Workin' on my Fitness

So as I've mentioned before, I'm really into living a healthy lifestyle and like it or not, getting your sweat on at the gym is part of it. I'm finally getting back into the habit of going regularly (although I haven't managed to get back to my full 6 day routine) with a friend (yay buddy system!) and I'm starting to work towards revamping the old gym wardrobe. Now I know I'm at the gym to workout and really shouldn't be there to impress anyone but hey, it does not hurt my ego in the least if the clothes I have show off my (soon to be) hard work. Isn't that the point anyways?

Now a t-shirt and sweatpants girl I am not; I have a whole plethora of runners' shorts and sport tanks which are okay and get the job done...but I'm not exactly winning any fashion contests either. The shorts fit high on the waist (mom jeans anyone???) and the combo of the loose fit of the shorts and slim fitting tops call attention to the fact that I'm a little on the hippy side. It's not like I'm going to bust out a push up bra at the gym to compensate (I also don't wear makeup when I workout either. Nothing drives me more crazy than girls who look like they're about to head off to prom while they are at the gym. Sadly this happens in Florida a lot) so I'm left with finding a different solution.

I'm starting my revamp from the bottom up. Insert new shoes here. I actually needed new shoes as the two pairs I own (Nike Shox and my running shoes which I can't remember the brand of) just don't cut it anymore. I have zippo support in the ankles and my toes have been going numb on the elliptical with both pairs. Not fun. I am very particular when it comes to tennis shoes. They have to be designed for the appropriate workout, be supportive and cushioning AND appeal to my picky aesthetics. You'd think it would be easy with the array of athletic apparel on the market but alas, after a few months of looking, I've found very little. I've kept my focus on shoes designed for 'cross training' since I do several different kinds of activities (weight training, running, cardio, Zumba, bike riding, you get the idea). Let me just that there are a whole lot of ugly ass shoes out there! Seriously. I want to know what some of these companies are thinking.

Moving on, like I said, I am very picky when it comes to the look of my tennis shoes. I don't like dark solids but I also don't want all/mostly white  I'm a happy medium kinda girl. I'm looking for something that is light colored with a little bit of color accent. I also want something that is easy to keep clean. My Shox have a lot of white mesh on the toe area and they got dirty so fast and wouldn't come out in the wash (tried twice!). The width of the toe is also an issue for me. I have relatively narrow feet and not only do too-wide toes fail to give support, but they look like complete crap (on me? everyone?). I feel like I'm wearing clown shoes. This is also where my Shox failed. Oh and did I mention that 99.9% of stores don't carry 5/5.5's in stock? Yea. Lucky. Me.

So after months of searching online, I finally found a pair that I really like on Endless:

Reebok Pumpin II Training Shoes

Oh for the love of finally! Really like the silver, the slightly darker gun metal stripes and subtle lime green accents; swoon! They didn't have 5.5 but they did have a 5 (literally "a", as in one. The last one on the internet. I checked) plus they were on sale and shipped two-day for free and I hit up Ebates for some cash back action. DESTINY. They are already on their way! If these don't work out, I'm going directly for the HoHos. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Straight. To. The. HoHos.

But let's think positively shall we? Now on to the rest, cause come on, my birthday suit isn't going to cut it. I'm a big fan of having solid black be the foundation for any gym 'outfit'. You can pair anything with it, it's slimming and it doesn't show sweat. It's a triple whammy win. Taking a cue from the cute lime green accents on the soon-to-be-mine shoes, I went on the hunt and found several options:

Sport Tops by Nike
Athletic Shoes by Reebok

Let's break it down. The shorts (I rarely wear pants to the gym. It's just too hot here) are body conscious which would point out to any observers that I have hips and a booty, not saddlebags and cellulite. Well, maybe a little. The tops are all close fitting as well and the black ones are especially nice with the unique details that make them a step above regular old sports tanks. Those watches are super cute too; I'm especially loving the black Adidas one! The other is over $400 and I'm not going to spend $400+ on something I'm going to sweat all over. But hey, inspiration is free!

Now I know this is a little overboard and I of course would not limit myself to this color palate but I love the idea of every now and then going all out with the coordination. Matchy-matchy is cute in isolated occurrences. Other colors I'm thinking to throw in the mix would be fuchsia and lemon. Mmmmm pretty.

Now I just have to wait till I bust out the muscles to pull of this shiz. At least my feet will look good :)