Yesterday we spent some time focusing on What Not To Wear to the gym…time well spent, if you ask me. Let’s move on to What to Wear to the Gym.

I think we all agree with the 3 C’s of Gym Attire: Comfort (within reason people!), Coverage, and Cleanliness are ckey, I mean, key.

So let’s talk about our favorite workout clothes. I’ll go first.

• I do not workout without my dri-fit Nike black hat. I have a collection of them, all the same style and color. I am a head-sweater, perhaps it’s because I have more hair than necessary or I have some sort of overactive sweat glands or something funky like that, but that’s a subject for another article.
• One of my favorite sweatshirts was a Christmas gift from my friend Sheila. It’s a Nike pink, black, and white zip up, hoodie with a cute little pocket to hold my iPod. It’s the perfect weight. And a pretty good gift. I’m sure Sheila agrees since she bought herself one, too.
• I also have a handful of dri-fit tank tops from Reebok and Athleta that I’m loving right now. They have a built in pocket for an iPod, too, which is great so I’m not spending my entire workout chasing my iPod when I should be focusing on chasing wardrobe violators my workout.

Since I am in workout clothes 6, OK, 7 days a week, I’m looking to go on a new workout wardrobe shopping spree (right Julie, right Heather?) so I’d love to hear about some of your favorite workout clothes. Give me the scoop, brands, style, you name it!

Now I really must go make like a Puma, put on my Under Armour, and workout like a Champion!

Welcome to TFS (The Fitness & Spice) version of What Not to Wear…to the gym!

I thought we should have “the talk”… about inappropriate gym attire. I’m not the fashionista when it comes to my gym wardrobe but I don’t (always) look like I just rolled out of bed either. When you look good, you feel good, right? So the same should apply when you workout.

Here are a few things you might NOT want to wear to the gym:

• Jeans (not even those crazy Pajama Jeans you talk about all the time, Suzanne!)
• Jean shorts. Just to be clear.
  
• The shoes you were wearing when you just mowed the lawn or shoveled the driveway. Thankyouverymuch.
• Collared shirts are acceptable on the golf course, but should be outlawed at the gym.
• Wife beaters. Also known as undershirts. They are under shirts for a reason.
• Pajama bottoms. Seriously? You have nothing else to wear?
• Marlboro t-shirts. Enough said.
• Short-shorts. Who wears short-shorts…really!

My point is you should be both presentable and comfortable in the gym…but not too comfortable.

Now I really must go pitch this show to TLC and hand out a few tickets for wardrobe violations.

Today’s blog post is inspired by my BetterU blog post when I said something really clever like: Now I really must go study for week 2 of BetterU…I want my GPA to be like my blood type and my attitude: B-positive!

Truth be told, that’s not really my blood type and I am not always positive (hold your comments to the end).

The people at Alexa’s Angels believe:

“Attitude is a choice and posi+ivi+y is contagious”

Who am I to argue with that? As a matter of fact, I believe it! If I’m crabby I really hate it when people say, “It takes just as much energy to be miserable as it does to be happy.” But that’s true, too, isn’t it? To make sure I get this day off on the right foot, I’m going to be positively positive in fact…

• I am positive that I am going to reach my SMART goals I set for myself this week.
• I am positive my workout is going to rock today.
• I am positive that the most amazing person in the world is reading Fitness & Spice right now.

Alexa’s Angels created posi+ivi+y bracelets in sets of three to make sure positive energy is shared.

So, I thought I’d follow their lead and share 2 of my bracelets with two of you. Want to WIN one of my bracelets? Then take this Random Acts of Fitness & Spice challenge and finish this sentence:

“I am positive………”

Enter your positively positive statement in the comments section below by 11:59 EST on Wednesday, February 10^th and the TWO winners will be announced on Thursday.

Now I really must go put on my bracelet and hit the gym. I hope you have a positively amazing day!

Yesterday I did 5 simple things to get myself pumped & ready for a successful week of healthy eating and killer workouts.

1. I wrote down my workouts for the entire week in my fitbook. I read a study by Kaiser Permanente where nearly 1700 participants were asked to eat healthy and exercise.  Nearly 2/3 of participants lost 9 lbs over the 6-month period, however those who logged their diet and exercise lost an average of 20 lbs – more than double the amount of the non-journalers. So, yeah, I journal.

2. I sent Angela my goals for the week so she can keep me accountable. My focus for this week? Drink 2 glasses of green tea a day and run at least once this week. If you know me, you know I do not love to run so this is a s-t-r-e-t-c-h goal for me. Although I didn’t tell Ang how far or how long I planned to run ;-).

3. I have a goal of drinking at least 3 liters of water a day. To make sure I hit this goal, I filled up (you guessed it!) 3 one liter bottles of water and stashed them in the fridge. It’s an easy way to make sure I get this one done.

4. I hit the grocery store (with everyone else in town) and stocked up for the week. Then, I hit the kitchen and did some food prep so I’m ready to hit the ground running (arr, arr). I chopped up vegetables, hard boiled some eggs, and made 100 calorie packs of almonds so I stay on track.

5. I caught up on laundry so I have my favorite workout clothes ready for all 6 of my workouts this week.

What do you do to make sure you’re pumped & ready for a successful week? Let’s talk about it in the comments section.

