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Meet Himare from our Summer Campaign
Posted by Claire Boote, on July 26, 2021.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
Himare, 31, lives in London
A regular day for Himare involves juggling work with nursery runs and nappy changes while squeezing in an online HIIT or Pilates session. But Himare hasn’t always felt on top of life.
Already a fuller-cup size (32K), during her pregnancy in 2020 Himare’s breasts grew to a 32KK, then a 34L when breastfeeding. The heaviness of her chest gave her excruciating, “out of this world” backpain that left her in tears as she couldn’t hold or feed her baby. After weeks of physical and emotional struggle, albeit with support from her husband, she sought help.
As the NHS limited its services while the Covid pandemic raged on, Himare tapped into her private medical insurance through work. This allowed her to get the hands-on physiotherapy that she desperately needed. She also discovered Royce’s ‘Luna’ nursing bra which was a game-changer – she finally felt fully supported, comfortable and able to care for her baby in the way she wanted.
Having been into fitness from a young age, now that Himare is a year post-partum she plans to step-up her game and equip herself with the best sports bras for her size. She understands the importance of a good sports bra since a humiliating incident at school put a stop to her sporting dreams for several years.
“It was Sports Day and as a keen athlete I took part in the 100m sprint.
Himare says,
After passing the finish line a group of boys jokingly told me I had a black eye – I hadn’t noticed but my boobs had been hitting me in the face the whole time. That experience put me off sport for years – I didn’t even run for a bus.
“For years I associated sports and fitness negativity in my mind. It was something that I avoided in public due to my lack of knowledge of supportive sports bras in my size. I would do low-intensity workouts at home until a friend recommended a specific sports bra for me. That changed my perception forever. I joined a gym and I worked out without the fear of judgement, knowing that my boobs were properly supported.”
After the birth of her first baby,
Himare explains, “I put an unhealthy amount of pressure on myself to lose the weight quickly, so that spurred on the desire to get back into fitness. Thankfully, I had the right people around me reminding me to love my body at every stage, including postpartum. Today I feel so much love for my body and how powerful and beautiful it is with every stretchmark, eczema scar and saggy boob!”
