Gym Style
The term “workout fashion” may sound like an oxymoron but I fully believe that not only can you hit the gym looking great, your choice of pieces can actually help motivate you to make it to the gym.
One of my favorite bribes motivators for meeting a fitness goal is a new addition to my gym drawer. And it doesn’t have to be pricey. While you may be a fan of Lulu, there are plenty of stylish, functional, reasonably priced brands out there to choose from.
Read on for some inspiration to spice up your workout gear and some fun new pieces to try:
Inspiration:
- Super Cute Workout Gear: Heidi Klum for New Balance from Women’s Health
- Get the Look: Jessica Biel’s Post-Yoga Fashion from PopSugar
- Olympic Moment: A Workout Wardrobe You Can Wear Out from Vogue
- Workout Plan: Ashley Tisdale Inspires Colorful Gym Wear from StyleList
- Fashion Meets Fitness with Tone It Up from The Chriselle Factory & Tone It Up!
New Gear:
- Workout Gear vs Streetwear
- Transition From Spring to Summer With Gym Gear Under $50 from FitSugar
- Gym Gear That’ll Do Your Workout Justice from Refinery 29
- How to Bribe Yourself to Work Out from Rachel Wilkerson
- 15 Green Workout Looks from Prevention
{Left: Zella ‘Live In’ Reversible Capri Pants – $48 & Right: Zella ‘Everyday’ Racerback Tank – $38}
My personal gym must haves include Nike sports bras, Zella tanks & capri pants, Lululemon leggings, and Brooks running shoes.
What’s on your Must Have List for the gym?
{Guest Post} Fashion of the Fitness World
After her introduction two weeks ago – Guest Post: Women’s Health – I’m sure you’re dying to hear what comes next so without further ado please welcome back Megan from Kaia FIT Sacramento.
Part 1: Fashion of the Fitness World
I’m sure there are many people who laugh at the thought of fashion in a gym setting. And, in some ways, I’m envious of that. Most days I’d love to throw on some comfy pants and a baggy shirt… But that just doesn’t work for my kind of workout.
To run, jump, climb ropes, flip tires, swing kettlebells, and do burpees until I want to vomit, I need gym apparel that does a few very important things! 1) STAYS ON. I hate nothing more than having to pull my pants up or adjust my top. 2) LASTS. I wear gym apparel every day and I need it to last wash after wash. 3) IS FLATTERING. Going to the gym is motivated by feeling and looking good. For as hard as we work during our daily workouts, I’m a firm believer that we should feel confident while we do them!
I’m not saying anyone needs to wear perfectly matching Lululemon outfits every day (although I’m certainly a fan of their products) or that the way you look in the gym even matters. Many of our girls at Kaia FIT look forward to their hour in the gym as the one hour they can sweat it out and be free to grunt, groan and throw their hair up in a bun. And I love that.
But here’s an interesting observation I’ve made during my time at Kaia FIT. Most women walk into the gym for their first time in some old workout pants and a baggy sweatshirt (including me). But after some time, whether it’s because we all realize we’re tired of our pants falling down or because we’re feeling more confident, we graduate into some new workout clothes. It’s a great moment when I see a woman walk into the gym in a new outfit. She holds her head a little higher because she knows she deserves to wear that outfit. She has shown up everyday, lost a few pounds, and gained a whole lot of strength and self-love… And that outfit says so!
Fashion in the fitness world… Does it really exist? Sure it does. But not because you’re on a runway while you do your workout or that any of us really notice what color your top is. Instead, the fashion that exists in the gym is often the sign of hard work, reward, and confidence gained… And those things will never go out of style.
Coming up: Food… The Daily Battle
What did you think of that? I don’t know about you but I get inspired to hit the gym when I get new workout gear and get motivated when I set a goal with a trip to Lulu as the reward. In the market for some new duds? Check out my Workout Gear vs Streetwear post for some of my picks for the gym!
The Man Behind The Camera
Other than my dear friend Liz, the remainder of the MCLV Personal Style photographs are taken by the current boyfriend Sean. He has written a guest post for us in the past and trained me in the ways of CrossFit, but has never been featured on the blog for his fashion prowess before.
That is, until today.
True, he spends the majority of his waking hours in workout clothes, but when he does deign to put on street clothes, he has a great personal style.
When we initially met in our senior year of high school he was extremely preppy – Polo shirts, button downs, and wool or cashmere collared coats. But over the years his style relaxed, becoming more and more low-key, and when we got back together two years ago he wore very little other than t-shirts, jeans, and flip-flops.
