gym appropriate attire

ok, so who am i to dictate what you find comfortable to workout in? no one actually. i just thought i would give you (whoever "you" are out there reading this, b/c i honestly don't know who reads my blog) a couple of funny stories and tips at what to workout in. and please feel free to comment with your anecdotes about what you've seen.

when i think of inappropriate gym attire, the first thing that comes to mind is when i used to work out at fitness usa. i worked at stonestown, and fitness usa was in the mall so it was convenient for me to workout there. everyday i went in, there used to be this older guy on the treadmill wearing jeans and dress shoes. i always thought it was sooo weird. but now, all i can think about is how uncomfortable that would be. and omg the chafing! OUCH!

then i see those out there that run around the lake in air force ones. i understand that you may just be getting into running and these are your old shoes and you don't want to mess any other sneakers you have up. but really? those shoes are hella heavy. do yourself a favor and get some good running shoes. and if you want to do yourself one better, figure out how your foot pronates when you walk/run and get the type of shoe you need. (if you want to know where to get tested for this, i'll add it to the bottom of this blog)

so what IS gym appropriate attire the, mel?! well really it's what's comfortable for you and does not hinder you from accomplishing your task.

i used to wear an old t-shirt and shorts or pants. it was comfortable and didn't hinder me from doing what i had to do. this is totally fine. but, if you sweat, and are wearing just a cotton shirt it gets sticky and if you sweat a lot it gets heavy, especially for boys.

i totally recommend getting drifit clothes. well nike calls it drifit, addidas calls it climacool, champion calls it duo dry, etc...i'm sure you get the hint. when i was training for Ironman and they talked about workout gear, they summed it up with one phrase, "COTTON IS ROTTEN!"

i usually wear a drifit tank top with built in sports bra and drifit shirt over that. or a sportsbra and drifit shirt. if i'm running outside and it's cold, i'll throw on a drifit jacket. if you are running or working out outside, the drifit will keep you warm and cool at the same time. you see if you are wearing a cotton t-shirt/sweatshirt, the sweat gets absorbed by the cotton, so if it's cold out, the water (aka sweat) on your shirt gets cold and you will be too. and like i said earlier it will stick to your body (yucky and uncomfortable) and weigh you down. if it's warm out, the drifit is a breathable material so you won't get overly warm.

drifit type clothes are fairly inexpensive now. you don't have to buy nike. target sells champion. and my favorite jacket to run in was a gift from mervyn's i don't even know the brand but it's drifit.

pants or shorts, i usually wear capri running pants. they are like second skin to me, so i barely even notice them. again, these are drifit type material. this is to prevent any chaffing and not be in my way when i'm running, or doing cardio, or just doing yoga.

now shoes...if you really want to get into running and want to find the type of shoe that is going to benefit you best, get tested. you can go to sports basement and ask for help. they'll tell you to take your shoes off and they'll watch you walk across the room. or find a place that has the rocket dog testing. i went to road runner sports. they have you walk across a mat that sees where you put the weight when you walk and then they have you do a light jog on a treadmill where your feet get filmed. you then watch the tape back with the worker and s/he slows down the footage to see exactly how you pronate your foot. then they'll tell you which type of shoe to buy. and what brands carry it. now don't feel obligated to buy there, b/c the shoes are wayyyy overpriced. but, if you do end up buying the shoes from roadrunner, you can test the shoes out for a little while and return them if you feel they aren't right for you.

if you aren't getting into running a good light weight shoe, perhaps a cross trainer, should be fine.