Do You Need Gorgeous Exercise Clothes?

Marika exercise outfit

Staying fit not only makes you healthy, it makes you look better. So beautiful exercise clothes can be just gilding the lily; if you already look good, ratty old clothes should be fine.

Except...

There is something empowering about pulling on a well designed workout ensemble, one that has been engineered specifically for exercise. And while I do feel those endorphin highs after a run, if I start out tugging on my shirt, or feel my running tights bagging at the knees, I get annoyed and then I have a terrible work out.

So I was pretty psyched to try out Marika's Jordan leggings. These black and gray leggings had mesh panels so my knees stayed cool. There is a little hidden pocket and the wicking material kept me dry.

I also got a wicking hoodie that coordinated nicely with the leggings and had those sleeves you could pull down over your hands. What was interesting about these was that when you pushed them up after your hands inevitably got hot, the sleeves didn't look weird. I have other running tops that pool around my wrists when I don't have them pulled over my hands.

Since I am training for my first marathon, these workout clothes were a great incentive to keep me on my work out program

Westin Workout: Borrow Some Gym Clothes

The workout clothes at the Westin

Nothing is worse than carving out time on vacation to exercise - and then realizing that you left your gym clothes home. I of course NEVER forget anything when I pack (!) but for journalistic purposes wanted to test out the Westin Hotel program, where for $5 you get work out clothes (and keep the socks).

I was a little grossed out by the idea - I approach rental bowling shoes with trepidation - but the clothing I got was completely clean and hardly used. Plus, the sneakers get new insoles after each use, so there's no weird sweat smell.

The lending program is a partnership with New Balance, so all the gear is their brand. And it comes in a mesh laundry bag to leave in your room. I tried out the program at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where I was staying for the North American International Auto Show.

New Balance running shoes and laundry bag

I was very happy with the capris, short sleeve shirt and sports bra, which all fit perfectly. The running shoes were not so great - they fit, but I buy sneakers that my feet need and these were not right. But for working out in the fitness center, and even for using the elliptical machine, they were fine.

The socks were another matter. I like that you get to keep the socks - but why send a woman men's socks? They were too big and not very padded.

One thing that I really loved - I didn't have to bring home gross sweaty clothes.  Not that MY clothes stink, but my husband is one of those guys who is just dripping after a few minutes of exercise and even when he puts his gym clothes in a plastic bag, the whole suitcase reeks.  It's almost worth the $5 to save our luggage.

If you are a serious athlete, you will want your own workout clothes, but for almost any causal athlete, these are a great solution.

My only question is - how about a swimsuit rental program? There was an empty pool, and I had no suit...

Hotel Monaco: Staying Fit While Eating Around Philly

The well equipped gym at Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has become a foodie paradise, and vegetarians and vegans will find plenty of places where they can fill their bellies.

The pulley machine

But what to do about belly bloat? If you stay at the Hotel Monaco, you can work out at the excellent gym. The bright, spotless gym has state of the art cardio equipment, all with their own television screens - or you can watch the hive of activity below around the Liberty Bell.

There are also stability balls and a bosu ball, hula hoops, free weights and weight machines and weighted balls. The large pulley machine intimidated me.

Cardio machines at Hotel Monaco

The gym also keeps in mind creature comforts, with a water cooler, soft towels - and chilled ones - ear buds if you've forgotten, newspapers - even fresh fruit so you don't hit the mini bar and negate all that exercise.

If you are shy about your workout, you can use the yoga mat in your room.

Gym amenities include chilled towels

Group fitness fans can take one of the free weekly classes; cardio sculpting at 6:30am on Wednesdays, or cardio boxing, also on Wednesdays at 6pm. Of course, that cuts right into the free daily cocktail social hour...

If you prefer to get your cardio outside, take one of the free bikes for a spin. The hotel is right on a bike lane and you can easily zip over to Fairmont Park.

