#FearlesslyMoving: Walking into Winter Like...

Monday, November 19, 2018

Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. ~ Lao Tzu

Winter is coming. And I'm not ready.

I suffer from osteoarthritis so my joints tend to get inflamed in extreme weather, hot or cold. But more so in the winter time. I experience joint pain, swelling and stiffness on almost a daily basis. So it's key for me to keep moving even though I just want to crawl back into bed and suffer in silence.


Taking that first step out of the house is always the hardest. 

Once I am moving, the pain lessens and I feel better. Stretching is also key and a must for me. I don't have a gym membership because I fully admit I am still working on not being self-conscious in a gym. But I don't let that stop me from getting my exercise in because movement is a form of self care for me. So I choose to walk. 

That is what #FearlesslyMoving is all about to me.

My legs and feet have already taken me to incredible places in my life already so why not keep walking? 

Walking is free and I live in New York City where you can walk anywhere and see something interesting. Never a dull moment in the city, let me tell you.

To help motivate me to take that first painful step, I make sure what I am wearing is cute and comfy. I'm not a coat person since I grew up near the beach and have a thick skin when it comes to cold weather. I get hot very quick and don't like to feel weighted down by clothes. 

Coats are bulky and I don't want to look like the kid from A Christmas Story. But this year, I took a chance and am happy I did. Because at the end of the day, fashion is a form of self care for me as well.


I saw this magical pink coat over at Catherines and was in love. It's lined in faux fur including the detachable hood, has adjustable side belts and cute gold tassle thingys at the ends of the hood straps. And hello, IT'S PINK!!!!!

It has pockets and is a nice low hip length where it provides coverage in my booty area. The sleeves have a ribbed knit cuff that makes it stay in place so that no cold air sneaks in up my sleeves, which I hate. I usually think puffer coats are the devil because I don't want to look larger but I took a chance on this because sometimes we have to get out of our heads and take a chance.



And WOW! I looked in the mirror and loved how it looked on me. I always size up one size when buying coats in case I need extra room for a sweater or am wearing something bulky underneath. So I ordered a 4X in this coat which equals a size 30/32 on Catherines' size chart. I'm glad I sized up because it fit perfectly and zipped up with no issue. If you are my size (26/28) and want extra room to wear layers underneath, I would get the 5X, to be honest, as coats typically do not offer stretch. For the record, my measurements are 57"-51"-68".

On this day of walking and exploring, I decided to wear a cozy sweater, my absolute favorite jeans in the world and some comfy booties, all from Catherines.


I love a great doggy sweater and this one had a doggy wearing a leopard print bow and dark pink cat eye glasses so I had to have it. I'm wearing a size 3X in the sweater. 

The jeans are Catherines' Right Fit Jeans in Curvy, which have been my go-to for years. I usually have to wear a belt with my jeans since my waist is smaller than my hips. These jeans are the ONLY jeans I wear without a belt. They have side elastic panels in the waist that prevent gaps. They are AMAZING.

I'm 5'6 but have short legs so if I buy regular length, I have to roll them up. If I want a cropped length, I get petite. I like that Catherines offers me those length options and also gives me size room to go up or down to get the fit right. In these jeans, I'm wearing a size 24. Yup, you read right!!!! A size 24. If I want a boyfriend slouchy look, I size up to a 26 regular and roll them up.


I also have large 23" calves and these jeans fit them nicely with no tightness. My upper arms measure 21" around and the sweater fits well in that respect as well.

The boots are a true wide width where I felt like I had wiggle room AND they are super comfy. So I can wear double socks with no issue. I walked around all day in them and my feet did not hurt. I love how brown looks against pink and it ties in with the leopard bow on my sweater.


I don't usually post pics of me sitting down because I used to think it was unflattering. But now? I know it's all in my head and if I feel good about something, who cares what others think? I don't anymore. 

I also don't wear makeup when I am out walking around because I just want to be comfortable and natural. So yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. I am not wearing any makeup. Just some Vaseline lip therapy on my lips.


So I will be wearing this pink coat and booties all winter long and living my best walking life. The booties also come in black so I have to have them. 

There's so many great things to do in NYC during this time and I will be sharing some of my adventures as a plus size person in some future blog posts coming up. So be sure to check back here to see me #FearlesslyMoving and having fun while doing it.

Shop my look from Catherines via the links below:





Photography by the amazing Karizza.

You can find her on Instagram here and visit her website here. I love to work with photographers who are body positive so expect more magic with myself and her in the future. I highly recommend her.

*This post is sponsored by Catherines but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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