Is Your New Year’s Resolution What I Think It Is?

Happy New Year, everyone! As the excitement and mayhem of the holiday season finally draws to a close and we all brace ourselves for the uncertainty of the next 12 months, hopefully most of us are entering into 2009 with optimistic plans for a fresh beginning, a chance to start over… and an earnest attempt to tackle those New Year’s Resolutions.

While I may not be speaking to all of you, I think it’s safe to say that one of the New Year’s resolutions topping most of our lists is to get in shape, start working out, hit the gym, or however else you want to put it. In essence, most of us have made it a point to put some effort into bringing those dastardly exercise plans to fruition. If I’m talking to you, I have one question: Is your wardrobe ready?

Since joining my fitness club a few months back, I’ve begun to notice a whole new world of fashion: fitness fashion. Though I’ve always been an active girl, whether it was playing sports in high school, or dragging myself to the university field house in college to put in some time on the Elliptical, my Soffe shorts and weathered sorority T-shirts always seemed perfectly acceptable attire for what I was there for — namely to sweat all over said clothing. But lo and behold, would you know there’s actually an entire sector of the fashion industry claimed by the fitness culture? As it turns out, there happens to be a rather serious level of fashion — and Lycra — going on when in comes to workout gear. From tops and pants, to fancy headgear, accessories for your iPod, and an ever-ending supply of sparkly sneakers, the people running the show at these “active attire” chains certainly have thought of everything.

So, not to be shown up by the contortionist girl on the yoga mat next to me at my Monday night Vinyasa Yoga session, I hit up the nearby American Apparel store and began building my fitness gear empire. Now with my stacks of spandex, Lycra, and other high tech, supernatural stretchy material, I breeze through my workout looking just the part of the exercise pro the other fitness freaks hopefully mistake me to be.

Although I’ve always viewed exercising as an activity that didn’t exactly require time and effort for planning outfits, now that I’ve caved to the pressures of high (fitness) society, fashionable gym clothing does seem to have its up sides. For one, I personally feel more motivated to get to the gym when there’s a cute outfit in the locker waiting for me. (Perhaps it’s kind of similar to that concept of “dress for success”?) Also, investing in, say, a high quality pair of sneakers really does ease the pain that comes along with extensive sessions on the treadmill.

So where do you stand? Are you sticking with your good ol’ mesh shorts and favorite T-shirt from the local school fundraiser? Or will you be strutting your stuff up that Stairmaster in the trendiest gear to hit the shelves at the Sports Authority? If that’s the case, there are plenty of Valley shops offering a whole range of exercise gear and equipment that’s sure to bring out the Michael Phelps in even the most unlikely among us.
 

The Sports Authority

Modell’s Sporting Goods

Foot Locker

Champs Sports

Finish Line

GapBody

EMS 

Other Stores

If you’re a budding yogi with a killer closet — but you’re lacking the moves — visit our yoga feature, “Stike a Pose.”