This week marks the 1 Year Anniversary of FaveWear: for the Booty Fantastic!

A year ago, we opened our "virtual" doors to the public and what a year it has been! Being new to owning and running a business has made the past year exciting, at times frustrating, and definitely challenging. And while we've learned much, there's is still so much growth to come. We're looking forward to continuing the adventure.

And we'd like to thank all of you for joining us and encouraging us on this journey.  

As a way of saying thank you, we're offering 40% off all orders until the end of January. And, as always, free shipping on orders over $100. Use discount code 'ANNIVERSARY1' at checkout.

As we stated a year ago, the goal of FaveWear™ is to encourage women the world over to be intentional in their pursuit of an active and healthy lifestyle, to grow in their creativity and become their best rather than to worry about their size.  We're committed to this goal, but we need your help.

One thing we would like to add to our site is a list of activities and events for women to take part in.  But being based out of Vancouver, WA, we don't always know about some of the smaller, more local events that are happening around the U.S. and the rest of the world.  If you know of an event going on in your area that you would like to spread the word about, send us an email and we'll get it up on our site, as well as sending it out in the newsletter.

As a start to this, check back in the next week or so for our newest page on the site. We'll post events, classes and anything else we think you might be interested in. We'll be starting with happenings in the PNW. They may not all be events that you will be able to be directly active in right away, but we hope that they will inspire you to get involved in one way or another.  In the meantime, here are just a few events that are coming up in January and February, along with some classes you can go check out:

This morning I came across this blog:

Real Life Health.

I've been perusing Kathi's blog for the last several hours and, so far, I like what I'm reading.  I relate to what she's saying and what she's trying to get across to her audience: "Real Life Health doesn't care what size you are or how much you weigh and it certainly doesn't care how you look. What Real Life Health focuses on is balance, joy, and living your life on purpose and [with] passion. Real Life Health combines the best of the physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual and acknowledges that each are equal to the other."

She doesn't talk about calories.  She doesn't talk about dieting.  She doesn't talk about losing weight for the sake of losing weight.  She talks about health.  All aspects of it.  And I like that.  I get that.

I just read through her first experiences of doing hot yoga and she's inspiring me to want to try it.  I've done the regular kind of yoga (whatever that's called) for several years now, albeit at home with a video.  But I've never done any of the more intense kinds.  Now... I really want to try it.  Must find me a class soon.

She also wrote a post in September about starting to eat meat again after being a vegetarian for 30 years.  I went through a brief bout of vegetarianism in my mid-twenties... yeah... that didn't go well.  That's not to say that I think it's wrong and no one else should live that way.  It just wasn't for me.  There are many people I know who choose to eat or not eat certain things because of beliefs or health concerns.  I myself try my best to stay away from grains (not always successfully, by any means.... they're just so tasty....) because I know that I feel better when I don't eat them, gluten-free or not.  I've mentioned before that I've been on many diets and exercise programs in my life.  But until the last few years, I never really understood how to listen to my body and what it was trying to tell me about what works for it and what doesn't.  And I definitely didn't understand how to be balanced in my efforts.  It used to be that my tendencies (like many people out there) were to be all gung-ho when I would first stumble upon something that I thought might be the thing that was going to make me thin or fit into a certain size or whatever, whether it was a form of exercise or a diet.  And then, of course, the spark would die down and eventually sputter out completely.  

Recently, though, I've come to the understanding that balance is so necessary in life.  Balance in all things, really.  I still have those same tendencies, but I know now to try to be more aware of them and to work harder at keeping them in check. It will be a constant work in progress.  And I think Kathi's blog will to help me with that.  

:)

 Here's a taste of our new product photos!  And our lovely new Booty Revolutionaries: Susan, Courtney, Carrie, Jennifer and Bobbie Jean!

We had a great time with this photoshoot.  Every one of the ladies was splendid, fun and full or humor.  Which is a good thing.  Modeling is not an easy job!  And our photographer Heather Bayles was fabulous to work with.  

Be sure to browse the site and check out all the new shots!  :)

Good Monday to you all! Hopefully Black Friday didn't cause any harm to any of you out there.  I know it can get pretty insane.

