Active

New Year, New Rear: Talking Fitness Fashion and Fitness Goals for 2020

FITNESS FASHION

Nordstrom Fitness FindsNordstrom Fitness Finds

Bra: Zella // Leggings: Free People // Shoes: Adidas

Around this time every year is when the gyms are flooded with people attempting to kick their booty into gear. I have always had a fickle relationship with the gym and working out mostly because of my hip issues but 2019 was the first year I stuck with something fitness related. I found pilates and have never loved a workout more. With my new found love for Pilates, comes wanting to buy all of the cute work out clothes which can get expensive really quick. Why in the world are stretchy clothes so dang expensive?!

Now is a great time to stock up on quality active wear for the year. Nordstrom is having their Half Yearly Sale and there are some great finds in there. Zella, Adidas, Sweaty Betty and Beach Riot are some of my favorite brands that Nordstrom carries and I’ve also rounded up my favorite sale finds to make it easy on you below. Don’t forget Nordstrom has free shipping and returns so if you aren’t positive on sizing, I suggest ordering two sizes and returning the other. Sizes tend to sell out quickly so this is the best way to ensure you get the item you are wanting!

FITNESS GOALS

I get questions a lot on what I do to stay so fit and I’d be lying if I said it’s from a strict workout or diet plan. I struggle with both daily. Quick backstory, I had two hip surgeries in 2017 and honestly hadn’t done any sort of real workout since college prior to my surgery. Then after, I had so many issues that I barely did any sort of physical exercise, let alone workout. But this past year has taught me how rewarding it feels to work towards something and to push your body and mind further than you thought it could go. There is a small victory and dare I say small adrenaline rush that happens with each workout. Going into 2020 I want to put a stronger focus on my overall health and mindset.

Over the past year I’ve learned to love working out for multiple reasons. Obviously I have enjoyed seeing the fruits of my labor physically but mentally it has done wonders for me too! Working from home, sometimes my only break out of the house for the day is going to workout so it’s kind of become an escape. Running has done the same. On days I’m stressed or just need to clear my head, running helps so much. It’s crazy how a year ago I thought people who did these things were just torturing themselves. I don’t know what clicked for me in 2020 but I’m so glad it did. If you haven’t found a workout that makes you feel this way yet, keep searching. Pilates has been my saving grace.

Physically, I’ve noticed the most extreme amount of definition in my arms, abs and butt which are honestly the places I have always been most concerned about toning. I have loved Pilates because it does not involve much cardio yet still gets your heart rate up while being a full body workout. It’s definitely not easy but you can make the workout as hard or as easy as you want it to be. For those that are local to Houston, I go to HIP Fitness which is a megareformer class.

So what are my goals for 2020? Honestly I’d be happy with continuing on the path that I was on in 2019 but my main goal of this year is to add in variability with my workouts so I can start working new muscle groups. I also want to start adding in cardio as I am severely slacking in this department. While I love Pilates and plan on continuing to take it in 2020, I want to widen my range of workouts. So here are my specific goals…

Take at least 3 classes a week. 

Try a completely new class once a month. 

Start mixing in cardio once a week. Whether that be a long walk, *short* run, spin class or cardio based workout. 

Get a massage once a month. Again this goes back to overall health and mindset and I think can be included as a fitness goal as working out/stress can create tension and knots that make it harder to workout and perform other daily tasks. 

Eat dinner at home at least 4 nights a week. Of those 4 nights, try a new recipe once a week. 

Nordstrom Fitness Finds

Nordstrom Fitness Finds

Nordstrom Fitness Finds

Nordstrom Fitness Finds

*Thank you Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Best Places To Shop For Affordable Active Wear

Active Wear Under $50

AERIE

CURRENT SALE: 40-50% OFF

My favorite leggings from Aerie are the 7/8 leggings (pictured above). I love them more than 99% of the leggings in my closet and find them comparable to ALO leggings. I will go so far to say that I like them better than Zella leggings. The fit and quality is just THAT good. They run true to size. Here is the original and here is a bigger selection with more colors and patterns. Not active wear related but their swimsuit section this year is my favorite and is 50% off right now.

FOREVER 21

CURRENT SALE: FREE SHIPPING OVER $21

Forever 21 surprisingly has a great active wear selection. While I will say a lot of their selection is more about the cuteness factor than functionality, I love that they have implemented different categories such as high, medium and low impact wear depending on how intense your work outs are.

GAP

CURRENT SALE: 40% OFF WITH CODE BRANDNEW

While I have never personally tried out Gap’s active wear, it comes highly recommended by all of you! The prices below do not reflect the 40% off discount. Discount is applied after the code is used in cart. One of the features I like about the GAP activewear selection is that you can shop by intensity level.

NORDSTROM RACK

Nordstrom Rack is hands down the best place to get name brands that you love for less. Think brands that Nordstrom carries at a fraction of the cost. Some of my favorite brands to shop at the Rack are Zella, Nike, Outdoor Voices, North Face and Electric Yoga. These Zella leggings were one of the top sellers in 2018 and a great leggings if you are in search of a basic, everyday legging! Check out the reviews!

Active Wear Under $50

OLD NAVY

CURRENT SALE: 20% OFF APPLIED AT CHECKOUT

Old Navy has been and always will be one of my favorite affordable clothing options! Their active wear selection has come a long way and offers trendy options that are almost always on sale. I particularly love their graphic tanks and mesh leggings!

OUTDOOR VOICES

Outdoor Voices is a newer athletic brand to me which I solely found through Instagram. I know a million and one bloggers that swear by this brand! While I have heard great things about the quality and support, I love the color blocking patterns that this brand offers plus who doesn’t love a good matching set?! I suggest filtering by the lowest price or checking out their sale section. Retailers like Nordstrom Rack and Hautelook also carry Outdoor Voices from time to time at a major discount.

TARGET

I’ve accumulated so many active wear pieces (well clothing in general) over the years from Target because let’s be honest you can’t go in without buying something! After trying out several of their different brands, my favorite is JoyLab

VICTORIA’S SECRET

CURRENT SALE: SEMI ANNUAL SALE

You can always bank on Victoria’s Secret to have sexy active wear.. is that a thing?! Right now they are running a special where you can get an entire outfit (sports bra + leggings) for just $55. That’s a great deal considering most of the sports bras are $40-$50 and the leggings are usually upwards of $70! Also since it’s currently the semi annual sale, you can score pieces as low as $9.99!


Other notable mentions are Nordstrom, Revolve and Shopbop. While these retailers are usually on the higher end, they do have sales from time to time that are worth checking out! Also, with any retailer that offers a range of different brands and price points, I almost always start off my search by filtering the price points from lowest to highest. See more of my new arrival picks below!

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Tuesday Trend: Athleisure

**CLICK AN IMAGE TO SHOP THE ITEM DIRECTLY**

Whether you are making a point to hit the gym hard in 2018 or just want to up your comfy/stretchy clothes (no judgement here), athleisure is everywhere these days. Can I just say thank goodness it’s becoming more and more socially acceptable to wear leggings other places than the gym? Now people have no idea if you just had a 2 hour workout, are headed to a cycle glass, or rolled out of bed and pulled on yesterday’s leggings and that’s a beautiful thing 😉 If you aren’t ready to drop a pretty penny on this new trend, some of my favorite places to score affordable athletic wear are TJ Maxx, Target, OId Navy and Nordstrom Rack. See the rest of my picks below.

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