* F A S H I O N * – HOW TO WEAR ACTIVE WEAR

People who exercise care not only care about health, but also stress the importance of appearances. There is a new emphasis on the growing trend of new generation designers combining elements of active wear in a lot of evening wear. But there are not many companies that embody the idea of athleisure (fitness/athletics and ease/leisure); putting the fashion into active wear. This is a place where you can find a mesh of exercise and style. I will do my best to provide you with tips on how to look and feel healthy and fashionable with any type of sport or activity going on during the day or night.

Here are some basics to get us started:

1. PACK LIGHT: Take what you need and nothing else. A water bottle, phone, earphones and the essentials. Try to bring just enough to carry on your body—headband, watch, wrist/sweat bands

2. ACCESSORIES: Need the time? Wear a watch. But wait, make sure your watch won’t be damaged by the sun and your own sweat! There are many waterproof sports watches in brands such as Apple and Nike. If you don’t own one, leave it at home and use your phone for the time! Just be sure the color you choose for your watch is a color that matches with any type of active wear you may wear in the future. Don’t forget to find sturdy elastics to pull back your hair, bobby pins to secure strands out of your face or a headband.

3. SHOES: It may sound like common sense, but be sure your shoes are appropriate for your choice of sport and activity. For example, dance sneakers are not made the same way as running sneakers or cycling. You want to make sure you have the right wardrobe for safety reasons as well. Wearing the wrong shoes without the proper support may cause unnecessary stress to your lower back and bones. As for colors, pick one that matches your skin tone. We will discuss this in a later post. Each season has its trends. It’s summer time right now, so go bright or go home!

4. SOCKS: Unless your socks are branded and you want to show them off, it looks better to keep them tucked in. The sneakers are the show; the socks do the rest of the dirty work behind the scenes.

5. CLOTHES (AKA THE MOST IMPORTANT PART): My advice for this is to first, understand what type of person wears the clothes they wear. Everyone is a different size and shape; so don’t base yourself off the model in the editorial. Be comfortable with showing your body, but don’t show excess. If you have not reached a comfortable point of confidence yet, there are so many options of sexy active wear that cover up all the goods. Rule of thumb, show what you would like to show, but keep it classy. Let’s say you wear a sports bra, but go daring with a see through shirt. Cleavage can be nice, but make sure your boobs are not competing against each other as you run. On that note, a second rule of thumb is to keep everything nicely tucked in, so nothing goes flying.

Now before you go making any purchase of bad leggings, be sure that the material is 1) comfortable, 2) holds your body well, and 3) is dry-fit (expect to sweat!). Make sure that the length is appropriate for your activity. If you’re running, hopefully the leggings are form fitting so that we prevent the jiggle. If you’re doing yoga, go for a high level of comfort in performance instead of form fitting, because often it may be better to have a looser top.

In terms of colors, try finding your statement color, and plan everything else accordingly. Do not over-mix the colors, or you might end up looking like a neon firefly. Be sure only one part of your clothing matches with your sneakers, if you plan on matching, otherwise, try using the color of your sneakers as accents in your outfit. This way, we have a subtle cohesion throughout your body.

Also you have to remember where you are going after you go to the gym! If you took a midday break to work out and need to return to the office, and you don’t have time to change, you have to think about wearing a versatile pair of leggings that works with a quick swap of the top from your sweaty tank top to something more professional and a blazer.

6. HYGIENE: Finally, your hygiene is as important as being fashionable and activity-appropriate. Don’t forget your roll-on deodorant but be careful about deodorant marks that may collect on your underarms as you work out!