Straight Laced Dame

Thanks s0methinglikeabigdeal.

I’ve been practicing my handstands a lot lately and I’m really interested in getting my hands off the ground in more than an inverted cross.  This looks like a fantastic variation to start practicing on at home.  I’ll keep the embarrassment of me falling away from my studio instructors for now!

So I’ve also found a cure for my hyperhydrosis! (Favorite new word for a very unsavory condition: overactive sweat glands on the hands, feet, and armpits, regardless of health, warmth, or physical exertion)  An OTC antiperspirant called Certain Dri is really doing the trick.  Or at least it has for my underarms.  So tonight I’ll be trying it on the soles of my feet and my palms.

Why, you ask?  Because, even after about 3.5 months of consistent pole fitness classes, I still can’t get a grip.  My strength is right on target for my level, but I just can’t hold onto the pole without slipping down after every single spin.  Imagine spending more time dousing your equipment with alcohol and Dry Hands than you get to actually use it.  Very frustrating, especially for combos.  So when I realized that this detrimental clamminess wouldn’t leave as my experience increased, I knew there had to be some explanation that the other girls at the studio were unaware of.  And I was right!  At least there is this sense of relief in knowing that I have an idea of what’s going on and how I can fix it.

It’s been a very full life lately.  Sometimes overwhelming, sometimes satisfying beyond comprehension.  But this flux, I believe is superior to mediocre consistency.

I have recently - that is yesterday - begun a modified juice fast.  So I’ll be taking in the lovely nutrients of about 15 servings of fruit & veg in liquid form, along with one simple smoothie (plain 0% Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, frozen unsweetened berries) to add protein and as much plain green tea as I can get.  No coffee, no solids, and hopefully no fussing about food during the next several days!  The ultimate goal would be to go a full 10 days, but I’m giving myself stepping stones of sorts.  Yesterday, when I began, my goal was just to get through the day.  Now the aim is to complete 5 days of this regimen.

A few benefits after 48 hours:

• Corsetting is easier than ever!
• I have no need to fret about calories, as every single one is highly nutrient packed, and it’s hard to get over 1000 anyway.
• I haven’t felt any hunger pangs.
• My body scent is almost refreshing (and my fiance commented on me tasting nice).
• No bloating.

The Bad:

• Headaches: constantly now.
• Muscle stiffness.
• Tendency to grind teeth unconsciously.
• General mental haze.

But I know this will be worth it.  Really, it’s so nice to be laced up again, and that helps to make it worth it!

Thank you to msvermont for this insightful image.  I look like I’ve been beaten after every class.

(via lifeofafitnessmodel-deactivated)

And the pressure is suddenly back on…

I’ve completed my year-end presentation with great results and my semester-sum-up debate satisfactorily.  And just when I had thought the immediate pressure was off, I received word that my exam scores were in.  Now, I’m not concerned nearly as much with my upcoming week of standard university course exams.  No, the scores that I should be looking at within the next 24 hours are for a professional level test, one that requires 8 hours to take and either a bachelor degree in-hand or several years of relevant work experience.  And the pass rate is less than 45%.  I studied hard, as hard as I could, yet I still wonder if I was able to do well enough.  For the past month I have managed to quell my concerns, knowing that it was out of my hands the moment that I left the examination site.  But now all of that mental strain has resurfaced.  What can I do, though, but wait to see?  However, I simply don’t know what I would do if I failed.

Well, here’s to the hope of success and to the calmness in the case that there is none to savor.

Regardless, I will at least allow myself the opportunity to enjoy some early 20th century bare bodies.  How lovely indeed.

What a wake-up I was given in the middle of the night as my Love came in from his work.  I think it did quite well to put him so sleep, though.

Here we have it: a clear photograph of how a corseted waist looks in a well-fitted retro style dress.  This is my 22” Romantasy underbust victorian corset beneath a Pinup Girl Clothing piece called the Amelia dress.  Both are companies which I highly recommend, with the garments made of quality material by the hands of my fellow country(wo)men.

This is the first day I’ve managed to get back into my corset since Wednesday, so I’m quite happy with how I’ve done.

22” corset at 23.5” outside (about 22.25” inside) for a total of about 10 hours.

I haven’t decided if I will be wearing it through the night, as I want to make sure my digestive system flows smoothly for my senior presentation tomorrow.  If I leave my entrails rest for now, then hopefully I can don it come time to take stage.  Yes, here it is: the last week of my college career.  And all of the pressure is within the next two days, so I’m not sure that I’ll be terribly present on Tumblr.  Best of luck to all of you finishing your semesters!

The form of the ladies’ undergarments depicted in this advertisement seems more like armor than a contraption meant simply to create an ideal form.  My waist has been a bit loose lately, and I’m missing that rigidity.  But I would rather get through this rather stressful final week before enjoying the sensation once again.

Oh my, those waists!  That takes more than corseting to be able to boast such midsections.  I’m working on it myself.

Lovely ladies at the beach!  I suppose that I can thank my corset for providing me with a rather proportional waist even after it’s off.  And really I’m not so sure that I would wish to deal away with my womanly curves.  Soft thighs that can run several miles without tiring are better than straws which can barely hold their own weight; and a well-rounded rump is superior to a protruding pelvis.  Or, at least, I can adopt this opinion for myself. There is little that is more glamorous than the classic female figure.  Nor is there anything more encouraging than finding how difficult it is to tire oneself out.

Corsetry at sea’s side.  I expect to be visiting Cape May in New Jersey this summer with my fiance and his family; and I would adore the opportunity to boast an appropriately cinched waist in the historic town.

“See, I’ve dropped my handkerchief, Captain DeVeek!”

“I know you have, Miss Constance.  I’m very sorry.  I can’t stoop either!”

Ah, the delights of having free-waisted companions: to save one from the terror of bending over while corsetted.

Also, I apologize for failing to share my waist training endeavors of late.  The semester’s end finds me hazier and busier than ever.  At least I can say that, while maintaining a modest regimen of consumption, I can maintain a 22.25” outside waist (about 21” inside) dimension with little discomfort.  When I began my waist training endeavors, exactly six months ago from this week, my waist wavered around 26.5” naturally.  And that uncorsetted dimension is now 25”, or even less on some mornings.

However, I see this measurement as “persistent” moreso than “permanent”, as my weight has stayed exactly the same.  If I were to go without lacing for a month, I would expect that number to rise again.  So, I cannot help but wonder just how I can classify this reduction.  Is it 5.5” from my “original” waist to the inside of the corset?  Or 2.75” from the “current” waist to the outside of the corset?

How do you define your reduction?