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Feeling uncomfortable in your bra? It’s time to get fitted!

Feeling uncomfortable in your bra? It's time to get fitted!

When was the last time you were fitted for a bra? If you can’t remember or have never been fitted, there is no better time than the present, particularly during the month of October.

Not only will you be giving yourself a more comfortable fit, you will also be helping to raise much-needed funds for breast cancer research, with Bras N Things donating $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation every time someone gets fitted at a store.

Bras N Things fitting specialist Carla Lucato says some woman don’t completely understand the importance of being fitted properly for a bra.

“Eight out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra,” she said.

Carla recommends that every time you purchase a new bra you get fitted by a professional. Bras N Things offer free bra fitting consultations throughout their stores.

So, how do you know you’re wearing the wrong bra size? Carla says that if you can feel your bra throughout the day, it’s not the right size for you.

“A well fitted bra should be supportive, comfortable and flattering under the clothes that you are wearing,” Carla said.

“You shouldn’t even know that you’re wearing a bra.

“Your bra should be supportive and comfortable at all times. If you’re not getting fitted correctly you’ll be feeling your bra all day.”

Other than the uncomfortable factor of a bra that doesn’t fit correctly, Carla says it can “make or break an outfit”.

If you are wearing the incorrect bra size you will:

  • Feel uncomfortable

  • Your bra will sit poorly under your clothes

  • It will ride up your back

  • It will dig into your shoulders (where the strap sits)

  • It can cause bruising under arms

  • It may give you back pain

  • It may give you “double busts”, side cleavage and back cleavage

From October 10 to October 23, Bras N Things plan to fit 10,000 woman, raising $10,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

These funds will enable the foundation to fund research programs to cover every aspect of breast cancer, from increasing the understanding of genetics to improving ways to support women and their families.

To find your local Bras N Things store visit www.brasnthings.com

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True Confessions Agony Aunt: I don’t want my husbands baby I want to adopt

Woman and husband worried about adopting a baby

Image: Thinkstock, posed by models

For as far back as I can remember, I’ve known I want to adopt children rather than have my own. I’ve always been careful to mention this to boyfriends, rather than hiding it from them.

Before I married my husband I tried on several occasions to warn him about this, but he always cut me off, saying it was too early to talk about children. Now we’ve been married for five years and are ready to start a family.

He adores children and I know he would be an amazing father. He comes from an Italian background where family is everything. His older and younger brothers both have children already and he is brilliant with them. Many of his friends have children too.

From the way he plays with them and looks longingly at them, he is clearly ready for us to start a family and hopes that we will have our own.

After much discussion he has agreed that if we try to have one child of our own naturally, he would accept adopting a second child, if I really can’t cope with the idea of giving birth to another. But the problem is, I really don’t want to have my own at all.

I can’t quite explain why I feel so strongly about this. It could be because I suffered a STD when I was about 18 and spent a year having doctors poke about at me at regular intervals and hate the thought of it happening again. It could be because I am very sporty and dread the idea of losing my physical fitness. I also don’t like pain!

Several female friends have had really nightmarish pregnancies and births and hearing their stories has put me off even more. But more than that, I just don’t feel the need. I don’t have that maternal instinct, the longing to have my own babies that all my female friends seem to have. I do like children though, and I love the idea of taking on an orphaned child, especially from an overseas country.

My marriage is otherwise extremely happy and my husband and I are like best friends. Am I being really selfish here or should I stick to my guns? We are both 35 now and it feels like time is ticking away. How can we find a compromise in this matter? I am terrified it is going to tear our marriage apart.

You can’t find any compromise until you’re being totally honest. He believes that you’ve agreed to try to get pregnant but you have no intention of that, which is more likely to cause your relationship to falter than actually telling him the truth.

It would have been better if you had made some decisions together about this before you got married but you cannot let the subject drift vaguely any longer, no matter how difficult it is to be honest about how you feel.

Perhaps he did you a disservice in not discussing the matter fully before you married but the only way you can reach any sort of workable compromise now is to stop pretending and come clean about your feelings.

You’ve listed a number of reasons why you don’t want to get pregnant which you should really explore, especially your concern about being examined by doctors as pregnancy is not an illness and examinations tend not to be invasive – getting your blood pressure taken and having regular blood tests are the most standard procedures and the only intimate examinations are likely to take place during labour. You’re unlikely to have to see much of doctors since midwives and nurses will provide the bulk of your care.

