This is a post that I have managed to put off for months, talking myself out of it for all kinds of [insecure] reasons…

...I’m not a fitness influencer

...I don’t have the body for it 

...I shop the sale section 

Just giving myself all the excuses! 

At the top of the month, I made the decision to take my fitness journey a tad bit more seriously, specifically by challenging myself to workout out more or at least move more. I decided I would close all of my Apple Watch rings and I knew that I couldn’t keep spewing out bullshit excuses... especially not when it came to wardrobing my fitness journey.

I’ve made it no secret that part of being physically productive, for me, has always included what I wear. Two years ago, I shared all of my work-from-home fitness hacks, and one of them was getting dressed -- like actually getting dressed -- and investing in a cute workout wardrobe. It’s been two years now, and I still prescribe to that thinking...and I still turn to Fabletics for all of my workout wardrobe needs. 

Transitioning from working at home to working outside the home meant changes in my workout schedule, alongside other shifts in my fitness journey. I found myself now needing to balance a lot of schedules but made it work...because I needed it to work. 

Whether I’m working out at the gym or at home, I wanna look good...because then I feel good...I feel confident in my workout...I feel like I know what I’m doing. I was already working out at home more than usual simply because of my new work schedule -- 4 evenings at home, 3 mornings at the gym -- but with everything going on in the world around us aka COVID19, I went from working out at home 4 days a week to every day...indefinitely. Does that mean I need to look any less cute when I’m working out? Nope!

I decided to tackle my workout wardrobe in the same way that I started to tackle my work wardrobe -- with a capsule!

My current workout attire is “fine”...I just needed to elevate it a bit with more mix-and-match options...just like my work wardrobe. I decided to use my monthly Fabletics credit for a new outfit, while also getting some new separates that I could play around with to create different workout looks without burning too many mental calories. 

Now in case you’re like “girl, slow down...what is Fabletics?”

Fabletics is a monthly subscription service for stylish and comfortable athleisure. Normally this is the part where I’d say “for women” but they actually recently released a new men’s collection. You pay a monthly subscription that you use for credits towards new looks or you can choose to skip if that month just isn’t right for you. Simple enough right?

While I’ve accumulated a fair amount of bottoms, my wardrobe was pretty disproportionate and so I put together my own capsule -- tops, bottoms, and bras -- to make sure I had a healthy rotation in my workout wardrobe. 

Bras

Tops

Bottoms

Footwear

Putting together my workout “capsule” I wasn’t striving for having the latest or the greatest -- Fabletics releases new collections every month. My goal was/is to have a well-rounded assortment to choose from when working out. By getting a few marquee pieces in different color ways and styles, I wouldn’t fall into a rut when dressing for a workout...ergo...I wouldn’t fall into a rut when working out.

For my body type, I know what pieces work really well (lots of trial and error to get here by the way) but I also wanted to step out of my comfort zone a little and explore options that I never considered simply out of fear. While I am not completely on the other side of that hurdle, I am so glad that I bought some of those pieces anyway -- crop tops, seamless leggings...who even am I?! Testing the waters with this assortment definitely had the desired effect of upgrading my older pieces but an additional (happy) result was highlighting my body in a way I’d long avoided. Get comfortable with being [reasonably] uncomfortable opened me up to loving myself more but also pretty clearly what areas I want to work on most during my fitness journey. 

To be quite honest, like with any good capsule, I don’t’ see myself needing to do any more shopping because I am set through the seasons! But with that, what’s great about Fabletics’ subscription is that I can skip months as needed, so I’m not obligated to get a new fit every month; the months I don’t skip, I can still choose to use my credits at a later date. For me, I make it my business to peruse the sale section on the Fabletics site for pieces that I can add onto to existing assortment without breaking the bank -- a great mix of “high/low” for months that I choose to skip. 

Now that we’re all home for the foreseeable future, it’s so easy to not put in the same amount of effort when it comes to our wellness -- there are NetFlix shows to binge, piles of snacks to eat, and lots and lots of naps to be had -- but truth is, it’s probably more important now more than ever to stay on top of it. For me, working out is a welcome mental distraction from everything going on but also a way to ensure I’m not physically susceptible to any nasty viruses out there. Right now, health = wealth and I plan to look good for all of it.