Look fit as you're getting sporty...
Have you taken a vow of fitness for '08?
You're not alone. More than 60 per cent of men and women plan on trying to get into shape in January.
And if you stumble and fall by the wayside within weeks, you won't be the only one, either.
By March last year, nearly half of those who had vowed on January 1 to get into a fitness regime had given up.
But have you ever considered that what you wear could make a major difference?
What do you think? Post your comments below.
A brand new exercise outfit will do more than stretch your purse strings. It will encourage you to keep that fitness resolution - and even help you work out more efficiently.
According to Meadowhall sportswear store JD Sports, treating yourself to a brand new exercise outfit will help to keep you on the fitness track.
"Knowing you look good in a new outfit will make you more likely to go to the gym. It will help to raise your self-esteem at a time when it is most needed," says Emma Matthews, women's product director at JD, the leading UK retailer of fashionable sports and casual wear with over 350 stores.
"You've probably decided to get fitter because you're not totally happy with the way you look. A well-fitting outfit will cleverly disguise some of your bad points and therefore make you more confident. That's really going to help you feel more positive about yourself and your New Year resolution."
There's another good reason for investing in that new fitness gear...
It will actually help you to exercise better.
"New advances in fabric technology and fit mean that fitness-wear works harder for you," says Emma. "That's another good reason for ditching the urge to hide away in a huge, baggy T-shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Not only will they make you look your worst, they won't work with you."
They will feel hot and uncomfortable - and even more so as you start to get a bit sweaty, explains Emma.
To encourage New Year fitness recruits, JD Sports have just launched their first ever own-brand collection of high-performance wear.
The Pure Simple Sport collection is stylish, young and eye-catching, but with built-in extras that give additional comfort and mean you stay dryer and fresher while you’re working out.
“We wanted to produce a technical range for women wanting better performance - out of themselves and their fitness gear,” says Emma, who heads up JD’s team of in-house designers.
An expansion of JD’s popular Pure Simple range of basic, affordable mix and match core pieces for lounging around at home in or heading off to the gym in, the Sport selection has hit the stores this week – peak time for sales of sportswear.
Its secret ingredient is Supplex, a fabric which gives the comfort and softness of cotton next to the skin, but which has fast-drying properties so that you don’t end up clammy and sweaty.
In addition, Supplex makes gym garments both shrink and fade-proof – so no matter how many times you throw it in the wash, it will always emerge fresh and comfortable.
The design of each Pure Simple Sport piece ensures the wearer can move easily and freely. Flat seams mean extra comfort and under-banding, such as the mesh under-layer on the racer-back crop top, give extra support. The crops can be worn by the daring with a toned midriff bared, or over the top of a long Tee, in line with fashion’s current trend for layering.
Prices have been kept low – from 12.99 up to 24.99, undercutting the big-name brands by at least a fiver apiece. But there has been no cutback on style.
Colour palettes are navy and turquoise with flashes of lime, or black and white with accents of hot pink.
The range features a new, short-sleeved and more feminine version of the hoodie. Kick-flare pants, loosely-cut to give less cling on the leg, have either a deep waistband which nicely holds the tummy in, or a trendy roll-down waist which creates a slimmer look to the torso. The roll-down waist also features on fitness shorts and on capri pants, cropped just below the knee (which is great when you’re using exercise bikes, spinning machines and treadmills).
JD hope that the collection will give fitness newcomers the boost they need to stick to their pledges in those vital first weeks. Sports industry experts all agree that the initial three months are what makes or breaks you.
Carl McCartney, head of group exercise at Virgin Active, says: “Those first 12 weeks are the most vital. If you get through them, then your fitness pledge is more likely to become a lasting routine.”
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Friday 25 May 2012
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