I’m convinced that God made me that way.  That’s why I am not one of those people who glistens when they workout.  I sweat.  And get red faced.  And swell.  And my legs itch when I run.

I’m practically allergic to strenuous exercise.

Which makes yoga perfect for me.

What is not perfect for me is a yoga class.  That you take with other people.  In front of mirrors.  In a room that discourages swearing.

If I’m going to fall over trying to stand on one leg, I’d like to be able to do it in the privacy of my own home where only my children can mock me and be scarred by my inevitable cursing.

If you’re trying to ease back into fitness and you’re not quite yoga studio ready, I highly recommend getting into a yoga routine at home.  It won’t feel like you’re doing anything hard and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see results within a couple weeks.

Everything You Need To Do Yoga At Home:

A.M./P.M. Yoga DVD with Rodney Yee

Rodney Yee is a favorite with beginners and experienced yoga.. uh… doers.  Yoga Doers.  Yes, that’s the word.

He’s all talented and stuff.  And he’s not bad to look at.

The AM and PM routines give you a little variety.  And it’s nice to have the option of getting perked up to start your day or unwinding to end it.

But the best part is, even if you have a dart board with Denise Austin’s face on it, I assure you that you can complete these workouts.  Without crying.

Premium Skidless Yoga Mat – (in Purple even)

Yes, you really do need a yoga mat.

This is the one I use and the few times I’ve tried to do yoga without it – well, let’s just say there is a reason it is “skidless”.

I do yoga in my living room on carpet, so I don’t need a super thick mat.  I have the thinnest version in the smallest size.

If you have hardwood floors or tile (or actually plan to go to a class because you are obviously more secure than I am), then you’ll really want to get one of the thicker sizes.  You’ll also want to look at length if you’re a little taller.

Yoga Pants

I am the last person to advocate buying something just because if you can make do with something you already have.

But it is really helpful to have the right clothing when you’re trying to do yoga.

Baggy shorts?  Not helpful.  Baggy sweatpants?  Not good.

You need something that fits close to the body and isn’t going to get in the way when you’re trying to contort your body.  Yoga requires a lot of concentration and ill fitting clothes really will make a big difference in your concentration level.

That being said, my favorite pair of yoga pants is a maternity pair I got from Old Navy 5 years ago.  They’re form fitting without being too tight and they aren’t too long (which is an issue for me) because they’re capri length.

Yoga (or some kind of) Tank Top

I’m assuming most people already own a tank top that will work for yoga.

What you’re looking for is:

• A tank top – or something with fitted arms, which would make me, personally, want to strangle someone.  A t-shirt would bug the crap out of me though.  There’s no way.
• Fitted – even if you’re home alone, if you’re doing down face dog and suddenly your shirt is up around your neck and your boobs are swinging out, that’s distracting.
• Not tooo fitted – you obviously want to be comfortable.  Duh.

If for some bizarre reason you don’t already have a tank top that fits the bill, this one is on sale for $11.99 and is actually flattering enough to wear in public if you do lose your damn mind.

And that’s it!

One of the best things about yoga is that it doesn’t take a lot of fancy equipment to get started.  And once you have the basics, you can reuse them over and over again (I’ve had my yoga mat for about 7 years now).

If you’re looking to lose weight or just get in better shape, I cannot recommend yoga enough.  It is by far the least intimidating form of exercise I’ve found that actually works.

Thanks for subscribing to Buy-Her.com! If you like what you see, please help spread the word by sharing this post!

© admin for Buy-Her.com, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: exercise DVD, fitness, health products, rodney yee, women's workout clothes, workout clothing, yoga, yoga DVD

If you’ve ever been to a gym before you know that it is where the female spawn of satan go to make you feel fat. Some people will try to tell you that those women only hang out at the fancy gyms, but they’re lying.  Even the women at the YMCA have the ability to make you feel like stuffed sausage on feet when you first start to work out.

My first day back to the gym, I made a classic rookie mistake.  I dressed like a mom who was just starting to work out again.

I wore capri pants instead of shorts to cover up the cellulite on my pasty white thighs.

I wore a sensible tank top with wide straps to conceal the sports bra that I’m wearing for function instead of fashion.

I put all of my efforts into concealing my body instead of showing it off.  Because, hello?  I just started working out again.  And also?  I’m going to be red faced and sweating like a pig in about .02 seconds.

Unfortunately, my modesty and sensibile thinking just made me feel more self concious about the way I looked the entire time I was there.  The problem was I didn’t get workout clothes that were flattering to my body.  At all.

Yes, some women’s workout clothes are more flattering than others.  And it’s not necesssarily the workout clothing with the most coverage that looks the best.

And before you start to lecture me on how trivial it is to care about what you look like when you workout – well, suck it.  It’s distracting to be thinking about what a turd you look like when you’re trying to concentrate on things like form and breathing and not dying.

Here’s what I learned about women’s workout clothes that work better for my body.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 1 – wide straps  and sleevless tops are not your friend.

This is similar to the tank top I wore my first day.  Great coverage, right?

Maybe if I had some definition in my arms.  As it is, the only thing I have going for my upper body at this point is the fact that I have shoulders.  of course, in this top you couldn’t see that.  All you could see was my pudgy little arms plugged into my top.  Instead of emphasizing my shoulders or my chest, the focus was on my very undefined upper arms.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 2 – Work what your mama gave ya, even if it’s just a shoulder blade.

This is a much better option for me. It’s not much of a difference, but the straps are small enough that you can see that I actually have joints, not just plug-in limbs.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 3 – it’s perfectly OK to cater to the girls.

Even better, a top that shows off my shoulders and the little bit of chest I have. Granted, my boobs aren’t much to get excited about, but any positive attention I can bring to the top of my body takes away from my very pear shaped lower half.

And even little boobs are sexy when it’s done with class.

Women’s Workout Clothes Rule 4 – just say no to pseudo maternity wear.

Um, no.  The only person this looks good on is someone who doesn’t have anything to hide.  And do you know what the benefit of good workout tops is?  Spandex.  Spandex is your friend and will hold your stuff up and in.  This?  This is begging to have your jiggling belly peeking out from beneath your maternity top the first time you bend over too far or lift your hands too high.

Of course, I’m still in the beginning stages of my adventure in women’s workout fashion.  So far I’ve figured out how to flatter the top half of my body, but the bottom half is still screwed.

I’ve tried shorty shorts, mesh basketball shorts, and stretchy capri pants.  None of it’s making me feel less self concious about potential camel toe or butt jiggle.

I don’t suppose there’s another 5’2″ pear out there with some words of wisdom for my lower body, is there?  (I mean, BESIDES more cycling classes.)

Thanks for subscribing to Buy-Her.com! If you like what you see, please help spread the word by sharing this post!

© admin for Buy-Her.com, 2009. | Permalink | 27 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: feeling self conscious, fitness, health and fitness products, healthy living, women's clothing, women's workout clothes, working out fat, workout clothing