The Not-So-Good, The Bad, and The Ugly... Workout Gear Edition

For as long as I can remember, my workout clothes of choice have been a cut off cotton t-shirt and basketball/mesh shorts.  Basketball practice in high school, yard work, a 5K run... It all got the same treatment.

And up until this past Sunday I've been totally okay with it.  Not given it another thought.  I'm not at the gym to impress anyone.  I even jokingly told my friend Sarah that I signed up for a few runs this spring because my t-shirt stock was dwindling. 

Yeah, that crow is tasting fantastic right about now. *ahem*

On Sunday I decided to take a 90 minute cycle class.  This particular classroom has floor-to-ceiling mirrors... I assume so that you can see what you look like when you are at death's door, wishing you were born with elephant-sized lungs (or never born at all for that matter), and praying that either the 7-minute hill climb would just be over, or that the Lord Jesus would return already.  Why else?

Well for about half of the class there was a gal directly in front of me.  Then she left.  Then I had to stare at myself for the next 45 minutes.  Those 45 minutes were, to say the least, humbling.  But not in the "wow, I'm out of shape and look like crap" kind of humbling.  No, that's just a given.  It was the "I'm pretty sure my cut off tee is 6+ years old, and my shorts with paint spots aren't helping" kind of mortification.  I usually don't get too embarrassed about my clothes.  They are never spectacular and I rarely look put together (I do try, it's just hopeless).  Right then and there I told myself I was never allowed to step outside of my house in any of the workout clothes that I currently had, unless I was going to be rolling in mud.  Literally.  Since then, 99% of my cut-offs have been recycled to the "rag bag" in the garage [who knows when I'll get the chance to roll in the mud].

So thanks to that class, I now have a few new pieces of workout gear that I actually feel really great in, and am looking forward to breaking them in. 

Lesson #1 learned:  Gym mirrors aren't anything like the mirrors you have at home... Similar to the doctor's office scale and your home scale. 

Lesson #2 learned: Never underestimate the power of clothes (whether positive or negative), even if they are spandex and polyester.

I made it to the early morning cycle class today, and the new clothes worked out great! :)

Now if I can just get the rest of my closet up to par...  Baby steps, huh?