Living My Best Life In My Activewear

Activewear, activewear, drinking coffee with my friends in my activewear.
Activewear, activewear, shopping for activewear in my activewear.
Activewear, activewear, doing literally nothing in my activewear.

If you haven’t checked out the “Activewear” viral video on YouTube, head over now and take a look because it is hilarious. Mostly because I live in my gym clothes, and am guilty of doing nearly all the video’s activities (except smoking – gross) while wearing them. In fact, these days when I shop for myself, I’m drawn to the neon and black spandex pants and tank tops before looking at regular clothes.

Being a stay at home mom of two little boys, I spend my days playing at parks, indoor playgrounds, and activities like library music time. I am up and down, in the dirt, pulling a wagon, being tackled…you get the idea. Sitting still is not something my boys are interested in, and they do not appreciate it when I try to take a break from their constant movement. I don’t want to dirty the clothes I actually like with their antics, so activewear is my default.

Okay, let me get serious with you all. While it is totally true that wearing gym clothes makes it easier to actively engage with my kids, I have a secret. I LOVE the comfort stretchy spandex pants and a t-shirt/tank top bring to my day. The elastic waistband forgives where my pre-pregnancy pants do not. Tank tops are perfect for sunny Florida days (with sunscreen, of course), and affordable, too.

If you like to rock out in your activewear all day without going to the gym, I definitely understand why. That’s not me, however. I love to work on my fitness, and don’t feel the need to change my outfit afterwards because of my kids. Heading to my local YMCA before doing anything else really enhances my productivity and energy levels for the day. And it provides a blissful hour or so of alone time.

Here’s what I have discovered about morning workouts: figure out what you like to do, and then do that. If you hate cycling because of the monotony, smells, and butt pain from the seat (can you tell I dislike it?), then you don’t have to do it. If you love punching and kicking to release your anger and frustration of the day, then try a kickboxing or a Body Combat class.

Right now, I enjoy Les Mills Body Pump and Body Attack classes for toning and cardio, plus yoga to stretch everything out and quiet my brain. The routine works for me, attending classes holds me accountable to getting out of the house, and I look and feel good rocking out in my activewear.

Leslie Walbolt
Leslie has lived in Seminole for three years now, following moves from South Florida and Philadelphia due to her clergy husband’s career. An attorney in a former life, she is now a stay-at-home mom to two boys - an energetic four year old and a huggable one year old. Most of her time is spent chasing down (she means playing with) her two littles on playgrounds, during church services, and pretty much everywhere else (they're fast runners). Leslie loves to travel, work on her fitness at the local YMCA, and catch up on movies and books whenever possible. When she finds a free moment, she enjoys writing for her Growing a Kid blog, found at www.growingakid.com. It follows the ups and downs of her life.