I need some new workout gear — and some motivation! Ask The Kit

I am the cliché: I’m going back to the gym this month. But I need some motivation. My old workout outfits look like I feel: tired. It’s been three years since I last geared up — what do people work out in these days?” — Laura, Port Hope

Way to go, Laura! Just drop the idea of January fitness resolutions as clichéd: doing anything good for yourself, at any time, is something to be lauded and applauded.

I used to have a lot invested in my gym bag: I went to a fancy Yorkville gym, every single day, and I spent loads on workout gear. But in that dark spring of 2020, I emptied that bag out along with everyone else, moved to a farm and invested in a good treadmill. But you know what? I still love to have great workout gear. It’s the single biggest motivator to keep moving.

There are some influencers I follow just because they prod me into moving more. Like Dominique Baker, the Ottawa-based beauty, fitness and fashion content creator and one of the most positive and enthusiastic people in my feed. Lately, she’s been sharing candidly about how her workouts have changed, and some of the personal and fitness roadblocks she’s been working through.

She needed a new workout strategy, Baker told me when I rang her for a chat. “I broke the first rule: the gym was too far away. They say pick something 10 minutes from your house, if you can.” She was also “working too hard and not resting enough, lifting too heavy, going too often.”

When she hurt herself, she started looking around and saw a woman training two other women. “They looked like they were friends, having fun, doing light weights,” Baker says. “I summoned my nerve and walked over and asked the woman if she would train me.” After all, the right personality fit and matching goals are the way to pick a trainer: you have to enjoy their company to succeed.

This began a cycle of renewal, wherein Baker reconsidered her nutrition and the wine bottles she felt she was picking up too often on her grocery runs since lockdown. She felt what she was putting in her body was disrupting her sleep, contributing to depressive symptoms and affecting her skin (“a big problem for a beauty influencer!”). So she asked her doctor for some tips, de-prioritized the wine aisle and stepped up simple cooking with fresh, unprocessed ingredients. Her trainer is pro-keto, but Baker found that too restrictive, relying instead on her own common sense.

She also found herself migrating to the women-only part of the gym, away from the meatheads with the cheesy pickup lines doing the heavy lifting and flexing. I agree so completely with this strategy: we all feel vulnerable working out, even a fitness pro like Baker, especially right now. “I get a lot of feedback from people saying gyms are intimidating. You have to find the best, and safest, environment for you.”

One of the biggest changes Baker made was returning to walking. She credits Canadian fitness expert Karen Michelle (@strongerwithkm), whose Zoom classes Baker attended during lockdown and who started a women’s walking group.

“I’ve done her in-person walks and met some great people; finding like-minded friends is a great way to motivate you,” says Baker. “But Michelle also has an online, interactive goal-setting system and a community there, too.” Baker expanded her early morning dog walks to an hour, and found her mood and productivity soared. “It’s the best way to start the day; so many ideas come to me,” she says. “You just have to dress for it: it’s cold where I live.”

So enough with the spiritual and physical motivation, let’s get to the fashion. Baker has at least 100 activewear sets: she puts the bottoms with the tops on special hangers and stores them by colour. “I only buy quality,” she says. “I run 5Ks and 10Ks and anything without careful construction, especially leggings and shorts with seams that dig in, leaves you chafed.”

She also loves colour. “I know there has been a long run of neutrals, beiges, buffs and coffee colours. But I really gravitate toward colour. When I find activewear in Valentino pink or bold red or Caribbean blue, I buy it. Colour makes me feel better, stronger, more motivated.” She also loves fun patterns: her best set, she says, is matte black with shiny leopard spots from Winnipeg-based brand MPG Sport.

What she doesn’t wear is cut-outs. “I love cut-outs for body-conscious clothes, but no one wants to do a downward dog and have their boob pop out.”

For cold-weather outdoor workouts, Baker recommends heavy-duty layers from MPG Sport, which she swears you can still move in. Other favourite brands include Lululemon, in particular its supportive bras for larger busts, something that is critical for workouts, and for which Baker always has excellent tips. She also likes Alo Yoga. But she really likes the Toronto-based activewear brand Azur Fit: “I’d say 75 per cent of my workout gear comes from Azur Fit!”

The most important thing to know, Laura, is you don’t have to make all the changes in one day or one week. In fact, Baker says it is much, much better if you don’t. Building healthy habits, and minimizing less healthy ones, takes time. But the effort is worth it, she says: “I’ve got my glow back.”

Shop the advice

Mood-boosting activewear to make you feel great

Azur Fit leggings, $73, azurfit.com SHOP HERE

Baker is a big fan of Toronto brand Azur Fit’s workout sets, and these high-waisted leggings made our Shop Smart best leggings list as well. They come in sizes from XS to 3XL, feature smooth, supportive fabric and come in a great range of colours.

Lululemon sports bra, $64, lululemon.com SHOP HERE

Baker loves Lululemon’s supportive sports bras, particularly for those with a larger bust — this particular style comes in sizes up to 40D.

MPG Sport jacket, $140, mpgsport.ca SHOP HERE

For when you need to bundle up to run or walk outside in the winter, MPG Sport’s lightweight padded jacket has you covered.

Alo Yoga leggings, $160, aloyoga.com SHOP HERE

Alo Yoga’s smoothing, supportive leggings feel like butter, and this 7/8 length hits just where you want it to above the ankle.

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