Luxury Spa, Luxury Gym: Lodge at Woodloch

The Lodge at Woodloch's gym; a playground for adults

Whether you are an avid exerciser, or just looking to dip your toe into starting a fitness program, the Lodge at Woodloch offers an array of exercise classes, plus a state of the art gym, so you can work out on your spa getaway.
The gym had all the toys I love; bosu balls, stability balls, box steps, free weights and weigh benches, plus a few goodies - hula hoops, a barre for stretching, and a priceless view when you use the cardio machines.

Look at those trees outside the gym

Woodloch is set in the Poconos, and the wooded backdrop is quite an inspiration. Plus, if you grow bored with the exercise equipment, you can bike, paddle a kayak, run outside, hike. There are yoga classes and guided meditations.

My husband and I took a spin class, which was pretty much like any other spin class in a gym; not SoulCycle, but also not music at a bone-crunching volume. We also took a weight class with an energetic young instructor, who challenged us to push our limits. I wanted to take a bosu class, but three exercise classes in one day exceeds almost every limit, and I really wanted to take a cooking demo.

Two days was hardly enough to scratch the surface of Woodloch, but if you are there for a few more days, you can take advantage of more exercise classes and that great gym. The gym also had soft towels, headphones, and a bowl of fruit and nuts outside if your workout left you a little worn out.

Healthy Breakfast on the Go: Reality vs Fantasy

Breakfast commercials often feature smiling families sitting down enjoying a freshly made meal, or at least slurping down a bowl of cereal, the kids with their hair combed and the mom in full make up.

The reality in our house is screaming over lost shoes, misplaced homework and coffee that just won’t drip through fast enough. The dog needs to pee, the litter box has to be scooped, a soccer uniform is dirty and no one picked up the dry cleaning.

Are we having fun yet?

So my kids grab whatever they can and run out the door.  Sometimes I have planned ahead and made relatively healthy muffins that they can pop in the microwave, but that is the kind of advance planning that would have also foreseen the dirty uniform, dry cleaning slips and overdue library books.

And maybe picked up some more coffee beans.

But for those crazy mornings, Garden Lites comes to the rescue. A new line of delicious frozen vegetable muffins, Veggie Muffins hit the trifecta - they are tasty, healthy and portable.

The muffins are also gluten free, low in calories and a good source of fiber.

And they take 35 seconds to heat up in the microwave- faster than you can say," did you find your homework, remember your gym shoes, take your lunch, bring an umbrella and oh no, step over here and avoid the puppy’s accident."

Consider the zucchini chocolate muffins. The first two ingredients? Zucchini, then carrots. One muffin has 50% of the RDA of vitamin A, and 40% of the iron. And they taste great.

My daughter loved these and I had to fight her for one post workout (much more satisfying than a granola bar).

The corn muffins don’t have quite as impressive a nutritional profile - but they are also not loaded with crap.

There are also a veggie berry oat and zucchini banana chocolate chip, both with zucchini as the first ingredient, and a carrot berry with carrots at the helm.

Veggie Muffins are sold frozen, but take about 4 hours to thaw, so they are great snacks for a road trip, or for teens who can’t stomach food first thing in the morning.

No Excuses: Keeping Fit

Discreet packaging for JustGo Pads

I am the queen of exercise excuses - it’s too hot, too cold, too sunny, too rainy.  My ankle hurts, my knee hurts, I didn’t get enough sleep, I have the sniffles -  you get the idea.

Luckily, I don’t have a problem that plagues untold numbers of women, particularly those who have had kids - Athletic Leaks™. This is urinary incontinence during high impact activity - jumping, cross fit, running long distances. And it doesn’t just bedevil moms.  Teens have it, or grown women without kids.

But a mother of 5, (!!!) Brooke Solis, wouldn’t take this problem sitting down.  The lawyer and athlete had this vexing problem and hated the choices on the market - bulky incontinence pads or sanitary napkins.

Brooke started a company, JustGoGirl and patented the term Athletic Leaks™ (there’s that legal training) a polite way to describe the seepage that can happen during high impact workouts - or, she pointed out, in a bouncy house at a child’s birthday party.

