This tape sticks until you take it off

We’ve all done it.  If you’re the least bit active, or sometimes even if you’re not, you’re going to experience it – a pulled muscle, a tweaked ankle, or just a general hitch in your getalong.

I recently tweaked my knee.  I was kickboxing and, because I’m inherently clumsy, my foot didn’t zig when I zagged and something went *pop*.  It didn’t hurt much, it was just annoying and it was sorer after exercise.  It needed some support for a while before I could get to the doctor, but I hate knee braces.  They usually don’t fit my thunder thighs very well, and they have a tendency to roll and slip.  I end up spending my entire day yanking them back in place until I get tired of it and throw the darn thing away.

Besides, have you seen those things?  Fugly.

Since I spent the better part of a year with my feet taped up like a Geisha in training due to plantar fasciitis, I am well acquainted with the joys of kinesiology tape.  I’ve had it applied by doctors and physical therapists, and it’s amazing how much better a little tape can make you feel.  I’m just used to it being, well, butt-ugly.

That’s why I was happy to stumble on KT Tape when I was at Sports Authority.  The kiniseo tape the PT used was an ugly beige, but KT Tape comes in all sorts of pretty colors!   In addition to the pretty colors, it comes in pre-measured strips that have a slit down the middle.  You can use it as a single strip, or split it down the middle and use it as Y-shape. There is no fumbling with scissors where the tape ends up sticking to itself and becoming a useless ball of yuck.

I bought a roll of black and a roll of pink and went home to see  if I could work it without taping my eyelids shut. (I did mention I’m not very coordinated, right?)

I’m not gonna lie, there’s a learning curve involved in the application of this stuff.

The first time I applied it I missed the part in the directions where it tells you to clean the area with alcohol prior to application, so my first attempt rolled right off within 30 minutes.  They aren’t kidding when they say no lotion, no nothing.  Swab the entire area with alcohol, even if you think you’ve gone too far.  If you miss a even small spot, that area of tape will lift and flap in the breeze while everything else stays stuck like airplane glue.

You also need to wait 30 minutes after application for the adhesive to set before working out, or your sweat will mess with the glue and it won’t stick as well.

After that?  It doesn’t come off until you take it off.  I’m not kidding. The box says it will stick for five days so I tested their claim and it held through showers and workouts and judicious lotion applications. The KT Tape stayed stuck until I took it off.  It started to get a little raggedy around the edges, and it lifted a little in one spot where it overlapped another piece, but it remained supportive the entire time.

If you’re going to use KT Tape, I highly recommend watching the instructional videos on their website.  They give a lot more information and have more application configurations listed on the website than on the pamphlet inside the box.

Once I got the hang of the application, it gave me the extra support I was looking for.  Remember, tape is not a substitute for medical care.  Know your body and if you have the slightest question about an injury you need to see a medical professional.

I found KT Tape at Sports Authority, but you can get it on Amazon also.  It’s $12.99 a roll, but each roll has a lot of strips (it doesn’t say how many on the box), and each strip stays on several days, so it’s pretty economical.  I like to mix up a couple of contrasting colors.

Duct tape and baling wire.  Sometimes I feel like that’s all that holds me together.

Posted by floatingprincess for Buy-Her.com.

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If you’ve ever been to a gym before you know that it is where the female spawn of satan go to make you feel fat. Some people will try to tell you that those women only hang out at the fancy gyms, but they’re lying.  Even the women at the YMCA have the ability to make you feel like stuffed sausage on feet when you first start to work out.

My first day back to the gym, I made a classic rookie mistake.  I dressed like a mom who was just starting to work out again.

I wore capri pants instead of shorts to cover up the cellulite on my pasty white thighs.

I wore a sensible tank top with wide straps to conceal the sports bra that I’m wearing for function instead of fashion.

I put all of my efforts into concealing my body instead of showing it off.  Because, hello?  I just started working out again.  And also?  I’m going to be red faced and sweating like a pig in about .02 seconds.

Unfortunately, my modesty and sensibile thinking just made me feel more self concious about the way I looked the entire time I was there.  The problem was I didn’t get workout clothes that were flattering to my body.  At all.

Yes, some women’s workout clothes are more flattering than others.  And it’s not necesssarily the workout clothing with the most coverage that looks the best.

And before you start to lecture me on how trivial it is to care about what you look like when you workout – well, suck it.  It’s distracting to be thinking about what a turd you look like when you’re trying to concentrate on things like form and breathing and not dying.

Here’s what I learned about women’s workout clothes that work better for my body.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 1 – wide straps  and sleevless tops are not your friend.

This is similar to the tank top I wore my first day.  Great coverage, right?

Maybe if I had some definition in my arms.  As it is, the only thing I have going for my upper body at this point is the fact that I have shoulders.  of course, in this top you couldn’t see that.  All you could see was my pudgy little arms plugged into my top.  Instead of emphasizing my shoulders or my chest, the focus was on my very undefined upper arms.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 2 – Work what your mama gave ya, even if it’s just a shoulder blade.

This is a much better option for me. It’s not much of a difference, but the straps are small enough that you can see that I actually have joints, not just plug-in limbs.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 3 – it’s perfectly OK to cater to the girls.

Even better, a top that shows off my shoulders and the little bit of chest I have. Granted, my boobs aren’t much to get excited about, but any positive attention I can bring to the top of my body takes away from my very pear shaped lower half.

And even little boobs are sexy when it’s done with class.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 4 – just say no to pseudo maternity wear.

Um, no.  The only person this looks good on is someone who doesn’t have anything to hide.  And do you know what the benefit of good workout tops is?  Spandex.  Spandex is your friend and will hold your stuff up and in.  This?  This is begging to have your jiggling belly peeking out from beneath your maternity top the first time you bend over too far or lift your hands too high.

Of course, I’m still in the beginning stages of my adventure in women’s workout fashion.  So far I’ve figured out how to flatter the top half of my body, but the bottom half is still screwed.

I’ve tried shorty shorts, mesh basketball shorts, and stretchy capri pants.  None of it’s making me feel less self concious about potential camel toe or butt jiggle.

I don’t suppose there’s another 5’2″ pear out there with some words of wisdom for my lower body, is there?  (I mean, BESIDES more cycling classes.)

Posted by missbritt for Buy-Her.com.

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