2016 favorite activewear/ Lululemon

These were my favorite pieces of the year—the things that I wore over and over and brought me JOY to wear. And I want more of that—clothes that I'm happy to put on in the morning, that are comfortable and make me feel like a million bucks. (And less cheap pieces that make me feel lumpy.) *Most of these aren't available anymore, so I'll link if it still is.

Fitting room. Insta love.

Business class on a plane. 

At the office trying to stay warm

1. Lululemon Down for a Run Vest
My absolute favorite piece of activewear for 2016 was my Down for a Run Vest. Because the Lulu educator old me to, I tried the inkwell vest on and LOVED it. I had no intention of buying it. But it was warm, functional and really well cut. It made me look skinny. But I did not want to pay $138 for it. So I left the store without it, only to go back a few days later and buy it. I had to have it. And I don't regret the purchase at all. I've lived in the vest since I bought it. I wear it every weekend. To work when I can get away with it. It's a great piece of clothing. It's not bulky like other vests. And it has all sorts of pockets, to stash my keys so I don't need to carry a purse. It's GREAT for traveling because it has so many pockets. This was a lifesaver for me. I bought another vest in purple, and I'd buy more if I could find more

Work clothes
This year I tried to wear Lululemon to work as much as I could and I got some great pieces

2. &Go Where-To Dress
I have this dress in black and blue. It is SO COMFORTABLE. I always get compliments when I wear the black one. It's a T-shirt dress I wear to work. When it's cooler I wear it with black tights and a black sweater. I have a boyish figure—no curves, so this style works for me. It's probably not for everyone. The blue one isn't as dressy, so I wear it on weekends.

3. &GO Til Dawn dress
Again I have this in black and a blue print. It's a fit and flare dress which looks AMAZING ON ME. I always gets compliments when I wear it. It's looks so chic. Super dressy for work. I wear the black one with a black blazer. I wear the printed one with a navy blazer and look like a boss. These dresses are well made, they have pockets, and are super comfy. In the summer, I wear these dresses once a week, since I love them so much.

4. City Trek Trouser Ponte
These are trouser pants made of a stretchy material. They're soft and comfortable and completely great for work. My one gripe is they run a little big. The 6 I have stretched out. So I got a pair of 4's in the blue. I wear these to work all the time.

After a race. Too tired to straighten my leg.

5. Lululemon Pace Rival Crop in Hounds Camo Emperor Blue Black
These have been my go-to Saturday running crop. I like the way they feel. They have plenty of pockets. They don't REALLY show sweat. They're just comfortable and I like the colors. I wear black, navy or purple tanks with this. They're also longer than my other crops, which is nice for when it's colder since I don't like to wear tights. Always crops.

I should say the first time I tried the Pace Rival crop on, I tried it on in black and found them sheer. I'd really like another pair of dark Pace Rivals.

6. Sweaty Betty Navasana Reversible 3/4 Yoga Leggings in SunsetInRio Print
I bought these reversible crops for my birthday. I love the colors. I wear these to yoga all the time.

Warehouse sale favorites
I LOVED the Lululemon warehouse sale in Atlanta. It was cool to see so much lulu in one place. The stores are so small. And I spent way too much but got some of my favorite pieces of the year there.

7. Lululemon Race to Place Hat
I picked this blue hat up because it was $4. (I bought a bunch for gifts.) I ended up wearing this hat at least once a week. (I have SO many selfies in this hat!) I hadn't been a hat person until this hat, but I wanted a hat for trail runs (so I don't have to worry about ticks or spiders falling into my hair.) I ended up wearing it on almost all my runs because it keeps sweat from getting in my eyes. It's great for the pool too.  Or just hiding a bad or dirty hair day on a grocery store run. I've since purchased more colors and become a hat person (also great because no one recognizes me when I'm shopping. An introvert's dream! Not having to talk to people I don't want to!)

8. Lululemon Mantra tote bag.
This has become my every day bag.

9. Lululemon Palm Stripe Roll Down Wunder Under Crops
$29. And I wear these once a week to yoga. They're cottony soft and I just like the way they feel.

I took this picture because I had a NEW car
and dirty trail shoes. Haha.

10. Balega run socks.
My favorite socks this year were a pair of Balega Hidden Contour run socks. Can I have five more pair? These are comfortable and have just the right amount of padding and support. They held up well in the wash and I always reached for these when they were clean.