Brooke developed a tapered JustGo Pad™ that can’t be seen from behind, yet absorbs accidents like a pro. After all, if you are rocking Lululemon pants you don’t want a reverse camel toe revealing your secret.

I put the pad to a comfort fashion test in spin class - my friend claimed she couldn’t see any evidence of the pad through my spandex shorts. The pad didn’t chafe and though I didn’t pee in class, I could see how the pad would be very useful on a long cross country ski outing, or during a marathon, even if you don’t have athletic leak issues.

Although the athletic leak condition is different from the kind of involuntary pee almost every woman has experienced - when she sneezes or laughs - I could also see the pads coming in handy if I were going to a comedy show. The pads hold almost a half a cup of liquid, so technically you could also use them for your period, though they are on the expensive side.

The pads are sold on amazon and through a JustGoGirl subscription service; 10 pads for $8 if you are an occasional exercisers, $20 for 14 pads a month and $18 for 30 a month for the every day exerciser.

Working Out: Makeup Free

Most mornings, I head out for a run or power walk after breakfast. I first go to the bathroom and apply a little concealer, then a tinted moisturizer with SPF30. My husband mocks me for wearing make up to exercise.

I may be able to eliminate the concealer. I’ve been testing a new Lancome skin correcting serum, DreamTone. The interesting thing about the serum, which comes in fair, medium and dark skin tones, is that it actually fixes those dark circles over time.

You can use DreamTone at night, and in the morning you don’t look like a raccoon (the recommended dosage is twice a day for the first 7 days; after trying the product for a week, I cut back to once a day).

I also found the serum to be slightly drying, so I increased the amount of moisturizer I use. The dryness could also be related to the sudden onset of cold weather in NYC, though I don’t remember my skin being that much drier in previous years.

Above, I am ready for spin class, workout sans makeup. And this means I won’t be wiping sweaty makeup into my eyes today.

Note: I received a full-size Lancôme DreamTone, valued at $98. Opinions expressed are my own.

Free Fun: Working out at Lululemon

The only thing I like better than a great workout is a free great workout. Lululemon has various free classes and even though I’m pissed that they abandoned Park Slope, the new Smith St. store is a beauty.

I heard about a free boot camp, run by BCL Fitness – ironically, a boot camp that is regularly held in Park Slope. But Cobble Hill isn’t that far and on a drizzly Sunday morning I hopped on the F train to exercise.

The hopping was a theme; the BCL founder, Melissa, had us hopping over our partners while they held planks. This was interspersed with fun stuff like speed skaters, fast feet into burpees, squats and sprints.

We started out in the store, but then headed outside where our group of 8 attracted curious passers-by. They all looked like they were headed to brunch – Smith St. might be the foodie capital of Brooklyn –but we felt virtuous and empowered.

And just maybe a little forgiving.

Fitness Challenge: Spin in Puerto Rico

Renting a car in Puerto Rico left us spinning our wheels, but we cycled for fun in a spin class at La Concha Resort. The state of the art gym has a limited number of exercise classes, one of which is a weekly spin class.

The bikes were not exactly current, but they did have clip on one side for cycling shoes and toe clips for those in sneakers. There were only four of us (there are about 8 bikes total) but we got a good cardio workout.

The instructor mixed the usual blend of jumps, sprints and uphill climbs into the 45 minute class and I calculated that we burned up enough calories for one poolside drink.

Those who like to spin in dimly lit rooms wouldn't like the sun-splashed studio where we had the class, but I'm not really a fan of the candle-lighted nightclub spin experience.

Really, what I wanted to do was bike outside; a bike lane ran down the middle of the street in front of our hotel - but the one bike store nearby was closed for vacation the entire time we were in Puerto Rico.

Fitness Challenge: La Concha Resort

We didn't go to Puerto Rico to exercise, but we had our own version of Jersey Shore once we got there: gym - beach -pool.

The fitness center at La Concha Resort offered the perfect way to stay in shape. The large gym, overlooking the spectacular beach, had a studio for classes, cardio machines with their own screens (though the televisions weren't working) and just about everything else you needed for a complete workout.