There are many women who make sure they don’t lose their fitness while pregnant and pain can be very well controlled in childbirth.

Also, adoption is not the easiest of processes so find out about the realities before making any decisions or vague assumptions about how easy it is to adopt a baby, but do it as a couple. You say you’re not maternal yet you also say you would love a child, which is a very mixed message. Try to be as honest as you can with yourself as well as your husband and get all your worries out in the open.

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True Confessions Agony Aunt: Turning envy to your advantage

Woman jealous of colleague

Image: Thinkstock, posed by models

Many of the enquiries I get as an Agony Aunt are from people eaten-up with jealousy over what they perceive to be the success other people are experiencing, unable to recognise what they see on the surface might bear little relation to the reality.

Here’s how to turn your jealousy or envy into a positive for yourself and those around you.

Some people seem to have amazing luck yet many would subscribe to producer Sam Goldwyn’s wry comment “The harder I work the luckier I get”.

Countless celebrities point to a tutor or coach who believed in them and set them on their road to success whilst many others remember short-sighted teachers who viciously told them they were stupid or would never amount to anything. Instead of being cowed by such a lack of confidence in them, their reaction was to show the critic just exactly how much they could achieve.

Similarly, bad luck can stop some people in their tracks, while others can see it as a fact of life and try to negotiate around it, hopefully learning from the experience.

If her apparent life of luxury leaves you so envious of her good fortune that you are unable to see any of the negatives, such a lack of imagination could have a very limiting effect on your own achievements. Seeing only what you want to see results in an inability to recognise that while wealth, beauty and success make life easier at times they offer no guarantees against suffering disappointment, illness or despair.

Hilary Swank and Halle Berry are both stunningly beautiful award-winning actresses, yet that probably counted for nothing when their marriages ended.

Many people fail to follow in the hard work or experience of those they look up to and instead assume instant gratification to be a right. How often have we heard hollow laughter from ‘overnight’ successes who have worked for years to get where they are but whose long grind is conveniently forgotten in following the ‘why spoil a good story with the truth’ mantra?

Sometimes even just putting your negative thoughts in writing can bring about the solution as it will force you to take time to consider the facts and recognise that what you might be doing is generalising without all the details.

Many women are effectively paralysed by this envy which drains their energy and prevents them making positive changes and aiming high.

There’s a huge difference between being selfish and being self-aware – concentrating on improving and enjoying our own lives rather than fretting over things that don’t matter or cannot be changed.

  1. Accept that you may envy some people, but although you may feel everything has come easily to them, you don’t know that for sure.

  2. Negative emotions can produce very positive effects — your envy of someone else’s success can drive you on to greater things. Don’t let it poison you — use it well.

  3. Nothing beats hard work. Always being ready to learn something new and put in the graft has its own rewards, even if it’s just awareness that you’re living up to your capabilities.

  4. Don’t bad mouth other people. Be gracious in the face of other people’s success, be grateful to those who help you and if you can’t forget an insult use it to spur you on to better things.

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Celebrity fitness trends

Want to push your fitness to the extreme? Check out the latest fitness trends that keep the stars fit.

Celebrity fitness trends

Want to know how Scarlett Johannsen stays tonedf? Want to push your fitness to the extreme? Check out the latest fitness trends that keep the stars fit.

Jake Gyllenhaal — free running

Jake Gyllenhaal did his own mind-blowing stunts in his upcoming movie, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. To train for the movie, the 29-year-old took up parkour — a physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment. Jake trained with David Belle, the inventor of parkour. “He taught me to actually run on walls and jump from rooftops safely. It’s not fake. We actually did it,” Jake told Good Morning America.

Victoria Beckham — Yogalosophy

Former Spice Girl has followed Jennifer Anniston to take up Yogalosophy, a fitness regime which combines yoga and toning exerciseswith astrology. Jennifer credits her body to Mandy Ingber’s method, and has even featured in one of the DVDs. A friend told Heat magazine that Victoria bought the Yogalosophy DVD and “does her workout at home around four times a week to ‘align her mind and spirit’. She’s really starting to notice the difference.”

Scarlett Johansson — ping pong

What do Scarlett and Axl Rose have in common? They are both members of SPiN, a ping-pong social club opened by celebrity and table tennis junkie Susan Sarandon.

Hilary Duff — Piloxing

A workout that combines features of Pilates with boxing, Piloxing is the brainchild of Swedish dancer and celebrity trainer Viveca Jensen. The work-out mixes air punches with weighted gloves, along with tummy-strengthening and toning exercise. Hilary is a fan: “After training with Viveca I feel physically strong and mentally empowered,” she wrote on Viveca’s website.

