fitness: I'm Gonna Put on my Workout Clothes

This is what I told myself this morning to make sure that I would workout in some way.  

"I'm gonna put on my workout clothes and see what happens."  Sometimes I need a little push with fitness (sometimes it is a gigantic push).  I've been out of my normal routine, with my trip to New York for a wedding, my best friend braving the cold Chicago temperatures to come visit me right after, and all the while having a huge life decision to make.  All are wonderful things, but they don't help my exercise routine.  There is also the looming forecast of freaking cold temps arriving tomorrow and Thursday.  "Freaking cold" isn't yet used by the National Weather Service, but I think it might catch on.  

I dressed for running, apologized to my dog for leaving him behind, and stepped out into the ever-changing and perpetually cold day.  Early this morning it was cloudy, then snowing, the snow stopped, gloriously the sun came out, crap it's cloudy again.  By this point it was hovering between cloudy and sunny, and all throughout were the letters C-O-L-D.  It was one of those days where running is possible, but breathing is a labor.  It was 18 degrees, windchill 5 degrees.  Ouch.  But as I kept reminding myself, it is going to be worse tomorrow, so you have to go.  I did a warm-up walk, ran my 2 miles, cooled down walking and finally made Gabriel's afternoon by talking him for his walk, complete with doggy coat and doggy boots.  

I made a workout treat (post coming tomorrow!) after I stretched and surprise, surprise: I felt so much better.  Bodily, mentally, I was inspired for the day and the week.  All to do with a little jog.

After my workout, I was inspired to post about winter workout clothing, since this outfit was literally my motivation to run today.  In psychology, there is something called "state dependent" learning, meaning that one remembers information based on the state of how it was learned.  If you study in a quiet environment drinking lemonade, you will best recall the information in a quiet environment drinking lemonade.  So I thought that wearing my workout outfit would help me recall the glory that is running in winter.  Ha, but humor aside, knowing the right gear to wear can really help with self motivation.

I have been focusing on layering and wearing adaptable clothing and accessories.

This translates into running or yoga pants over fleece-lined leggings or base layer pants on bottom.  For the top, I start with a tank and hoodie (or just long-sleeved shirt) and a zippered soft shell with a hood and high neck.  The ability to unzip and vent as you go is key.  I usually wear the hood before I start, then I will shed the hood and sometimes also the high neck as I need, but I wear a beanie the whole time.  I wear running shoes (I love Asics) and if I am worried about getting snow on my pant legs, I will occasionally add leg warmers.  They are more than just accessories.  My hands are always cold, so I start with running gloves.  If I need to take them off, I can stash them in the, ahem, zippered pockets of the soft shell.  I haven't honestly found much of a difference between wearing wool socks and just normal ones, so you are on your own with that one.

If I were going on a long walk, this outfit would not suffice.  Dressing as if it were 20-30 degrees warmer is important, because too much layering and you have sweat that will quickly chill you to the bone.  

Now, do I sporadically see people in capris or shorts?  Yes.  And I shudder at the damage they are doing to their skin.