Cyber Monday is upon us and FaveWear is joining in on the tradition. Our saucy Keyhole tops are 40% off when you use discount code "Cozy40".  Our long-sleeve crew-neck tees are are also on sale for $29.50!  We just want to make sure you stay warm this coming winter. :)   Both tops are cut longer in the torso for more coverage and have handy little thumb holes in the sleeves to keep your hands toasty while still allowing for full use of your fingers.

On a slightly different note, we had a great time working with Heather Bayles a few weeks ago on a photoshoot to introduce FaveWear's newest Booty Revolutionaries and the new addition to our color line: Cyan!  So be sure to check back for the new photos!

Have a great week, everyone!

Barney's, in a collaborative effort with Disney, has remade some of the most beloved childhood characters to go all out on their holiday campaigns this year... all in the name of fashion.

Let's think about this for a second................. bad idea, if you ask me.  I barely had to read the article to make that assessment.  Making Minnie and Daisy look like waifs in order for them to look good in a certain designer dress is nonsensical.

I've been trying for the past two days to put my thoughts on this blog that I've stumbled onto into words.  The problem is the author, Michelle, is so awesome that every thought I have leads to two more thoughts which turns into five more insights which becomes seven more ideas, ad infinitum and if I went with all those thoughts, insights and ideas then this blog post would be way too long and you wouldn't stick around to read it all. ;)  I'll share some of those here and there as time goes on, but right now, just go read the blog.  Because of the awesome.

Recently, I had a realization: that no matter how much I WANT to not believe the stereotype that being physically healthy equals a certain clothing size or weight or BMI, it’s extremely difficult to change the mindset. (Side note: I feel strongly that the BMI chart is excessively flawed.  There… I’ve said it.  And here's an example why.)  That stereotype has been handed down for how many generations?  So it’s understandable that it would be hard to stop buying into it.

Something that we need to look at, though, is the difference between “health” and “fitness”.  Often, the two terms seem to be interchangeable.  But really, they’re not.  Check out this article written by Lisa Barwise:

http://www.lisabarwise.com/what-is-the-difference-between-health-and-fitness/

As Lisa stated, “Fitness is one aspect of health… you can be fit but not healthy AND you can be healthy but not fit.”

Health is not limited to what the BMI charts say is the correct weight for a certain height.  Health encompasses so much more than that.  It covers every aspect of your life from how you feel physically on a daily basis to your relationships with other people, money, food and yourself.  So why is it that when someone says “healthy” the automatic image to pop into the mind is a person running on a beach wearing size 6 short shorts and a tank top?  That person may be fit, but how do we really know that she’s healthy?  We don’t.  So let’s just get that image out of our mind’s eye right now.

We’re here to promote positive body-image (mental and emotional health), regular physical activity (physical health and fitness), wellness and wholeness in all aspects of life rather than focusing so narrowly on dieting and weight loss and obsession over food and numbers.  It’s true that for some people attaining health and fitness is going to involve losing some weight.  In fact, a change in one’s weight is bound to happen as one becomes more active, not to mention the shape of one's body will more than likely change as well.  But being healthy and fit doesn’t necessarily mean focusing on losing a certain number of pounds or being able to fit into a size 6 pair of jeans and I don't feel that the weight should be the focus.  For one thing, think about what commonly happens once that ‘goal weight’ is reached.  The tendency is to stop doing what was done to reach that goal, to become complacent, to fall back into the bad habits that caused the unhealthy, unfit state in the first place.  I’m not saying that always happens.  But from my own experience it’s easy to slide back into old lifestyle habits.  Instead, we want to widen our focus to encompass positive attitudes and activities that combine to lead each of us toward our own optimal physical and mental well-being.

To me, being healthy and fit means I can walk up a 20 degree incline on a hill without being winded, wake up most days feeling like I can take on the whole empire by myself, having no pain in my joints and muscles, feeling strong physically, emotionally, and mentally, and being able to use my creative energies to communicate and relate to other people, especially those I’m close to.  Undoubtedly, others’ ideas and goals for health & fitness will differ from mine. 

Joseph and I are on a mission to become healthy AND fit and live our lives to the fullest, without the worry of trying to fit into a mold of certain physical dimensions that have been dictated to us by society.

What are your thoughts, goals, and aspirations for living a healthy and fit life?