'E' is for Effort: Making Outfits Out of Activewear
As a style blogger, I feel like I should constantly be documenting my outfits on any given day, but the truth is more often than not I'm in yoga pants and some variation of a jersey knit top. Nothing but gym clothes wouldn't make very riveting content day after day but at the same time yoga pants are the uniform of the every girl. They're just so easy, and for that very fact it's a slippery slope to never actually getting dressed because yoga pants are so easy and they make your butt look good which is always a win 😀
I'm not wasting my time trying to convince myself or you to stop mailing it in and put the yoga pants away. We're waaaay past that point, and I couldn't do it if I tried. But we don't have to look sloppy or dumpy in activewear, either. All we have to do is commit to a little more color and/or some fun details and all of a sudden our cheat day activewear looks more like an outfit! If I feel put together I find that I have more energy and feel more self-confident, and that's no coincidence. There are studies that talk about the correlation between dressing well and emotional well-being which I find fascinating. Some will say that wearing yoga pants (or even jeans, weirdos) is an indication that you're down on yourself and mailing it in. I disagree with that as a general rule -- I think you can feel confident and captivating in coordinating sports bras and sneakers, but it's all in how you put it together.
I like to simplify the process of building outfits for my clients into formulas so they can easily see the overall concept and just plug in different pieces to get the same result. My "I'm in yoga pants but at least I look like I tried" equation is:
Top (with cut-out/tie-knot/graphic) + Sassy Sports Bra + Leggings + Fun Sneakers
Now's when I should clarify that these outfits I'm speaking of aren't really built for actual intense workouts like HIIT or boot camps. These are for kicking around, or low-intensity workouts like walking, jogging, or yoga. (Wait, people actually do yoga in yoga pants?! LOL). You could even change into one of these tops after a big workout so that you're not running around in sweat-drenched clothes, but for the most part I see these outfits as cute and comfy options for moms-on-the-go and running around on the weekends. You could definitely pop into the gym or hit the trail in them, but from my experience going hard in a workout, I want all-black, Dri-Fit everything to disguise the copious amounts of sweat all over my body...and I despise sweaty clothes sticking to me while working out...
Gap, Gap Factory, Athleta, and Old Navy are my favorite places to shop for cute activewear because it's good quality, flattering, and affordable. They offer some type of deal almost every day making it a lot easier on the wallet to invest in some stylish gym clothes. I have the hardest time shelling out big bucks for gym clothes which makes no sense because I wear them allllll the time! Normally whatever you wear or use the most is a wise place to invest your pennies but I struggle with this....probably because I like to see my money in high heels, bags, jewelry, and dresses. You know, shiny, pretty things 😉
Some women shy away from bold, colorful, or graphic activewear because they don't want to be that noticeable or they think a crazy pair of leggings only highlights their thighs. I to-ta-lly get that, but I also think women who wear attention-grabbing activewear exude a certain level of confidence! And who's to say that some of their confidence isn't from how good they feel in their styled layers of spandex!
I try to decide on a warm or cool color family and stick to it so that my pieces are easily mixed and matched. For instance, my Nikes are black with white, fuchsia, and orange, so I buy tops, leggings, and sports bras that will all go together. All of these pieces are easily sorted into color families for awesome layering and coordination. I think my favorites are the drapey white open-back shirt, the criss-cross gray sports bra, and all of the ombré! What are yours?
Plenty of you are probably already doing this but I thought since I often hear women talk about wearing yoga pants with a modicum of embarrassment (myself included) I'd share some options that are fun not frumpy. Hope you like what I picked! Enjoy the rest of your week!
💋 Brooke