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Monday, April 02, 2007

Work it Out: Fashionable Fitness Gear

"Thanks to Kanye's workout plan/ I'm the envy of all my friends/ See I pulled me a baller man/ And I don't gotta work at the mall again." Kanye West, 'The New Work Out Plan'.

Hey Ladies,
It's time to get right for the summertime. We have two months before arms and legs go on full display in skirts and sleeveless tops...so let's hit the gym with a vengeance!
I personally feel more motivated to work out the cuter my clothes...so I've compiled a few fashionable gym essentials for ya. Let's get to it.
First up: tops. I like to mix in a few stunner shirts with my old t's and wife beaters to get that extra motivation at the start of the week. My choices:

Top Row, Left to right: Under Armour Heat Agility Sports Tank, $35, www.modells.com; Adistar Long Bra Top, $50, www.shopadidas.com.
Bottom Row, left to right: Women’s YOC Tank, $45, www.shopadidas.com; Nike Women’s Gym Basics top, $18, www.sportsauthority.com.

Next gym essential: sweat whicking, butt flattering pants. If you're like me, you have the workout schedule of an insane person. I like to run on Mondays, take a jump rope class on Tuesdays, Cardiosculpt on Wednesdays...and I need a different pant for each activity. I'd recommend you get a pair of shorts, capris, and long pants in concealing, slimming black like these:

Top Row, Left to right: Nike Women’s Acceleration Capri, $47, French Terry Pant, $55, www.puma.com.
Bottom Row, left to right: Adidas Response Boot Tights, $50, www.shopadidas.com; Nike Low Rise Loose Fit Shorts, $38, www.nordstrom.com.

OK, when you're doing all this jumping around, you obviously need some serious support! My bra picks run the gamet from saucy to serious, and includes the Enell bra that Oprah claimed was the gold standard of support on her show! Take a look:

Top Row, left to right: Nike Full Control Bra, $60, www.nordstrom.com; Mizuno Women’s Colt Sports Bra, $32, www.ladyfootlocker.com. Bottom Row, left to right: Enell Sports Bra, $60, www.enell.com; Women’s Essentials Bra, $26, www.shopadidas.com.

Lastly, shoes. I have foot issues as you know, so I love New Balance because they cater to those with wide feet. In terms of style, Nike has the hottest picks, while other brands perform well:

Top Row, left to righ: New Balance WR810 Running Shoes, $89,zappos.com
Asics Gel-1120, $84, zappos.com
Bottom Row, left to right: Puma Voltaic Cushioned Running Shoe, $75, www.sportsauthority.com; Nike Women’s Air Mimic, $50, www.finishline.com.

To wrap it all up, you must have accessories...the gym bag to throw everything in, jackets to slip on post cool down, and super absorbent socks:

Top Row, left to right: Puma Raw Sweat Jacket, $70, www.puma.com; XtremeMac SportWrap for Ipod, $30, www.apple.com; Under Armour Sub Zero Mock, $50, www.underarmour.com.
Middle Row, left to right: Puma Extreme Low Rider Athletic Socks, $5, www.nordstrom.com; Puma Core Green Grip Bag/Duffel, $30, www.modells.com; Brazil Hoodie, $65, www.puma.com.
Bottom Row, left to right: Lacoste Large Roll Bag, $130, www.saks.com; Nike Bicep Bands, $5, www.finishline.com; Puma Golf Small Weekender, $94, zappos.com


Work out clothes can be on the expensive side....you might be thinking $50 for a pair of pants?!?! But for the most part, once you buy 'em, you can hold on to them for years. I have a pair of Nike capri pants that I've literally had for 6 years. And with shoes, you can typically hold on to them for a year before needing a replacement.
So invest in a few pieces...and work it on out:)
Smootches!
PS The fashion spread in WWD today is also about activewear. I swear, we didn't plan it!
PSS There's a new fabulous online magazine called Clutch that you should definitely check out!

The Atlanta based mag covers fashion, beauty, life and culture. Log on to www.clutchmagazine.com for more info.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a man, I have to say, the only thing sexier than a woman in gym clothes is a woman in nothing at all! Can't wait to see the results!

Anonymous said...

I was so looking for a great sports bra! I have to wear 3 at a time as it is.

Anonymous said...

when it comes to working out, i just stick to sweat pants, tank tops, dingy wife beaters and shirts. as long as i can sweat in it, its easy to wash and i don't care if it gets dirty, then i don't put too much thought into workout clothes. by the way, what gym do you go to? cardiosize sounds like fun.

Anonymous said...

hey Claire!!!!
Thanks for the workout post! you have given me some motivation to get cute by the hot summer months! My goal is to be tone and trim by June 1st! I know I can do it, and now I know I'll look cute doing it.

I love that Addidas top in the first group of pictures...so hot, kind of reminds me of stella mccartney items

thanks a bunch, claire!!

Anonymous said...

Hi there,
I really like your blog on Active Wear. I feel motivated already! Some of the work out bottoms you suggested were "spandex" and one was a pair of shorts. My question applies to both. You mentioned undergarments for the top, but not for the bottom. What kind of underwear do you suggest for working out? A thong can be very uncomfortable while working out, but I would feel self-conscious with pantylines showing through my spandex. Are the tighter workout pants you posted designed to be worn with out underwear? What about the shorts? Do they have built in panties? It would just be a shame to have such flattering pieces and then have a pantyline travesty. Can you let us know about the ones you suggested and anymore styles that would circumvent this problem?

Thank you,
Tookus'd in Toulouse

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the post! Great info on some hot gymwear and as much as I hate to admit it, I am sooo much more motivated to work it out when I am looking cute to begin wtih.

Just a quick comment: you think there is anyway that you could make it so when I move the mouse over the pictures the name of the item will show up. Sometimes the whole counterclockwise from the left thing is a bit confusing.

But besides that, love the blog. Keep it up!