Do you care how you look when you work out?
I wrote today about how Under Armour is putting a fashion spin on its sports attire.
No more plain black and white shorts and shirts for the Baltimore company. The colors are bolder and so are the styles - we're talking zebra print pants here.
The story begs the question about whether it matters what you look like when you work out.
Do cute leggings and sports bras make a woman feel more confident about her body and therefore work out harder? Do shirts that show off a man's chest make him want to pump a few more pounds? You hear of people all the time losing weight and rewarding themselves with a cute workout outfit. It's better than a reward of chocolate cake, right?
Or is it all just a marketing ploy. Plenty of athletes have a "who cares" attitude about what they wear to the gym or to go for a run. A plain T-shirt and shorts works just as well. Why waste the money to look good if you're just going to get sweaty and gross?
To be fair, Under Armour said they are still upgrading the technology and fit of their clothes even as they become more fashion forward.
What do you all think? Do you need to look cute when you workout?
Comments
I definitely don't care. Exercise time is my time, so I couldn't care less about what others might think about how I look. Now if Under Armour can keep the guy on the next treadmill over smelling a little fresher, then more power to them! :)
Posted by: JennyO | May 31, 2011 7:54 PM
It makes no difference at all to me - however not just any old T-shirt and shorts will do. The clothing does not have to be matching for me (I usually grab whatever is clean) but must be wick material.
Posted by: essexrunner | May 31, 2011 8:11 PM
It depends. I think buying new and "cute" athletic wear can be a good motivator for someone just starting to work out but for a seasoned athletes it wouldn't matter.
Posted by: Running on Green | June 1, 2011 6:44 AM
Does anyone else remember the episode of Golden Girls where Dorothy and Blanche join a gym and buy the workout clothes that make them look like Solid Gold dancers?
I'll wear whatever and honestly I'm more intimidated when everyone else at the gym is wearing name-brand fitness apparel --- as if they are more serious athletes because they've made these investments in technical clothing. But honestly --- if you're just running on the treadmill for under an hour, an old t-shirt and shorts will work just fine.
Posted by: hmm | June 1, 2011 2:07 PM
Most of the T-shirts I wear to the gym are nearly a decade old. But it's hard for me to hide the age of my shirts because they're mostly from events I've attended in one way or the other and they have the date on them pretty prominently.
And well done to hmm on the Golden Girls reference :)
Posted by: Liz | June 1, 2011 2:13 PM