Clothing Impact

I am in love with workout clothing. Like a moth to a flame, I am drawn to brightly colored stretchy items with names/logos from Lululemon, Underarmour, and Nike. In fact, the brighter and more obnoxious it looks, the more likely I am to want to bring it home with me.

Currently I have the following gear to my name, right off the top of my head:

• Lululemon:
• black and white strip sports bra
• blue and green tank top
• white trail running shirt (yup that's a thing)
• Underarmour: 
• highlighter yellow tank top
• black running tights
• blue print running capris
• Brooks running shoes (bright blue with lime green and purple accents)

My lack of working out over the last couple years (yes YEARS) is what makes this hilarious and a double take kind of moment.

When I look at that list I think "wow someone has a lot to spend on workout clothing" and truly I have spent quiet a bit. (What is important to note is that I am a person who values quality over quantity in all the things that I buy. I would rather pay more up front and replace items less often.) Thankfully all the items on that list were either gifts or were bought on sale and I love wearing all of them. No one is going to know that's from 2014 and I didn't have to pay full price. Double win!

My second thought is that "gee a person with that kind of gear must work out a lot." This for me is a total lie, but I won't deny that I want you to think that and I want myself to believe that. Part of what draws me to nice work out gear is it almost makes it feel like I should get the "workout credit" just for owning it. "People who work out a lot wear this stuff, therefore if I buy it, I must work out a lot too". Marketing at it's finest. You're welcome athletic brands.

There is some merit to having clothing that you want to wear. If you don't feel good in your clothes, you're not going to want to wear them, and you really can't workout well in jeans. One of my best friends is an avid CrossFitter and diver (basically the type of person you'd expect to have the clothes I buy). She buys a lot of her tank tops and sports bras at Target because they're cheaper and they work for her. I can't wear them for comfort reasons. The trick is finding what works for you and going with that. 

Right now my mission is to make sure that I stay in shape so I can continue to fit in the clothes that I've bought. That highlighter yellow tank top doesn't fit quite right anymore and I can't afford to continually get more just to make sure I always have lazy clothes that fit me. Especially because I made a deal with my husband that I wouldn't buy anything else until I actually got into a workout routine.

That's the another part of this running effort, feeling comfortable in the clothes that I have.