(all photos are courtesy of Lululemon)
Happy 2018!
Hope you guys had the best first week so far. Things have been a bit more quiet around here because a) I took a mini digital detox over the holidays, and it was the BEST b) my plan for the Nutrition Happens space has always been to include more lifestyle content (as seen often on IG stories) – and I’m really happy to say all of that is currently on que and in progress! This year my goal is to collect all these personal wellness tidbits and share them with you – including lots of Chicago-related things (more to come soon, promise!)
Today I’m sharing 5 pairs of (black) leggings and joggers I wear on repeat. No, this isn’t a sponsored post. I genuinely wear all of these on repeat and continue to repurchase them over each season. I get asked often whether or not I think that workout gear is worth spending $$$ on and for me, it’s a personal yes. I know that answer is subjective and different for everyone, but my reasoning is that I love to workout to feel good and legit wear this stuff EVERY day. I’ve always been picky about clothes and have tried almost every other top workout brand on the market (think all the curated brands from Bandier, Carbon 38, Girlfriend Collective, Outdoor Voices….yes, I’ve tried them all!) But my one tried and true is still Lululemon – mainly because it fits well on me and I know the styles front and back. This is a typical answer but honestly the truth – I can buy everything in black (because it’s functional!!) and I know what to expect from the quality. White and gray leggings are cute and all, but sweat stains are SO real and I won’t deal with that BS during workouts.
Things I look for in workout leggings/ questions I ask myself before buying:
- Functionality: Can I wear this to a workout and then brunch afterwards? And for running errands on the weekend?
- Quality: Will this last me? What’s the material made out of? Usually the thinner the legging, the shorter they’ll last – especially if they get a lot of love from you. So making a mental note to ask yourself: what’s the cost per wear? How much will I use them?
There are obviously a million brands of leggings and to each their on as far as preferences goes, but believe me when I say these are the top pairs I wear EVERY week – they’re true Lululemon classics for a reason:
The most compression-y of them all from Lululemon. I love these for spinning because they hold everything in – from the Luxtreme fabric with added Lycra, so you know it’s going to hold its shape. But also, the scalloped edges get me. Disclaimer: I crush on them so much I own 4 pairs. All black, obviously.
I would say if you only buy one pair of leggings from here, it should be these. These are like wearing pants but also, not really. The “naked” sensation is actual magic – the Nulux fabric wick sweat well and dry quickly. More things to love: the high-waist and pockets. Also, I buy out every 7/8 length legging Lululemon releases every season because the 7/8 length is the WAY. TO. GO. I’m 5’6 and full-length leggings are usually too long on me (and I’m too impatient to get them hemmed) so the 7/8th (25-26 inch inseam) fits me perfectly. A huge pet peeve of mine are leggings that bunch around the ankles – so annoying!
The most buttery of them all – is buttery a good description for a pair of leggings? If it is, then get yourself some buttery leggings. If not, still get yourself some buttery leggings. These are also the “naked” sensation like the fast and free’s above, but more for lounging (or light yoga). I’ve found the fast & free’s above to be better for higher intensity workouts – but fair warning, once you put a pair of align’s on, you’ll never take them off (TRUST).
It wasn’t until this year that I made a complete 180 opinion towards joggers. You can say I’m late to the game, but maybe it was a good thing I was sparing my wallet from the damage I put it through during my jogger binge. I thought I was an all legging kind of girl until I slipped some on and never looked back. Currently, I probably have collected more black joggers than a person should in 5 months, but these are the perfect mix between the effortless slouch / fitted legging. Like you rolled out of bed and just threw it on (or, in my case, slept in them and then went on with my day in the same pants – some call it lazy, I call it efficiency).
Continuing with my jogger obsession, I bought these to wear during Thanksgiving (ps. they’re currently on SALE) and continued to wear them while traveling during the holidays. These are like a mix between sweatpants and joggers (so they’re thicker like sweatpants) but still look a little bit more put together and less sloppy like regular sweatpants. Plot twist: I bought these in GRAY instead of black. Doing new things for 2018! (no, not really – black leggings forever!)
If there’s a pair of workout leggings you’ve tried that you swear by – I’d love to hear! I’m always down for more workout gear – you can always find me here on the blog, or at may@nutritionhappens.com.
