I can’t even look at them without feeling nauseated:( Not their fault but I’m mourning the loss.
Shoes
But my favoritest thing ever right now are my new purple Mizuno Enigma shoes. I fell in love with the Enigma last summer (and not just for running – I wear them for everything!) and while the original dark grey, pink and green are super fun, I can’t tell you how much it makes me smile to look down at my feet and see bright purple and turquoise! The Gym Buddies are constantly amused by my never-ending parade of purple workout tops (and one skirt!) It’s gotten so bad that a random trainer at the gym commented, “Oh look, Charlotte’s shoes match her outfit… again!” It’s the little things in life:)
And last but definitely not least: I am Love LOVE Loving on my sweet family! Just had to share this pic of us at church on Christmas Sunday. We made them go to church before opening gifts… hence the expressions.
Enell bras are the absolute number one best of all time, hands down. The girls do not move whatsoever and I run a few times a week and do a bootcamp class. Of course, I will never get to wear a cute flirty tank top to exercise in since the bra is so darn big, but that is a small price to pay for decent support!
I’ve seen the Enell in action and does look like it does a fab job! (okay that makes me sound like some kind of perv – one of my good friends swears by hers & always wears it. With a shirt.)
Loving the purple shoes and of course the Somersault Snacks. DELICIOUS! 😉 Happy New Year!
Oh my gosh, I have to get one of those handful bras! Making myself even MORE flat than usual is my least favorite part of going to the gym (especially if going to the gym involves going to a workout class that takes place in front of a huge mirror. Not fun.) Thanks for sharing!
Seriously – love the little bit of padding and they’re still supportive without smooshing:)
Like Sybil, I love the Enell bras, particularly for running. But my hands-down #1 bra, particularly for those of us that are highly-endowed, is the Natural Comfort Fiona bra. No wires, no metal adjusters to dig into your skin, amazing support, and a great non-squished shape. They’re available on Amazon for cheapish (~$20 for white or black or $40ish for teal and pink and obnoxious green) or a bunch of other online stores too.
I’ve heard really good things about Natural Comfort – I’ll pass on your rec to Krista!
I love you loving on the family Charlotte.
when it all falls away even the purple shoes dont matter.
Very true:)
I’m digging that bamboo bottle. Also loving the serious faces on the two youngest ones.
Serious? More like pouting;)
I love your purple shoes! Mine are probably on their way out, and I’m going to miss them for working out in. They will have to be my errand shoes until they completely give out on me because I love them!
Aw, I love your purple/magenta shoes!!
Moving Comfort is hands down the best sports bra for a larger chest and high impact (at leas in my humble opininon)! The style I wear has adjustable straps, hook and eye closure in the back and is wirefree. They are the only sports bras I will ear and have worked wonderfully through triathalons, marathons, and cross fit workouts! They are a little more pricey, but I have found that they really hold up well and maintain their support!
Second the Moving Comfort vote. I’ve got DD girls and they stay put through running and CrossFit. Personally I like the Juno style, but I’ve heard good things about a variety of their styles.
Thanks for the recs ladies! I’ll pass this info on to Krista!!
Your family is adorable! I love the photo. ANd I have heard such great things about those shoes and the Handful bra. I’m SOOOOO tiny that I have a hard time paying more for sports bras. I buy the 3 for $10 packs, that’s how cheap I am. 🙂
That bottle too. I want one, but I have about 5 stainless steel bottles, so I have a hard time justifying the money. God, I am so cheap!
Eh, you’re not cheap you are frugal – it’s a gift!
I love the handful bras! I have never taken much care for what I use for sports bar, but I think its time to start.
I will have to check out the handful bras. I’ve loved that since losing weight I’ve gone from an E to B…but it makes finding a bra a challenge as things don’t…um…stay where they should necessarily anymore 🙂 I have found that a lot of workout shirts are made for people with a bit more chest or they require another bra under, which I find restrictive. I’ve been liking the few lulu lemon sports bras/tops I’ve picked up on sale…they’re just too pricey to have a lot of…
I hear you about the lulu stuff. THe only ones I own I got off Craigslist/eBay
I see nothing wrong with matching your shoes to your workout outfit. I used to match my nail polish to my running shorts. It definitely made for some interesting combos. I mean, who doesn’t love electric blue nail polish?
I LOVE electric blue polish!! My toes are currently apple green – my husband calls them zombie toes, lol.
LOVE the family photo, so cute! And love the purple shoes, too.
I got a Ta Ta Tamer bra from Lululemon and I love that too. For really high-impact I still use my Enell, bu the TTT is great for everything else. And, may I just say, it makes the ladies look FANTASTIC! Like they’re 20 years old again, lol!
So I bought another one. 🙂
ROFL. I love it! I want my 20-year-old boobs back!
That Bamboo Bottle looks awesome!
I love my Champion maximum support bra too! And your description of trying to get out of it after a workout is spot on!
Also love your family photo! How did you ever hold your kids off from opening gifts until after church? Incredible!
We let them open their stockings and then made them sit and listen about the baby Jesus so hopefully when opened the gifts they’d remember the point of it all. (or they possibly learned to hate the baby Jesus…hmmm)
Loving the picture of your family. Your daughter wants presents NOW 🙂
I love my little Champion bra. Makes me never want to wear normal bras again.
That bamboo bottle looks cool. I still can not find a reusable water bottle I like to take to the gym. I don’t want to have to bite it to get water like those popular camelbak ones. That’s weird.
thanks Charlotte for the bra pic….gave me giggles for the rest of the night. keep on rockin!
THANKS for the info! I need to get me one of those Handful bras, because, as an “A” myself, no matter which I try, even after being sweating hot, my husband always needs to comment “you cold?;)”….yes, with that wink and smile too…it’s so annyoing!
I agree with Miz, Charlotte – they are there for you! Isn’t it wonderful though to have products you love so much that you write for nothing in return!
Like your purple shoes, I love my Hoka purple running shoes & even have their logo at he top of my blog – why – cause they saved my exercising life when my feet went bad… otherwise I might now be exercising!
I also love the Champion bra for high impact!!!
Course I have more loves but will not bore you but to say I loved this post!
PS: I have a glass water bottle – not yours – love it & encased as well & have dropped it with no breakage!
Thought of you Charlotte, when I heard this on my way home tonight. Not my favorite video of the performance but it’s a good illustration for a fellow alliteration aficionado: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLw1GaV1z2Y&feature=related
Oooo,
I want to try the bamboo bottle!
And there’s nothing wrong with matching your shoes to your gym clothes.
…
I match mine to my hair.
🙂
And your family is adorable.
As is that dress.
I’m totally going to come over and steal it away in the night.
I actually have different bras I like for different workouts. If its turbokick day, I want the girls locked down like Fort Knox. If its Yoga day, I wear something more loose and relaxed. If its a weights day I have something in between, and then I have my PMS set which is two comfy bras worn together.
Do you have differnt bras you like for different workouts?
And I crave the shoes. I will have to see if they make those in wide.
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