My New Year’s Eve resolutions for 2016 included: giving up Mexican food (a lofty goal I realize) and working up a sweat on a consistent basis. So basically…live a healthy lifestyle. This isn’t an unusual resolution. In fact, I am sure many of you made the same commitment to yourself too. Raise your hand, if in the past some of you have kept this resolution for no longer than 2 months? Um yea, if you could see my hand, it would be raised. It’s not that I don’t enjoy working out, because I do. Once I get to the gym, I am all about it. But that is just it. Sometimes I need a little extra motivation to GET there.
With styling, I teach my clients about how to dress to impress. And most of the time I am speaking about dressing to impress yourself! I mean if you are really “feeling” your outfit on a particular day, it is going to show. Your confidence will be boosted and you will be motivated to take on whatever comes your way. If you look good on the outside, you are going to feel good on the inside too. You know those people that walk into a room and really own it? They probably LOVE what they are wearing!
So knowing this and knowing that my weakness with exercise is motivation, a light bulb went off. This kind of thinking is OF COURSE applicable to what I wear when I work out!
So just like any other time I am updating a closet, I did an audit of my workout wardrobe. I purged the bad, put some cute functional outfits together from my current workout gear and made a list of basics to add. At the top of my list was a new pair of leggings. Ever since my Nordstrom days I have worn Zella Live In Leggings. Just FYI, Zella is a Nordstrom proprietary brand. The designers that used to design Zella, now design Lululemon.
This is what I love about the Zella Live In Legging
- Fabrication is thicker (no see through action)
- They hold up wash after wash (make sure to use lingerie wash though)
- Some are reversible. One side for cold weather and the other for hot. Genius.
- The black live in legging is only $52.
- If you like leggings with a higher waistband, these are for you.
- They double as regular leggings because of their matte appearance.
My love for Zella will never go away. However, for Christmas I received a gift card to Lululemon. For the longest time I had been weary of shopping at Lulu for fear that I would fall in love with everything. And I was right. I tried on A TON of pants and got what seemed like a full education from the girls that worked there. In the end, I decided to try out the Wunder Under Pant III.
This is what I love about the Lululemon Wunder Under Pant III
- The rise is a wee bit lower than my Zella pants which is nice because I have a short torso. (short girl problems.)
- The fabrication is thicker and the weave is tighter giving these pants a tighter fit.
- Fabric camouflages ANY imperfection
- Wide waistband creates more of an hourglass shape and holds in the (eh hem) love handles.
- Length was perfect and no alterations were needed (Yay!)
- They hold their shape. They stay put when I run long distances. (Major plus.)
Style Tip on Pants:
When trying on workout pants, you want to make sure they are tight! If they are too loose, they will fall down during your downward facing dog and give everyone quite a show. This is one of the only times I will tell you to size down in pants. Because these pants have so much elasticity in the fabric, they will stretch out eventually after continuous washing. If they are too big to begin with, you can only imagine what they are going to look like in a couple of months. Also, when buying new workout clothes, find a common color theme so that everything goes together. My trick is black and white with pops of color in accessories like shoes or headbands.
My picks for awesome workout pieces
The deets
(1) Lululemon Wunder Under Pant III
(2) Athleta Chatarunga Pant
(3) Zella Live In Legging
(4) Nike Foiled Muscle Tank
(5) Nike Polka Dot Tank
(6) Nike Camouflage Tank
(7) Nike Juvenate Sneakers
(8) Nike Air Max Thea
(9) Nike Blazer High Tops
So all in all my plan has worked…so far…I mean it has only been 6 days. But, I have been to the gym everyday this week and of course have worn a cute outfit that ultimately got me out the door. It seemed a little silly at first, but sometimes you just have to do what works for you…and this did the trick! Do you have a special trick for motivating yourself? Please share in the comments below!