This being said, I spend a fortune in workout apparel. I do. I shop bargains for my work clothes, for my every day clothes, but will not cut back on my workout clothes. I make sure that the WO pants and top I’m wearing flatter my behind and show off my shoulders and upper back while hiding my tummy. It’s my shameful little secret (well, not anymore) I’m vain and like to look good as I’m enjoying torturing myself.
Apparently I’m not the only one! Carol Sorgen in her article The right exercise clothes can improve your workout –and your attitude, asserts that wearing and outfit that makes us feel good about ourselves goes a long way to making us feel motivated and confident. It stands to reason don’t you think? In a gym full of mirror, having an outfit that fits right and looks good will make us want to go. On the other hand, an oversized T-shirt and shorts that makes us look 15 lbs heavier, and gets caught in a machine every time we turn around might prove to be a lot less motivating.
What is flattering varies with body shapes and personal preferences, but as a general rule Sorgen suggest black shorts, a sport bra and a colored top for women; and all black for men. The trick, as always, is to play with your strength, and hide your concerns. I like my arms and shoulders, so I tend to chose racer back tops, but you’ll never see me work out in a mid-drift top. If arms aren’t your favorite part of your body, see about short sleeve tops. Same goes for any part of your body you want to accentuate or take the attention away from.
Looks aren’t everything though; comfort and function are an essential concern while shopping for workout apparel. Obviously, the type of activity you practice will dictate your choices. Biking in a swimsuit might get you some interesting looks (though honestly, it’s San Francisco, we’ve seen everything and anything! HA!) and running in flip flops is as ridiculous as it is dangerous. So once you chose a specific activity with specific need, you want to take that into account. There are a few things to keep in mind no matter what activity you practice though, here’s a few:
Seasons
If you practice outdoor activities, you want to dress appropriately for the seasons. San Francisco has 2 seasons: Fog, and rain. If you take your activity outside of the Bay Area, you might encounter some significant seasonal changes:
Summer: In the heat of summer (don’t laugh!) you want to dress accordingly. Lighter colors help reflect the heat and tend to keep you cooler. Synthetic fabrics wick the heat and the sweat away from you. They also tend to dry faster than cotton. It’s always a good idea to have a hat, sunglasses and sun block. You want to get healthy and fit, not deep fried.
Winter: In the cold of winter layers are your friends! You want to be able to take off layers while you are working hard, and put them back on when you slow down (or get into a wind gust). Do not forget to cover the extremities: fingers and ears sometimes get numb in the cold, and we don’t really realize how cold they really are until we are miles away from any heat sources (believe me, I know what I’m talking about here!). In windy and rainy condition, a good waterproof wind breaker can be a savior.
If you are in snow country, you also need to protect yourself from the sun. You won’t feel the heat, because it’s cold, but the UV rays are still doing their thing. Hat, sun block, sunglasses are essentials when spending hours in the highly reflective snow.
Fabrics
The best fabrics are the ones that let air circulate through wicking the heat away from your body, and dry the fastest. Synthetic fabrics tend to be the best choice. Polyester, Nylon and Spandex (Lycra) and/or any combination of them are the way to go. Cotton is light, but absorbs the heat and the sweat and quickly become uncomfortable so go for blends and you can get the best of both worlds.
Please stay away from denim (way too heavy and uncomfortable), rubber/plastic based clothing (no comments, at least none that are appropriate and/or remotely professional sounding HA!) and anything that will constrict your movement, dig into your skin, or chafes.
Mind the unseen:
Socks can make a difference. You don’t have to have the super duper last edition of the Lance Amstrong socks at 75$/pair. You do want to think about what socks you are wearing when you work out, even more if you are doing a long workout on your feet (running, walking, hiking, skating). A pair of socks with acrylic in the blend, will keep your feet dry. Think about the feel and the fit of the socks also. That can go a long way toward making your workout (and the following day) a lot more enjoyable.
Sport bra: As the girl who has always been the “busty friend”, I sure understand the challenge of finding a well fitting, comfortable and supportive sport bra. Nobody wants to work out with a widely bouncing uni-boob. It’s as unflattering as it is uncomfortable. For the longest time I also would never be able to find a bra in my cup size that wouldn’t have straps that were a foot too long for me, very frustrating! The key for me: everything must be adjustable!
The right sport bra for you is out there, and it is absolutely worth the effort to find it. In terms of comfort, you want to have the right fabrics; again synthetic fabrics will keep you dry and cool and keep chafing to a minimal. Wide straps are a must if you are busty to avoid undue strain on your shoulders. You want support (that’s the whole point isn’t it?), for comfort and safety, and if you are like me, you want to look good without having to wear 2 (or 3) bras one over another.
Because I’m vain, and want to draw the attention away from my tummy, I’m a big fan of under wire bras. A good quality under wire sport bra that fits you well will not hurt, but it takes some shopping. My go to sport bra is the Powerback under wire from Champion, but not everybody like it. Really the idea is to go to a store, and try bras on, do a few jumping jacks, move around, jump a little, and if the girls are still where they are supposed to be, you are comfortable and nothing is scratching in weird places, you are on the right track.
Men: I’m not very knowledgeable in men’s underwear, so all I will say is that running a marathon wearing a pair of loose boxers might not be in your best interest. A little research and a shopping spree might go a long way toward making your life easier.
Where to put your money
I’m not in any way saying that you should spend a fortune on work out clothes. A decently fitting t-shirt and a pair of work out pants that are comfortable and not too loose are perfectly fine. That are however things on which you do want to maybe spend a little more because they are work it: a good pair of shoes, a good sport bra for busty women, a decent pair of work out pants if your hips are not at their best, a pair of swimming goggles if you are going to swim lap regularly (nothing like you goggle filling up every time you make a turn ARG!).
Think about it this way: If you feel good about how you look, you feel more positive, when you feel positive, you have more energy, having more energy makes you work out better, a better work out burns more calories, burning more calories make you lose weight faster, losing weight faster make you feel good about yourself, if you feel good about yourself, you look better, if you feel good about how you look, you feel more positive, when you feel positive, you have more energy…
It’s a mind game my friends, totally is!!
Sources:
http://www.essortment.com/guide-workout-clothing-women-49372.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55673
No comments:
Post a Comment