SweatyShe Monday: The Power of the Catalog

By: Susan Farago

Stylish Yoga!



If you're like many of my active female friends, you look forward to getting the latest fitness apparel catalogs in the mail like Title Nine, Athleta, and Terry Bicycle. My ritual goes like this: I make a cup of French pressed coffee and go sit outside on the back deck and turn each page with complete rapture and interest. I look with longing desire at what the women are doing, I wonder where they are going, or what crazy exciting adventures they are about to have. Then I visualize my friends and I taking the day off to go paddle boarding like the two women on page 3, or heading to the local farmer's market after a yoga class - our yoga mats fashionably in tow while we are wearing yoga-approved long dresses and flowing scarves...our hair just slightly tousled but still looking good.

Ahhh.



Then I go through the catalog again and actually look at the clothes - that cute flaired skirt or that fantastic pair of boots or the dress that can go from the bottom of the gym bag to dinner at a five star restaurant. After mentally spending $2700, I close the catalog and relish my happy place for just a few more minutes as I finish the last of  my coffee.



Fashionable Trail Running

Then I return to reality.

Truth is, I have never gone trail running wearing a fur hat with coordinated skirt and leggings. Or walked out into the middle of the woods and sat on top of a rock on the Hill of Life in Sukhasana (Easy Pose). I have never commuted via my road bike while wearing a dress, or walked down to Townlake carrying my standup paddle board while sporting a crocheted hoodie dress. But the catalogs give me hope that somehow, some day I can combine fashion AND function.

Sometimes the wardrobe/activity combination is so rediculous that I tear out the page and drop it in the mail to my friend Richelle with a note that says, "Why don't we look like this when we trail run?" But the last time I did that she went out and actually bought one of the entire outfits and wore it to our next trail run. Oh the power of the catalog!



Reality - mismatched, muddy gear...
 just the way we like it! (Bunny ears optional.)



As summer turns to fall and the weather finally gets cooler, I look forward to the next catalog and seeing what I "should" be wearing for my next outdoor adventure. Hey, a girl can dream!

Go.Do.Be.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Need a way to jumpstart your week? SweatyShe Mondays are thoughts and humorous musings from the world of active Shes.