Fitness Wear to Carry You Into Summer

Happy Spring, everyone! I hope your days are getting warmer and your world is getting a little more colorful. I’m ready for spring! And that means I’ve pulled my warm weather clothes out of my cedar chest and started sorting through them. One of my discoveries was that I needed to replace most of my fitness wear.

While I don’t usually buy the most expensive or choicest brands of athletic wear, I do find that I need to like my exercise clothing. If it coordinates and looks somewhat fashionable I’m actually more prone to put it on and get my workout in. Are you that way, too?

So I checked out the Champion running shorts and shirts at Target last week. Champion has served me well in the past, and I sometimes struggle finding fitness wear that feels good on, fits modestly and looks somewhat fashionable. Honestly, I ask a lot of my fitness wear, but then I wear it for at least a little while most every day.

The singlet I’m wearing here is the C9 Champion Women’s Run Singlet in Imperial Blue. It also comes in Winter Breeze Blue and Hotline Orange, as well as black. I like that it is made with fast drying, moisture wicking fabric for ventilation. For reference I’m wearing a medium, but I like my running shirt a little roomy.

My shorts include an inner brief and a zip pocket (for a key, your i.d., etc.), and are wonderfully comfortable. Again, I like mine roomy, not snug, and I’m wearing a medium. They are the C9 Champion Printed Women’s Run Shorts in purple, and they also come in black print. I like running shorts with an inner brief, but if you don’t you’ll find other options among the C9 Champion offerings at Target, too.

I sprang for a new running bra, too. I have the hardest time finding sports bras to fit right. They tend to bind and pinch in all the wrong places. But the C9 Champion Strappy Back Cami Bra I chose is relatively comfortable. I don’t need much coverage or support, but if you do, they have plenty to choose from that offer more structure.

It just so happens that I bought my latest pair of running shoes fairly recently as well. I got my Nike Women’s Air Max Torch 4 at Famous Footwear. While I’ve worn other brands throughout the years, I often return to Nike Airs. I’ve been running sprints instead of distances lately, and these have served me well.

I also wanted to share these Fit Simplify resistance bands with you. I just ordered these about a month ago because the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program I’m on occasionally calls for them. I LOVE these bands. They come in five different tension strengths, so you can use them for a variety of exercises. In fact, the set comes in a tidy little draw string bag with an exercise booklet in it. But you can also check out their website for videos of dozens of exercises you can do with the 12″ bands.

I plan to take these bands with me when I travel so that my weight training goes uninterrupted. And you can also take them along with you on a run or power walk, fitting in some strength training as you go and creating your own circuit training routine.

Finally, I wanted to share with you my Garmin Forerunner. Mine is a 10, but here’s a link to the more current Garmin Forerunner 15 for women in violet and white. Actually, that’s one of the great things about this watch: it lasts! I’ve had mine for years, but it works wonderfully. It tracks my runs with a GPS, calculates how fast I’m running, tells me when to run or walk when I’m doing interval runs and even tells me how many calories I’ve burned on my run or walk. And it’s easy to operate. That’s important to me because I don’t have time to figure out complicated systems for my fitness routine.

When it comes to exercise, it’s all about mind games for me. I need some spiffy workout clothes and a few handy tools to motivate me to get out there and get it done. And I’ve been pretty regular and committed to exercise most of my adult life. For a long time I did aerobics and I swam, and then I took up running. I ran for about ten years, but I struggle in the high altitude where I live. So I had resorted to walking.

But that wasn’t cutting it. Now I get in three full body weight training workouts with the FASTer Way to Fat Loss each week, along with just two good cardio workouts. What do you do for exercise? Do you find that your fitness wear makes a difference? I’d love to hear from you.

I’m linking this post up with the ladies at the Blended Blog today. They’re featuring great Spring looks. Check them out!

Blessed for My Day

We have to have self-discipline for all sorts of things, from exercise to work to weekly worship and Bible study. When our self motivation and drive are missing we are wise to ask for someone else to help us out. I call that asking for accountability. I’ve found in my life that rarely do I succeed at something without some personal accountability in place. If you’re struggling in an area – fitness, career, parenting, your relationship with the Lord, finances, you name it – why not carefully select someone who could hold you accountable to a set of goals or standards in that area? Oh, and ask that person to pray for you, too.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” ~ James 5:16