Jodie Kidd — polo

The former supermodel is a dedicated player of horseback polo, and often plays for the Apes Hill Polo team in Barbados, where she lives. In 2004, Jodie co-founded Pret-a-Polo, a venture to marry up polo, fashion and partying. She told UK’s Daily Mail: “Polo is exciting, skilful and already quite sexy. There are good-looking players, horses and a lot of attractive women attending.”

Katie Holmes — soul cycling

Forget spin, the latest bike craze is SoulCycle, a 45-minute session that also brings a spiritual experience. Since this indoor cycling studio opened its doors in New York five years ago, SoulCycle has attracted celebrity devotees: Brooke Shields, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Jon Bon Jovi. The key way SoulCycle is different from other indoor cycling sessions is the spiritual element as the instructors educate, entertain and inspire. At the start of every workout, the lights are dimmed, candles are lit and the instructor cues up a playlist of music that’s specifically timed to help give motivation and energy.

Kardashians — Kangoo Jumps

Kangoos are low-impact, rebound sport shoes originally developed in Switzerland, specifically for joggers to minimise the impact on joints. Running in these special shoes promises a full-body work out. When Kim and Kourtney Kardashian were photographed bouncing around Miami Beach in Kangoo Jumps last year, pogo jogging really became a fitness trend.

Matthew McConaughey — barefoot running

Have you seen the shoes that look like rubber glove toe socks for the feet? They’re Vibram FiveFingers shoes that are meant to mimic the experience of running barefoot, yet protect your feet from dirt and debris. Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey swears by barefoot running as a safe and effective workout that stimulates the muscles in your feet and lower legs. Other celebrities that have been seen sporting a pair of Vibrams include Kate Hudson, Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson.

Jennifer Lopez — Zumba

The Latin dance-inspired cardio craze has taken over gyms across Australia. Zumba promises to work out your core, arm and leg muscles while burning calories. Jennifer Lopez recommends Zumba. In a recent interview, J-Lo said: “As women, we tend to give away a lot. We take care of a lot of people, and we can’t forget to take care of ourselves. If that means once a week you’re going to go off without the kids or without anybody and just go shoe shopping — well, that’s me, because I love shoes — or get a facial even if your sister thinks that’s selfish, or join a Zumba class, or take a painting class, or whatever, you’ve just got to do it.”

Marisa Tomei — hula-hooping

Remember hula hoops in the playground? Well, using a weighted hoop to get a full-body work-out can burns up to 600 calories an hour. It also tones your muscles and improves your posture. Marisa Tomei took up hula hooping to get fit for her role as an exotic dancer in The Wrestler. Beyoncé, Liv Tyler, and even Michelle Obama have also introduced the hula hoop to their work-out routines.

Gisele Bündchen — TRX Suspension

The ultimate portable workout that you can literally take anywhere. No wonder, the TRX Suspension is popular with jet-setting, time-poor celebrities. Fans include Gwen Stefani, Mary J Blige and Gisele Bündchen. The only equipment used is a nylon strap and handle that you can easily pack in your suitcase. Just attach it to a door or other sturdy base and you’ll strengthen and tone your muscles by lifting and lowering your own body weight.

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The cutest kids in Hollywood!

Hollywood has recently experienced a celebrity baby boom with a number of new arrivals to stars including Salma Blair, Natalie Portman and Victoria Beckham.

And there are still some arrivals on the way with Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Garner also recently announcing that they are expecting!

So, with so many cute kids running around town, we thought we would share some of the fun!

Here are some of the cutest kids in Hollywood.

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Blooms son Flynn.

Rachel Zoe’s son Skylar.

Katherine Heigl’s daughter Nancy Leigh.

Salma Blair’s cutie Arthur Saint Bleick.

Salma Hayek’s daughter Valentina.

Isla Fisher’s daughter Olive.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s twins Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge.

Hugh Jackman’s daughter Ava.

Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda.

Usher’s sons Usher Raymond V and Naviyd Ely Raymond.

Kourtney Kardashian’s son Mason Disick.

Jerry O’Connell’s twin daughters Dolly and Charlie.

Heidi Klum’s sons Henry, 6, and Johan, 4.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter Suri Cruise.

Jessica Alba’s daughter Honor Marie Warren.

Halle Berry’s daughter Nahla Ariela Aubry.