Honorable mention: Athleta longsleeve
Super soft and warm, and I'd buy more if I could find more.


It's probably too early to tell, but I'm loving some recent purchases too

• Lululemon Fast Track Pant
It's sweatpants  that don't look frumpy. They're super comfortable and I've been living in them. GREAT for running errands. I think they are going to be my new weekend pants.

• Sit in Lotus Sweater
Super soft and something that works for work and weekends.

Family road trip. 

• Restless 1/4 zip pullover.
I got this in a  fair isle print in get and have been wear it every weekend.

Ankle Injury: Two Years Later

Two years ago, I tore a ligament in my ankle at the trampoline park. (Facebook time hop reminded me).

I was trying an arial and landed wrong. I knew something was wrong immediately. I tried to do my best not to cry. I drove myself home (I kept my sister on the phone to distract myself from the pain) and had my sister take me to an urgent care the next day. And recovery took a long time. It was the end of January (almost four months) before I was back on the trampoline (in a brace). It took forever to rehab my ligament because it was a tear, not a sprain. It looked like just a bad sprain on the original X-ray, but when my twice weekly physical therapy wasn't progressing as it should (I was in so much pain doing their exercises), I got an MRI that revealed a tear, two sprains and bone bruises. So there was even more physical therapy (I really loved physical therapy), and slowly but surely, I strengthened my ankle and didn't have to have surgery. I spent a few months being cautious so I didn't re-injur it.

I think it's amazing that the body can heal itself from this. And I don't notice it all these days. I run gnarly trails. I tumble. Ankles are great.

 I look back on think of what a different place I'm in now. I mix up my workouts more now, and only miss the trampoline a little. I still go every once in a while. Here's what I learned

10 lessons learned from spraining my ankle

1. Time heals all wounds.
It seemed like it took forever to heal my ankle, but it did. And looking back it doesn't seem like that much time. So glad to have healed.

2. Everyone wants to give you advice about how to care for your ankle.
Just smile and nod and do what the doctor tells you to.I heard about how a friend healed his ankle my sitting on it, and now it crunches, how another friend had even more swelling than me and slept upside down and heeled his ankle, how I should just go ahead and workout like normal, how after 48 hours I shouldn't ice it anymore that I should use heat, how my injury couldn't have been that bad, and so much more. It really got annoying. I try not to do this when friends get hurt. But sometimes I can't help myself. So I'll usually pop back in and tell my injured friends that I hope they heal quickly, and to do what works for their body. Everyone is different.

3. Physical therapy is the best.
If I was 5-10 years younger, I'd really consider going to physical therapy school. It's a career that makes a difference and is always going to be in demand—due to sports injury, and especially older patients needing help with mobility issues. There were a lot of white-hairs in there working out shoulders or legs. I could see myself loving a job like this, being active. But alas, it's four extra years of schools (plus science pre-requisites.) So I'll just have to cheer for physical therapists and the amazing work they do healing our bodies. They know the right exercises and stretches to get you back to where you were. And I'd trust some of them more than an M.D. (Example: My physical therapist gave me a compression sock that I desperately needed. The doctor did give this to me or tell me to get it. This made all the difference in my recovery.)

4. Voltarin Gel is awesome.
This is a pain gel that's often prescribed to arthritis patients. I got a prescription for my ankle, since my doctor was worried about my stomach taking all of those pain pills for four months. The gel is amazing. It numbs the pain away, and works fast. I've kept the extra around for aches and pains I know I'll have (wrists after gymnastics, IT band when training too hard etc.)

5. Flat shoes are the way to go.
I loved wearing sneakers to work all those months—on doctor's orders. I really appreciated how comfortable they are—when compared to heels. The one lasting difference of my ankle injury is that I live in flats now. Five-inch platforms used to be my go-to work shoes. Now, I wear the most comfortable flats I can find
• Puma makes ballet flats. I like to think they're as comfortable as Puma shoes.
• Clarks makes very comfy flats
• Some Cole Haan shoes are made with Nike Air footbeds.
Other brands: Hushpuppies, Aerosoles and probably more.
I will rock my flat shoes.

6. If you're going to sprain an ankle, sprain the left one....because not being able to drive is the worst.
I couldn't drive for at least a month after my injury. The doctor didn't want me to drive when I couldn't SLAM down the brake pedal, since I hurt my right ankle. I worked at home or got rides to work. (It is not fun to ask for rides). The worst was grocery shopping. I'm used to just picking up something on the way home from work. But I had to go with my husband—and walking around the grocery store on crutches is not fun—on his time. And he didn't like the daily requests for milk or eggs. He just wanted to go once. I can't plan what we're running out of. I can guess, but sometimes you just don't know.

