Can a Girl Get Some Support?

The other day I was shopping for a crucial, but often elusive piece of fitness equipment to help me in my quest to fit into my red jeans...a properly-fitting, supportive, yet comfortable sports bra.  Bra shopping has always been a challenge for me, as I have always tended toward the more, shall we say, well-endowed end of the spectrum (I was a C-cup in 7th grade.  No training bras for me.  I went straight into women's sizes when puberty hit me like a mac truck at around age 12.  Anywhooo...)  Needless to say, I have always found sports bra shopping particularly challenging. 

In my experience, sports bras come in two basic types.  The first is a slim cropped tank-top style bra with no shape or definition that probably works fine on slim women with normal-sized breasts, but amounts to a glorified boob-sling on bustier women like myself.  The second type is a full-coverage bustiere made up of a combination of thick wire and durable, super-strong, yet barely pliable elastic that straps your boobs in place like they are preparing to leave the earth's atmosphere in a rocket launch to the International Space Station.  The first type (boob-sling) offers little if any support to a larger bust, putting me at risk of a concussion after just a few minutes of vigorous jogging on the treadmill.  The other type, though arguably more supportive, constricts both movement and circulation, causing great discomfort during exercise.  Could I find a happy medium in a sports bra...one that could supply both comfort and support? 

I began my quest for such a garment at my local Dicks Sporting Goods store.  They had a plethora of sports bras from which to choose, from all major sportswear manufacturers.  I bypassed the boob-slings and went straight to the ones with more substance.  After surveying my options, I selected a few to try on and headed to the fitting room.  The first selection looked nice and sturdy with adequate frontal coverage and crossed back straps for extra support.  Unfortunately, there were no hooks on this one, so it had to be put on either over the head or by stepping into it and awkwardly shimmying it up the legs and torso to its desired location.  Neither option was particularly easy to do or comfortable.  After a few moments of trying to squeeze into this bra, I gave up and began examining my other options.

The second option was also a substantial garment with sturdy straps and hooks (yay!).  This could be put on more like a normal bra, although the hooks were in the front (I've found that front-closure bras are a bad idea for women of my size).  I tried to remain open-minded as I tried on bra #2.  The front hooks were awkward, but I did get them to close.  However, the shape created by the front closure caused my boobs to mush together and partially roll over the top of the bra like rising bread dough.  This one would not work either. 

The last option was a sleek black sports bra with steel-grey lined straps and a back closure.  At least I would be able to get this one on!  The elastic was strong and tight.  I managed to cram myself into it and hook it up, though this was not without some struggle.  It fit, but it was tight...I mean TIGHT.  Could there be such a thing as too much support?  Feeling like I was having trouble breathing, I unhooked myself, freeing my boobs from their elastic prison.  This bra would not work either. 

Discouraged, but undaunted, I left the store and decided to pursue other options for finding a good sports bra.  Perhaps online?  You can find anything online these days, right?  As I was travelling home, I stopped at TJ Maxx, one of my favorite places to browse around.  Just for kicks, I checked out their workout clothes and looked to see if there were any promising prospects here.  Shopping at a place like TJ Maxx is a bit like the box of chocolates Forest Gump talked about...you never know what you're going to get.  Amazingly, I found a bright pink sports bra that looked at least promising.  It was worth a try.  I tried it on, and to my surprise and pleasure, it fit!  It was easy to put on, comfortable to wear, and supportive.  It was bright pink, which would make it difficult to wear under light-colored T-shirts, but still, it was a find.  And at $12.99, I couldn't pass it up.  Now at least I have one bra that can give me the support I need when working out.  Maybe someday I'll invent my own line of comfortable, supportive sports bras for bustier women like me. 

A quick update on my last post...I went to my Primary Care Doctor for a checkup the other day.  He was concerned about my sudden weight gain as well.  He insists that the cortisone shot is not the cause, and he ordered blood tests to check various my hormone levels.  I'll keep you posted. 

Hope you are finding good health...and lots of support in your wellness journey.

Sincerely,
Miss Red Jeans

Bumps Along the Road to Wellness

So, the other day I met with my Registered Dietitian (a medical professional with specialized training in nutrition and diet planning).  I was shocked and chagrined to learn that I had put on weight since our last visit--despite all my efforts and lifestyle changes.  In fact, my weight has steadily been going up, rather than down, since about mid-November of last year.  "What is going on with my body?" I thought.  I had a bit of a meltdown in the car on the way to her office after weighing myself that morning.  I couldn't believe the number on the scale!  How was my weight steadily going up, when I was working so hard to bring it down?  What was I doing wrong? 