Stability balls, bosu balls, free weights, weight benches, clean mats, body bars and weighted balls were all in top notch shape. There were also weight machines, soft towels, and apples for after your workout.

Although the luxury resort was sold out when we visited, the fitness center was never too crowded - it is open 24/7 and was somehow spotless every time we stepped in.

And as you can see from the photo above, although we couldn't watch TV while we were on the elliptical (and there were also headphones in case you forgot yours) the view more than made up for it.

Fitness Challenge: FlyBarre

In an old joke, a man says to a doctor, “Please help me, I can only lift my arms this high.”

“How high could you lift them before?” the doctor asks.

The man lifts his arms higher. “This high.”

That’s how I feel after my first FlyBarre class, a body sculpting complement to Flywheel spin class. Right now, only the flagship Flatiron studio offers barre classes in NYC.

The class is similar to Physique 57 and Exhale Spa core classes – you use light weights, a squishy ball, and resistance bands.

Unlike the other studios, though, Fly Barre changes its routines monthly, so you don’t take the same class over & over.

You can exercise in socks or barefoot, and either way you get a great workout that targets every muscle group in just 45 minutes. There is also a 60 minute class. While there is no cardio aspect to the class (for a cardio workout, you need to also take a spin class) you feel you’ve exhausted every muscle.

I loved the soft mats, and the abs exercises, where we hooked our feet under the bar, were among the most challenging I’ve ever encountered.

Fitness Challenge: Dallas Omni

In Dallas, everything is large: the hair, the portion size, the gym at the Omni Dallas Hotel. To counteract the oversized margaritas and slabs of dessert on my recent trip to Dallas, I spent some serious time at the fitness center.

One of the nicest aspects (besides the shiny new equipment - the hotel is just a year old) of the gym is the view from the cardio machines. Ellipticals, stationary bikes and treadmills all faced the floor to ceiling windows. No dark, dank workout area here. There were also free weights, weighted balls, stability balls and strength machines. I thought about taking one of the cushy mats out to the pool deck, since I was inside most of the weekend for a convention. But the women next to me were telling a juicy story involving betrayal, drinking and lawsuits. And they weren't even discussing the new Dallas season. These were their actual lives. I turned down the volume on my iPod and eavesdropped.

Fitness Challenge: Day 93

If you are an athlete, or just want to build strength, endurance and agility, check out As One, a high intensity program on the Upper West Side. The friendly trainers motivate small group work outs, with an hour long class called As One. Each class is different, though all start with a warm up, stretching and a series of movements. Our class had 3 components: a floor part, where we did 30 second intervals of burpees, planks, squat jumps, lunges, and other instruments of torture. Two other groups used the stair climber, or a stationary bike that also incorporated arms (think elliptical on wheels).

We did this in 4 minute rotations, then 8 minute rotations. Just for fun, we did pull ups and weighted rope slaps before our final stretches. The gym has plenty of foam rollers, which we used to stretch our muscles at the end' this is particularly helped for the IT band. As One also offers strength and mobility classes, and a once a week 2 hour class that could easily get you ready for a marathon or triathlon. The boutique gym does something few other small gyms do: it lets you take your first class free. Once you see how intensely you can work out - and still have fun - you will want to come back. The gym has men's and women's bathrooms, each with a shower, and provides towels and a water cooler. The women's room had tampons and hair products, nice touches in an otherwise bare bones place

Fitness Challenge: What to Wear

You are what you wear and what you wear to the gym can help you tone or lose even more weight. Delfin Spa has a new line of workout gear that uses bio ceramic fechnology to help you improve your look. The neoprene clothes, which are like wet suit material, include shorts, capris and tummy tighteners. The technology in the clothes uses body heat to increase metabolism – but you don’t feel hot when you are exercising. You can also wear the clothes under regular clothes to increase metabolism as you go about your day, though this probably doesn’t mean sitting on your couch eating M & M’s. The shorts and capris help break up cellulite, and if you use a cellulite cream, the cream will penetrate more deeply.