The Brange clan including Pax, Zahara, Maddox , Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne.

Nicole Richie’s children Harlow and Sparrow.

Ricky Martin’s twins Matteo and Valentino.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter Apple.

Reese Witherspoon’s kids Ava and Deacon Phillippe.

Matthew McConaughey’s children Vida Alves and Levi.

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Is 50 too old to have a baby?

Is 50 too old to have a baby?

The cover of New York Magazine this month features a naked, pregnant, 50+ woman under the coverline: is she too old for this?

Further down, the story asks: is there anything wrong with being 53 and pregnant?

Related: I had a baby at 50 – without IVF

The story taps into the controversy over older mothers, amid criticism from some quarters that women over 35 are “selfish” for having babies.

It points out that IVF technology is allowing more older women to have babies, but also points out that criticism that older women don’t have enough energy to look after babies is hypocritical in an age when grandparents are relied upon more than ever before to share childcare duties.

Recently, The Australian Women’s Weekly featured Anthea Nicholas, who became a mother for the first time at age 50 by accident.

Related: Advertising exploits women’s fear of infertility

Her story prompted an overwhelming response from readers, many of whom had their own “change of life” babies in their late 40s or early 50s, or had been children of older mothers themselves.

Perth obstetrician Barry Walters certainly thinks 50 is too old — in fact, he also thinks 40 is too old to have a baby.

He told the West Australian women were selfish to have a baby when they were older, and he was worried about potential complications such as premature births.

“The selfishness side of it is a small aspect but I think that when women are over 40, yest they’re having a baby who’s a baby for a little time but that child will grow into a person in their 20s and 30s who will have, if the parents are still alive, elderly and potentially unwell parents,” Dr Walters said.

Your say: Do you think 50 is too old to have a baby?

Video: Leading doctor criticises older mothers

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Retro Australian Women’s Weekly covers

In recent years, the cover of The Australian Women’s Weekly has been the territory of beautiful and glamorous celebrities – but in the 1970s puppies, kittens, Kermit the Frog and even a bizarre-looking robot were cover stars.

The National Library of Australia recently digitised the first 50 years of The Weekly, and entire issues from 1933 to 1982 are now available online

We’ve gone through this amazing resource and pulled some of our favourite covers to show how we’ve changed over the years.

To visit the archive yourself, visit aww.com.au/library.

Jacqueline Kennedy in September 1978, and Diana and Charles in March 1981.

A risque shot of Prince Charles was on the cover in April, 1979.

This picture of Diana caused a scandal in October 1980.

Charles and Diana in April 1982.

A cat in a brandy glass in May, 1980.

This strange robot was on the cover in June 1978.

Sonia McMahon and her family in January 1982.

Baby Prince William was on the cover in October 1982.

Prince William’s christening was big news in August 1982.

Diana in February 1982.

Kermit the Frog was cover star in July, 1979.

Princess Diana in January 1982.

Charles and Diana in March 1981.

Candice Bergen in March 1982.

Brooke Shields on the cover of the April 1982 issue.

Barry Humphries and his family in April, 1982.

Princess Michael of Kent in April 1982.

Sophia Loren in May 1982.

Diana in May 1982.

Karen Pini and her pet cat in June 1982.

Diana in June 1982.

Knit a copy of Diana’s jumper in June 1982.

Bert Newton and family in July 1982.

Diana in July 1982.

Diana, Charles and baby William in July 1982.

Princess Anne and her family in August 1982.

A scandalous shot of Princess Caroline of Monaco in August 1982.

Olivia Newton John in September 1982.

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Maggie Tabberer in September 1982.

Diana in September 1982.

Princess Grace of Monaco in October 1982.

Sophia Loren in October 1982.

Queen Elizabeth in November 1982.

Rod Stewart’s then-wife Alana and family in November 1982.

The queen in December 1982.

Diana in December 1982.

Maggie Tabberer in March 1981.

Women were taught how to get “the Lady Di look” in April 1981.

Charles in April 1981.

Charles and Diana in June 1981.

Diana in July 1981.

Is Diana ‘bringing hats back’? September 1981.

Diana again in October 1981.

More Diana in November 1981.

Anzac Day commemorative issue in April 1980.

A leopard was the star of the June 1980 issue.

Ursula Andress on the cover in July 1980.

Exploring working motherhood in August 1980.

Raquel Welch with husband number 3 in in August 1980.

Carla Zampatti in August 1980.

*Fatty Finn* stars in November 1980.

Fatty Finn stars in November 1980.

