It’s incredible how wrongly perceived we are when we are overweight.
A friend of my kids telling a story that ended with “the fat one had stolen everyone’s lunch, and they all laughed."
It’s a familiar story, the overweight person is portrayed as greedy and glutinous, someone who overindulges due to a lack of self-control. A lazy person who prioritises their food.
This is what television and comedians tell us is true, they make presumptions about the health and fitness of overweight people and think it’s their place to voice them. I have seen so many stories coming out of the London Marathon of fat-shaming stories of the ones at the back, the ones that are bloody out there doing something!
What I have found is the complete opposite. I keep thinking people must look at me and think I am greedy, but weight gain coincided with my needs taking a back seat. There was no greed involved in my weight gain, in fact it was at the exact same time that my entire life became about other people. It's not baby-weight at all, it's a lack of actual 'me-time', and by lack, I mean it doesn't exist. I post pictures of my children, to avoid the cruel reality that what I look like isn't what I feel in my head.
A dietitian asked a crowd of women struggling with their weight,
“When was the last time you prepared yourself a meal and sat down to eat it?”
They all shrugged. I asked myself the same question…
I wondered..
I eat on the go, I eat the kid's scraps, I eat whatever I can that fits in with a life that revolves around other people needs, or whatever 'they' want for tea. And while I find time for every single thing that I do for my family while working, I rarely find the time for a 'real food' diet or exercise.
Weight gain for women in my experience is caused by the exact opposite of greed. It’s caused by long term selflessness that silently and slowly, becomes a lack of self-care. Whether caring for children, a community, elderly parents, or your mothers-in-law's offspring ;)
We can read as many diet books, download as many exercise apps as we want but nothing will change until we become the centre of our own universe again.
And if your selflessness is affecting your health, it can only be combatted with self-love.
I wanted to design active wear that everyone felt good in, whether it’s your first step or your 100k step. I wanted fitness wear that supports mums, grandmas, people whose life seamlessly revolves around other people's needs, but that also had unique needs from their workout kit.
From my experience, I know I need supportive fabric that holds every bit of skin and jiggle, tight. I need a supportive waistband that won't move suddenly pouring my 'mother's apron' out the front and meaning a last-minute adjustment when someone pulls out a camera. I need pockets for all the crap I need to carry for me, but also have you ever run with a tissue just in case someone needs one, or a couple of pounds in case someone needs bribing with cake to finish the run?
koko+kind leggings are created from a lifetime of experience, knowing what we love and bodies need. Do I have the perfect body for leggings, no, but I wear them anyway, and have committed myself to starting to prioritise my body and it's needs and health first.
I want us to go on a health journey together, of prioritising ourselves, proving to ourselves that we can do this, starting small with just one walk a day and cutting out one habit that is hurting our bodies.
It’s time to feel like us again, together, helping each other catch that wave of motivation.
Jem x