Now I really must go pump that cup full of coffee so I’ll have the energy to dine and dash!

After reading all of the comments about why you run in the Will Run For T-shirts article, I learned that runners have one thing in common: PASSION!

I am so impressed with all of you and I’m honestly going to give running another try. I sincerely thank you for your inspiration!

And now for the big announcement…the winner of the Sistas Shirts drawing is….Lauren @Team Giles!

Congratulations, sista!

When God was passing out the love of running genes, I was waiting in line for the love to lift weights sweatshirt.

While I love the way I train, I envy people who run. Runners have discipline, grace, lean bodies, and really cute t-shirts.

If I was a runner, I’d get this shirt…

..and definitely this tank top…

And, if I was really fierce, I’d wear this t-shirt…

Ironically, my sista, Jennifer, told me about Sistas Shirts, the company that makes these shirts! How crazy is that? Sistas Shirts has an entire line of sassy accessories that have been featured in Sports Illustrated and Runners World, too. And guess, what? They are going to give a short sleeved “Run Like A Girl” t-shirt in black or pink to one Fitness & Spice reader.

Here’s how to enter the drawing: In the comments section below tell us why you run, maybe it will convince me to hit the ground running. The contest will close on Wednesday, November 11th and the winner will be announced on Thursday, November 12th.

Now, I better run, I mean drive, to the gym…Pastalavista, Baby!

What do you do?

A. Lift Weights

B. Run

C. Yoga

D. Swim

E. Bike

F. Some or all of the above

If you picked A, B, C, D, E, or even F there’s something for you at Lift Your Sole.

My friend Lauren first introduced me to Jill at Lift Your Sole a few months ago and so far I’ve purchased two charms from her, the BE STRONG charm pictured here and a 3-charmer that’s stamped FITNESS AND SPICE! So now I am more charming than ever!

Lift Your Sole not only features fitness-focused stamped and engraved necklace charms, but rings and cuffs, too. Weight training is kind of my thing, but they carry a lot of great messages for you swimmers, bikers, runners, and yoga fans, too.

Want to create a custom charm like my FITNESS AND SPICE necklace? You can do that, too!

Guess what? One lucky Fitness & Spice reader is going to WIN any piece of jewelry under $24 from Lift Your Sole! Here’s how you enter the drawing:

In the comments section below tell us:

• How you answered “What do you do?”
• And, if you were to order a custom charm what would it say?

The contest will stay open until Tuesday, October 27th at 11:59 P.M. and the winner will be announced on Wednesday.

Now, I really must run, Prince Charming might be waiting for me at the gym!

I have never been to Kerbey Lane Cafe, but when I go to Austin to visit my friends Suzanne and Carla, I’m putting this restaurant on my list of places to eat. I mean, really, any place that makes pumpkin pancakes and has the kahunas to make a “Cakes for a Cure” t-shirt to benefit breast cancer research gets points in my book.

If you purchase a Kerbey Lane “Cakes for a Cure” T-shirt, like mine, (THANK YOU, SUZANNE!) all proceeds from the sale will benefit the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Speaking of Cakes, I whipped up a batch of PINK PROTEIN PANCAKES in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You are probably wondering, “What’s the batter?” I’m glad you asked:

• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t baking powder
• Stevia or Splenda to taste
• 1/3 cup red raspberries

Blend all ingredients in your Magic Bullet blender and bake as you would a pancake. Top with berries and your favorite sugar-free syrup. Makes 3 size C pancakes (I can’t believe I said that either).

Check out Suzanne’s recipe for protein pancakes, too. She makes her pancakes with Kerbey Lane pancake mix!

Now, I really must go toss on my new t-shirt and whip up another batch of pink pancakes! Ta-ta!

I AM tickled pink by the response to the lucy activewear contest. You guys amaze me! Thanks for spreading the word about the Young Survival Coalition and sharing your stories about what tickles you pink.

I used random.org to select the winner and I’d like to congratulate: LINDA M for winning the lucy pink Breakaway Jacket! Linda, please send an email to fitnessandspice@gmail.com with your mailing address and the size jacket you’d like, and I’ll ask lucy to send it right to you.

I’d encourage everyone to shop lucy! They are good people with a great line of clothing that will make you look great when you’re giving 110% during your workouts.

Thanks again to everyone who participated and to lucy activewear for such a generous promotion!

I have three new reasons to love lucy.

FIRST:

lucy activewear is donating 10% of their sales from their fabulous new Freesia lucy Flip Straw Water Bottle to the Young Survival Coalition.

Young Survival Coalition was founded in 1998 by three breast cancer survivors under the age of 35 who were discouraged by the lack of information and resources available to young women. They are now an international organization dedicated to the critical issues unique to young women and breast cancer.

SECOND:

They have a really cute Pink Collection. Which will make creating my Christmas wish list a breeze!

THIRD:

They are giving one lucky Fitness & Spice reader this amazing new lucy Breakaway Jacket in…wait for it…PINK!

To enter the drawing I’m going to ask you to do 3 things:

1. Tell at least one person about how they can support the Young Survival Coalition
2. Commit to giving 110% during your workouts this week
3. Tell us in the comments section below WHAT TICKLES YOU PINK!

Enter the drawing by the stroke of midnight Tuesday, October 20th and check back in on Wednesday, October 21st to see if you will be pretty in pink!