Yesterday, I said what my resolutions are, now I’ll say why.

1. Stick with boot camp.

I’m really ready to feel in shape.  I haven’t felt that way since before I had Lucy.  I have felt that my body is powerful and able but I haven’t felt like I’m in shape.  I want to feel that way again. 

I hope I have the same determination to get this done that Lucy has to ride a 2-wheel bike:

2. Buy clothes that make me feel good.

According to Susannah and Trinny, I have the body shape of a bowling pin (Skittle):

Average Boobs,
Slim waist,
OK tummy,
Big thighs,
Chunky Calves
[source]

According to Body Shape Style, here’s what I should do:

Dressing The Skittle

The biggest problem with a Skittle is the lack of balance between top and bottom. The bottom is bigger than the top and that highlights how much bigger the bottom half is. So the solution is to get balance back. This is done be adding volume to the top half and minimizing the lower half.

Don’t – wear short trousers or capris. You have short legs so if you cut them half way down the calves you’re simply making them shorter again which makes your thighs look wider. Yay, I don’t do this!

Do – get some interest happening in your top half with eye catching jewelry and eye popping tops. I need to do this more.

Don’t – wear stretch pants of any type as they will cling to your thighs. Thank god I listened to my intuition here!

Do – wear fitting clothes on your upper half as baggy on top will just highlight the lower half. I do this already most of the time.

Clothing – what shapes to avoid

Skinny leg jeans – assuming you can get them in your size (something I struggle with) they highlight your thighs and make your ass look huge. Yeah, they look horrible on me.

Pencil skirts – this works the same as skinny leg jeans in that it catches your lower half and highlights although it can be made to work if you have something extra special. I used to wear pencil skirts all the time…

Cropped pants – short pants cuts your leg off and makes your look shorter and your legs wider. I don’t think you can find cropped pants for me!

Ankle straps – your legs are short and an ankle strap on a shoe has the effect of making them look shorter, and again, wider. No ankle straps in my closet.

Clothes – what shapes to look for

Shirt with detail – use added embellishments and details on your blouses to add bulk and volume to your top half. The idea being that your lower half is contained and simple so bring the drama to your top half. It will draw attention directly to your face which is the ideal place for it! I need to get more of these types of shirts.

Panelled skirt – look for a firmer fabric with some shape to it. The paneling will give you firm support whilst the slightly flared shape will give a hint of femininity. Any vertical lines on your thighs and bottom will have a slimming effect. All of my skirts are on on their last leg.

Dress with flared skirt – a dress that is fitted through the top half of your body before flaring out over your thighs is the best choice. The fitted top hugs your curves and emphasized your slenderness on top, the detail at your waist highlights your waist and then the skirt flares over your thighs and discretely disguises their width. All of my dresses are on on their last leg.

Body hugging top – wearing colour on your top half attracts attention, more aptly it draws attention away from your lower half. A body hugging top shows your slender torso and ruched sleeves make your body look wider. The draping neckline of this top adds volume to your top half making your seem more balanced.

Fitted knit – the goal for a Skittle is always to make the upper half of their body broader to offset the width of your thighs whilst at the same time showing off your slender waist. A fitted knit vest over a feminine blouse will show your shape beautifully whilst making your shoulders look wider.

Wide leg trousers – wide leg pants fall from the hips and bottom and will skim over your thighs. Because they stay the same width all the way down they disguise your calves and make your legs look longer. Get them hemmed to your heel. If you prefer to wear heels have them hemmed even longer and you will look taller and leaner again.

Waist hugging jacket – make use of your tiny waist with your jackets by finding one that hugs it lovingly. The wide open neck of this jacket broadens your shoulders and makes your seem wider, offsetting the width of your lower half. I need to invest in some of these!

High chunky heel – wearing a slender heel will simply highlight the width of your thighs and calves, particularly if you wear them with wide leg pants. Select a chunky heel that offers good stability. A higher heel is good as it adds height which again gives the illusion of more slender legs. Yeah, this is never happening.  Heels and I don’t get along.

Here’s the thing-if I stick with bootcamp, my body is going to change.  When I hit a hip measurement of ~38, I’m going to go shopping more seriously.  In the short term, I need some pants for work that fit.  Thankfully Walmart has some black pants that fit the bill (amazingly enough!)

3. Save for a down payment on a house.

We want to buy and we want to have 20% down before we even consider it.

4. Stop being so snarky and judgmental.

I struggle with this and I’d really like to stop it.  I saw a quote on Facebook the other day (that I can’t find now) that said something like, “What I think about you, says nothing about you and everything about me.” How true.