But miracle of miracles, over the last two years his sense of style has begun evolving again. And more than that, he has actually started to enjoy clothes and fashion more, like he did when he was younger. Now he shops online, asks for advice on putting together pieces in his wardrobe & picking things out, and genuinely has an interest in shopping and expanding his wardrobe.
These days he prefers to keep his daily look low-key and minimal, and primarily wears black, white, and navy. Jeans are usually his preference and he traditionally pairs them with a Lacoste Pima V-Neck, a button down, or a Polo shirt. As for brands, we’ve found that the shirts that fit him best are Express for Men and Lacoste, they both have slim fit versions that work well for his frame.
When it comes to shoes he’s tried virtually everything, from boots to slip-ons to boat shoes to loafers. He loves slip ons and its all I can do to make sure he doesn’t wear his rubber soled slippers out of the house. The most worn pair of shoes he has are his tan, lace-up Banana Republic loafers, but he did just get a new pair of slip-on boat shoes that are very versatile.
They can even be worn with pink!
And a style post wouldn’t be complete without mentioned his creativity, he picked a kick-ass Halloween costume last year that suited him quite well despite being an incredibly last-minute choice – The Travelocity Gnome! 🙂
In the mood for more? Check out my Let’s Hear It For The Boys post filled with tips, ideas, and inspiration for putting together a complete and stylish wardrobe.
What do you like most on the men in your life? Are there certain styles that appeal to you more than others? When it comes to mens accessories, do you think less is more?
Workout Gear vs Streetwear
Whether you fit your gym sessions in before, during or after work, you’re always faced with a very specific quandary – what do you wear as you traverse between locals?
This is something that I’ve always thought about and is one of the things I notice most during my walk home from work. If you go abroad you’ll notice how rarely you see anyone on the street in tennis shoes, let alone full head-to-toe workout gear. And in car-centric cities where you drive to the gym, this isn’t really an issue.
I prefer to keep my street clothes on the appropriate side of the spectrum so when I see girls walking around in spandex shorts and a sports bra it gives me ulcers. On the other hand, I have to confess that when I used to head straight from work to Pilates, which is near my apartment, walking over in my workout gear was the most convenient option.
So that begs the question – what’s a girl, or guy, to do? With an endless number of adorable workout gear companies, there are tons of chic choices that can go straight from the street to the gym.
{Spandex done right – Gents, take notes! I also love the bag & old school kicks, fun additions to the look}
Whether you like mesh shorts, running tights or cropped pants there are great options available, from high-end to basic. There are great speciality stores like Lululemon Athletica and Raw Threads as well as more readily available stores like Old Navy, GAP, Adidas, Nike, or other porting goods stores.
{Old Navy – Left: Men’s Active Track Pants – $30 & Right: Women’s Boot-Cut Yoga Pants – $20}
{One of my personal favorites! Groove Crop – $90 @ Lululemon}
{Karolina Kurkova paired her bright pink highlighted running tights and orange shoes with a snug wool coat.}
Especially during fall and winter you need some extras to keep you warm and outerwear is also a great way to cover up during your pre and post workout time and keep your sweaty shirt and sports bra straps out of the public eye. 🙂 
{The Cover-up Game: Left – Run Baby Run II Athletic Jacket – $75 @ Roxy & Right – The North Face Men’s Sargent Full-Zip Hood – $65 @ Zappos}
{Not sure what the best way to accessorize is for your next gym trip? The Sartorialist’s Gym Dandy knows just what to do… And here I thought no one worked out in Italy!}
{Gym bag for him: Left – Cheap Monday Gym Bag – $75 @ Asos.com & Gym bag for her: Right – Kipling Adara Large Tote – $110 @ Macy’s}
{This is one of my gym bags – I got it off of Ideali years ago – and I alternate between this and one of my smaller Longchamp Le Pliage totes}
{Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio at Pilates – Cropped yoga pants, tank, leg warmers, a high ponytail & a long-sleeved shirt to throw over everything!}
While you may not be in the mood for leg warmers, because let’s admit there’s really a time and a place for those, there are plenty of non-tech gadget accessories that can make your workouts run smoother. 
{Toys for the boys: Top Left – Coal Knit Beanie – $25 @ Nordstrom & Top Right – Saucony Ultimate Run Glove II – $20 @ Zappos, Toys for the girls: Bottom Left – Fuel Belt H20-2 Bottle Belt – $40 @ Zappos & Bottom Right – VSX Sexy Sport Headbands – $15 @ Victoria’s Secret}
Now you’ve got the gear it’s time to get your booty to the gym, and that way you’ll be in amazing shape by the time New Year’s Eve rolls around… 🙂
What workout gear or gym goodies can you not live without?
Moi Contre La Vie 