The importance of dressing the part

As most of you know, this is not a fashion blog! I wasn't born with a single glamorous bone in my body, and comfort tends to dictate my clothing choices more often than not. Thank GOD we live in a world that values leggings as much as I do.

As someone who has always taken comfort seriously, I found myself in sweatpants in t-shirts from an earlyish age. I played softball for 14 years, year-round for my last 4. When we weren't in uniform, we were probably in practice clothes, so the majority of my time was spent in various team t-shirts and athletic shorts or pants. On game days in high school, we could wear our sweatpants to school and that was one of our favorite perks. These wardrobe habits continued when I went to college. Any given day-- that I made it to class-- you'd find me in sweats. The baggier, the better! I had to be prepared to nap at a moment's notice, and a constricting waistband wasn't going to keep me from it.

Fast forward to 2011 to when I started running. Nike shorts and XL sorority t-shirts were no longer cutting it. I soon learned of compression gear, moisture-wicking socks, and dri fit tanks. Now, a lot of these didn't make me feel great in my own skin at first, because I was so used to everything fitting so loosely. The queen of frump does not easily transition to form-fitting. But my wardrobe slowly became more about athletic function and comfort than loungewear. Don't get me wrong, plenty of lounging still occurs in my "activewear," (if you've never seen that YouTube video, enjoy it here), but I also needed the clothes to double as workout gear.

Over the years, the compression of leggings and feminine-cut tank tops has helped reshape the way I see my body. You see, when your eye is always catching your reflection in clothes that are frumpy and large, your mind sees your body as bigger than it actually is. You may feel more comfortable in an XL t-shirt because it doesn't bind, but your mind automatically fills in that t-shirt. Body image is a mental game in a lot of ways, so it's important to know what tactics can help your mind see you differently. Trading down for sizes that you're comfortable in, but fit a little more snugly is a good start.

I found myself in a brief postpartum rut after about 4 weeks. It felt like nothing I owned fit me right. I missed the familiarity of leggings, but they were just still so uncomfortable on my loose stomach. I wore the same two pairs of loose shorts for weeks and weeks while I recovered, and I started to feel like such a slob. Now I know that's harsh, but you can only cut yourself slack for so long. I had all the slack. Too much slack. Once I was finally able to figure out how to shower in a house alone with an infant, I began making sure I cleaned myself up a bit every day. That went a long way in renewing how I felt about myself. Then I ditched the baggy shorts. I seriously never want to wear those shorts again. I'd go eat lunch with Marcus a couple times a week, and he'd always comment on me looking nice, and I ate that shiz up. I take pride in my appearance and my image, and I love when he does, too. I started to realize how important it was for my mental well-being to not only get out of the house but to "dress the part" as well. When I put my fitness clothes on, it took a lot less work to convince myself to go for a walk, do a little Nike Training Club workout, or go for a run, because I was already dressed for it. Also, psychologically it made me feel good. Those clothes that I wear when I workout are associated in my mind with fitness and therefore endorphins, so those clothes automatically give me a boost. Is that a stretch? Maybe. But it sounds good and true to me!

The bottom line is: dressing up leads to showing up. It's much easier to hide away when you don't feel great about your appearance. Put on something that makes you feel like who you want to be. I want to run more, so I dress for running more often than not. It's a positive association in my mind. Sometimes, it spurs conversations with strangers that make me proud to discuss my aspirations and achievements. And that's why we run, isn't it? So we can talk about it 24/7!