Fashion and Fitness, HAPARI Style

Hi darlings!

Hope your week is going well. International Women’s Day was yesterday and it was a great reminder that as women we have to empower and uplift each other. Although we’ve come a long way, we still have a lot of work to do in establishing and protecting the rights of women in our homes and society. Regardless of background, culture, color, shape or size, every woman should be valued and respected and everyday should be celebration of womanhood because in us is the power to create, nurture and transform life.

As women, some of the challenges we face are centered around our bodies. Society has high expectations of what we should look like and as a product of that there is so much insecurity and obsession with our bodies to be skinny. I personally have gone through struggling with my weight so I perfectly understand the pressure, difficulty and sometimes the disappointment women face when trying to fit into an ideal weight, size or shape. In my story, as soon as I became a teenager my body changed and I started the roller coaster ride of dealing with my weight. In my journey, no matter what I went through in life, I gained weight. If I ate or didn’t eat, I gained weight. If I was happy, sad or stressed, I gained weight, so that was hard. After a while, instead of changing my outlook and attitude towards my body, I just gave up. This meant I also gave up on my health and I stopped making any effort to exercise or maintain a healthy diet, so I went from a size 6 to a 12.

Finally, after a few years, I got tired of neglecting myself and decided to take better care of me. This time around, instead of obsessing over my weight, I decided to change my lifestyle. My focus isn’t much of the number on the scale, but to work to change the fat distribution on my body, be more comfortable in my skin, build more strength and endurance, listen to my body and understand what it needs. So my strategy is to exercise routinely, maintaining a healthy diet, getting good sleep, spending more time with loved ones, helping people, expressing myself authentically and living life to the fullest because our emotional and mental state has a lot to do with our physical wellbeing too and I’ll gradually talk about all these on the blog with time.

As for today, when it comes to working out, wearing the right clothes make a difference which is why I decided to partner with HAPARI to showcase and review their Activewear line they’ve gifted to me. First of all, I love what their brand represents, which is to provide clothing that enhances a woman’s natural beauty despite their shape and sizes and they want women to feel comfortable, beautiful and confident. The similarity in our goals was what attracted me to HAPARI and after I used their products, I loved them and decided to work with them.

Although their sizes are from a size 4 to a 12, (XS – XL), their products are very functional and comfortable. The fabrics are soft and stretchy and can probably fit women up to size 14 in my opinion. I also love their attention to detail, from the fabric choices to the bold and fun prints and colors. Everything fits perfectly, the sports bra and pants have great coverage, it’s stretchy and durable, and the pants also has a nice tummy tuck waist band which I love because my midsection is my #1 problem area.  The top is very light and comfortable which is great when exercising and the jacket is thick enough to keep you warm if you find yourself in a cold environment and you haven’t generated enough body heat to keep you warm. Finally, all the items are moisture wicking meaning they help draw the sweat off your skin while you exercise so it can dry up faster on the fabric. How great is that? 

Well I hope you enjoyed reading this, don’t forget you can shop for items with links below. Although this post is a little bit longer than usual, I wanted to share my story and connect with you all because everyone has a story and you’re welcome to share it in the comment section below. I hope this inspires you to change your frame of mind, your attitude and to take better care of yourself because good health means a good life. Have a healthy week!

Xoxo

Chigi.

Outfit Details

Pants – Black Fit Pant from HAPARI (here).

Sports Bra – White Eclipse Fit Bra from HAPARI (here).

Top – Pink Fit Tank from HAPARI (here).

Jacket – Eclipse Fit Jacket from HAPARI (here).

Shoes – NIKE Women’s Lunarglide 7 Flash Running Shoes (here), similar from at Lady Foot Locker (here).

Watch – FitBit Alta Fitness Wristband (here).