At our appointment, my R.D. calmed me down and talked to me about the positive changes I was making in my life.  I had finished the pre-final draft of my D.Min thesis, which had reduced my stress level significantly.  I am eating a healthier diet--eating more vegetables, packing healthy lunches instead of eating out, making better snack choices, and eating more sensible portions.  I am exercising regularly, doing both strength training and cardiovascular training.  I am exercising most days of the week for at least 45 minutes per session.  I am also feeling better physically.  We discussed these positive changes and their effect on my health.  She affirmed these changes, and encouraged me to view these as positive steps that would yield positive outcomes in time. 

But, I was still distressed about my weight.  She weighed me on her office scale, and compared the numbers with our last visit.  Sure enough, she showed me that I had been steadily gaining weight since last November--ten pounds, in fact!  How could this be?  What was I doing wrong?  She then asked me about medical treatment I had had on my lower back last fall (I had developed a herniated disc).  She asked if I had had a cortisone shot as part of the treatment.  I did, in fact, have a cortisone shot at the beginning of November.  She said that this was likely the culprit of my rapid weight gain.  Cortisone is a steroid, and steroids can cause significant short-term weight gain.  She said she had seen many similar cases of weight gain in other clients who also had cortisone shots.  The timeframe of my weight gain, which began shortly after receiving the shot, also points to the cortisone as the culprit. 

I was partially relieved, as at least there was a logical explanation for my weight gain.  I was frustrated as well, however, because a treatment I had received to ameliorate one medical condition had worsened another.  I was also frustrated that I had been working so hard to lose weight, while all along there were forces within my body that were working against my goals.  The good news is that my back is feeling much better, and the cortisone won't last forever (though it may last for 6 months or more).  Eventually, the cortisone will be out of my system, and my body will go back to normal, making it easier for me to lose weight.  But, in the meantime, there is little I can do about it, other than continue my healthier habits without outward confirmation that they are working. 

This incident made me realize that the road to wellness is often not a flat highway of smooth travel, but more like a rocky path, winding up and down hills, through thick brush, over many obstacles.  Sometimes there are detours on the route that we did not anticipate.  Sometimes the going is much slower and more arduous than we would like.  As with many things in life, wellness is a journey rather than a destination.  Life and circumstances often interfere with the best-laid plans, causing us to regroup, reevaluate, and re-route.  And sometimes, we simply have to stay on the present course and plod our way through to easier passage. 

I am determined not to get discouraged on my wellness journey.  I will continue striving for better wellness, even if the stubborn scale refuses to validate my efforts.  Getting and staying well is about a lifestyle, not a single number.  Wellness is a long-term investment in myself and in those whom God has brought across my path.  The long-term benefits are worth the short-term struggles.  And so, I persist in the journey.  Even if it takes me a bit longer than I had planned to fit into my red jeans. 

May good health be yours along your wellness journey.

Sincerely,
Miss Red Jeans

An Update

Greetings, readers! 

I know it has been a while since I have written last, but be not dismayed. ..The Red Jeans project is still underway.   I have been delayed in writing because I have been busily working on another project that is very important to me…and has consumed a great deal of time.  I have been finishing the pre-final draft of my D.Min. thesis, and I am pleased to say that I have submitted it for final approval.  Lord willing, in a few weeks I will be able to submit the final draft and graduate this spring!  It is quite a feeling of accomplishment to get to this point in my study journey.  It has been a long road – I began working on the doctorate back in 2006. 

Not only is this pre-final draft a big personal accomplishment for me, but it also represents an area of study that in near and dear to my heart – the connection between spirituality and wellness.  The thesis describes a blueprint for a 40-day spiritually-focused wellness pilot program that I led about a year ago at the church in which I grew up.  In the project, I fleshed out the concept of “stewardship of the body,” which involves both good physical care of one’s body along with the nurture and strengthening of one’s spiritual life.  This concept is based upon a passage from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which states, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”  The gist of this passage is that God created human beings with bodies and spirits—both are intended to work together to glorify God.  Human beings are called to be stewards over the creation, and this includes being good stewards of their physical bodies.   We cannot separate our physical wellbeing from our spiritual lives.  We are whole persons who must nurture both bodily health and spiritual vitality for optimum wellness. 

For me, taking care of my physical body is as important as nurturing my spiritual life.  When I don’t feel well physically, my spirituality suffers, and vice versa.  When I lived an unhealthy life physically, there was a great disconnect between my body and my spirit.  I didn’t think it mattered what I did with my body, and so I didn’t take care of it.  Over time, I came to realize that my whole person was suffering when I wasn’t taking care of myself physically.  As I started to develop healthier habits, I noticed that my spiritual life improved as well.  As one area of my person began healing, the rest of me got better as well.  This personal realization led me to study the connection between spirituality and wellness, so that I could help others nurture this connection and achieve holistic wellness in both body and spirit. 

I’ll keep you posted on how my doctoral work goes.  Hopefully soon, you’ll be able to call me Dr. Red Jeans…but until then, take care and may health and wholeness be yours in abundance. 

Sincerely,

Miss Red Jeans