More Than Just Clothes:

Colors, Styles Motivate and

Communicate

The way you dress and the way your clothes fit on you can say a lot about how you feel about yourself, the image you’re trying to portray and if you’re realizing the results you want from your current exercise program. As you box up your bulky winter wear and start pulling out skimpier spring attire this time of year, you can really get a sense about whether your winter workout routine fits into your current wardrobe.

Clothes also can be a good motivating factor for losing weight and increasing athletic performance as you welcome an active spring season and say goodbye to a sluggish, hibernating winter season.

“If you pull out last year’s spring clothes out of the closet and they don’t fit as well as before, it might be time to make some adjustments,” advises Logan George, personal trainer at Fitness Together Maple Grove. “Being comfortable in what you wear is key in working out and in life. It’s important to find something that fits just right for you and makes you feel good about yourself.”

Bright Colors Heat Up the Intensity

The colors of clothes you choose to wear have a lot to say about your attitude and outlook on life. When you’re working out, your color choice can help to motivate you, too. If you layer bright colors like hot pink, neon and the other fluorescent colors that are coming back in popularity in the fitness industry these days, it can really help to boost energy and motivation levels. And, not just necessarily for you, but fun colors also can influence the mood and attitude of everyone working out around you.

“What you wear and the colors you choose can be a psychological game you can play with yourself to get the energy going a little bit more, get you pumped up and light the fire underneath you to get you going,” says George.

New Clothes for a New You

If you are new to working out or you’ve been doing it for a while but are stuck on a plateau, using a certain piece of clothing such as dresses, jeans or beachwear can help motivate you to work out regularly and eat healthy. As you’re heading into a new season of styles and designs, pick out a long, lost piece of clothing from your past that you’d like to fit in again and hang it in the front of your closet Or, find a new spring fashion that just hit the store racks and hang the picture on your mirrors, refrigerator or anywhere else in your home or office.

“Fitting into smaller-sized clothes is a big-time motivator for people,” says George. “When clients start realizing all of the weight they’re losing or they’ve gone down four dress sizes they stay motivated to see what they can achieve if they keep working out and eating healthy.”

George has seen both male and female clients achieve amazing results when they’ve used clothes as a motivating factor to meet their health and fitness goals. Females tend to focus on what types and sizes of clothes they’re able to wear, while men get motivated when they start dropping pant sizes, says George.

Spring Into Action for Visible Results

As the weather warms up and you start exposing more skin this time of year, fine-tuning workouts can become more important to helping you achieve your weight loss and fitness goals. George advises clients to follow a personalized fitness plan that’s designed to achieve specific results and includes the three main components of strength training, cardio and proper nutrition. He also sees people this time of year focusing on certain areas that may have spent the winter covered and in hibernation such as the core, triceps, hips and legs.

Whether you have your eye on fitting into a new cocktail dress, summer swimsuit or business suit this season, keep your goals and motivation front and center so you know what you need to do to succeed in your accomplishments. Look good and feel good this spring season by wearing clothes and colors that inspire you and make you proud of your fit and active lifestyle.

Friday, March 28, 2014