A bulldog and its puppy in December 1980.

Sonia McMahon in November 1980.

Bert and Patti Newton with new son Matthew in April, 1979.

An odd Christman cover in December 1979.

A kangaroo was star in January 1978.

Jacqueline Kennedy in September 1978.

A cat with a bottle in September 1977.

A featherless parrot in July 1975.

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Tori Spelling welcomes her third child

Tori Spelling welcomes her third child

Tori Spelling and her husband Dean McDermott have welcomed their third child — a baby girl named Hattie Margaret.

The 38-year-old actress announced the news on Twitter writing: “Our family is so happy to announce that 10/10/11 a baby girl Hattie Margaret McDermott was born at 7.08am. She’s amazing!”

She also posted a picture of her new born daughter’s feet.

Tori and Dean, who star in their own upcoming reality TV series Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, said they wanted to be surprised when their baby arrived and kept the baby’s sex a secret.

“We have one of each, so it will be a traditional surprise on the day,” Tori told US magazine.

Tori, who is mum to Liam, four, and daughter Stella, three, says her third pregnancy was the hardest.

“People always think the first one was the hardest. But I’m like, ‘No the first one was easy for me because I could lay around all day. I didn’t have two little ones to take care of,” she said.

“This is the hardest one because I’m always going with the kids.”

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Dannii Minogue: Why I’ve lost so much weight

Dannii Minogue: Why I’ve lost so much weight

Just seven months after having her first child, Dannii Minogue was back in shape and looking great, but the new mum says she always knew something wasn’t quite right.

Although she was losing weight she had no energy to exercise and now admits she could hardly lift her new born baby Ethan saying: “I was finding it hard to pick Ethan up and I was thinking “I’m a new mum, I know I’m tired, but surely it can’t be this hard?”

The singer, who turns 40 this month, has now revealed that her weight loss and her declining energy are due to a thyroid condition the UK’s Daily Mail reported.

“My thyroid stopped working and I had appendicitis,” she said.

“Leading up to that I was getting thinner and thinner, and stressing because I didn’t know what it was. Normally you put on weight if you have an under-active thyroid.

“But there is a percentage of people that have it reversed. It was very hard to concentrate, you can’t sleep and I got very weak. They explain it to you as running a car without petrol.”

The condition not only took a toll her Dannii’s weight, but on her work life and relationship with partner Kris Smith as well.

The former UK X-Factor judge initially said she quit the show to concentrate on motherhood, however she now reveals the stress of it all was too much for her to handle.

“When you’ve just had a baby you think it must be normal tiredness. But it got to the point where I thought, ‘This cannot be normal’,” she said.

“Poor Kris. He was thinking after getting through the pregnancy and the baby that everything would be just fine and he couldn’t work out why I wasn’t well. It was bloody difficult.”

Despite rumours of a split, the couple worked through the tough time together and say they are now back on track.

“We have a bond that’s incredible,” she said.

Dannii and Kris have now set themselves up in Melbourne where Dannii is resting in an effort to get her strength back.

“I feel as if I’m on a curve upwards, but it takes time. My body’s been through a lot in the past two years,” she said.

“The workload alone would make anyone tired. But factor in jet lag, X Factor, the baby, being ill… But I’m getting there. I can’t wait to have the energy to work out again.”

Despite her lack of energy, Dannii says she still has her appetite, but can’t seem to put on weight despite her diet of cupcakes which she became fond of during her pregnancy.

“People get angry with me because I’m thinner than before I had a baby and I’m eating cupcakes,” she said.

Despite her numerous successes over the past two years including her the launch of her fashion line Project D, Danii says the focus is on getting well again.

“Being well… I’ve had so many amazing things that I feel lucky about, but being well and enjoying it — that’s the most important thing.”

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Sandra Bullock and Louis Bardo’s pirate party

Sandra Bullock and Louis Bardo's Pirate Party

Just when you thought Sandra Bullock’s son Louis Bardo couldn’t get any cuter, he and his mum have stepped out in adorable pirate costumes.

The pair wore the attire for a friend’s themed birthday party at the weekend.

In this exclusive video the gorgeous one-year-old walked around the party in his gear with his superstar mum keeping a watchful eye over him.

The 47-year-old actress is currently enjoying some down time before she begins promoting her new movie Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Apart from spending time with her son, she has also spent some time partying with her new pal Heidi Klum.

The pair enjoyed a girls’ night out last Wednesday at the Beacher’s Madhouse inside Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel.

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