7. Don't even try to get your own food while you're on crutches.
Just have someone else pickup your restaurant soda or your buffet plate. There will be a nice soul who will ask. Just let them. You can't balance your crutches, purse and a tray. It won't end well.

8. One-legged workouts are totally doable.
Take a pain pill and work out. I did a lot of one-legged TRX. I got my arms and abs really strong during this period. And I learned a lot about body awareness while adjusting the workouts while compensating for not being able to use an ankle. (Also, lots of wall squats). But it's good to change workouts up.

9. How to sit still.
I am so bad at sitting still. I'm twitchy and constantly moving. But when I sprained my ankle, I had to sit still. It would hurt to get up and I needed to keep my foot elevated. Also, the pets really liked it when I sat still. They'd all come gather around me. I got better at sitting still, because I had to. I'm still twitchy and like to get up every few minutes but if I need to sit still for an hour—it's more doable now than it used to be.

10. Ankles are important.
I learned just how much I use my ankle. I couldn't sit on my foot, walk up stairs, run, jump, drive and do so many things. I rode a lot of stationary bikes and did a lot of rowing machine workouts and wall squats. I also did a lot of toe raises to strengthen my ankle. But I won't take my ankles for granted now. And I do make sure to stretch my ankles a lot more now.

Reasons I love Pure Barre

1. It's challenging. The tucking and up-an-inch, down-an-inch is difficult, but I feel like that means it's something I need to work on.
2. No brainer workout. I just show up and they tell me what to do for an efficient workout. No guessing what machines to get on at the gym.
3. The socks. Honestly, they're just cute and comfy.
4. The instructors are so nice and positive. (No shouting drill sergeant style)
5. Getting a shout out for doing a good job.
6. The music. (Love the pop music.)
7. All the cute gym clothes. The girls at my Pure Barre all wear the cutest clothes. Love seeing all of it.
8. Lots of class availability. 5:30, 6:45, 8 p.m. Even with my crazy schedule, there's usually a class I can take.
9. It really works your calves. If my calves get any bigger I might not be able to wear my riding boots.
10. It's a hard workout that doesn't leave me too drained afterwards. I'm happy to be done with the workout and have enough energy for the rest of my day.

10 things I've learned after 10 classes of Pure Barre

1) Grippy socks are important. Wear them.

Pure Barre sells $12 black socks with colored grips on the bottom (pink, grew, purple, yellow, turquoise, blue)

It's hard to hold plank on carpet in normal socks. Wear the grippy socks and you've got a better chance of staying up.  Also, you can tell the new people by who wears their own socks. All the pros will be in black pure barre socks.

2) Everyone wears LuluLemon.
Pure Barre's unofficial sponsor of overpriced barre classes. Seriously, everyone wears Lulu. I see a girl in a super cute girl in a top that fits her perfectly and sure enough I see the little horseshoe. It's great advertising and the clothes are ridiculously cute.

3) Chair position while holding on to the barre is the worst. 
Okay, everything on the barre is the worst. The mirror might be there so you can see your grimace of pain.

4) Calf cramps are real. 
This is normal after your first few classes.
(Trick: You can roll out your calves with the red Pure Barre ball. Sit on the floor, weight on your hands, and place the ball under your calves and roll on it.)

5) Get to class early if you want a specific spot, in the back or in a corner. Usually the front has a spot or two, but the classes are full or close to it.

6) Seat means butt or ass.
The instructors won't say that a movement should come from your ass, she'll say seat. It's more zen that way, I guess.

7) They really want you to have fun with the hip thrusting at the end of class. And it gets really dark in the evening classes when the turn the lights out.

8) Pure Barre is full of pretty young things. The girls are (mostly) all 20-something, perfectly put together and beautiful. The instructors are all former dancers or cheerleaders and are drop dead gorgeous.  I don't know why more guys don't go just to ogle the girls in lululemon yoga pants.

9) It's a 10 count, not 8 count for a lot of the exercises. And I have never been so glad to get to 10 in my life.

10) It's OKAY if you get a correction from a teacher. That way you can do it better next time. It is not the end of the world. You want to get corrections so you do the exercise right and work what it was intended to work.