<p>I’m just gonna stick with my WalMart Fruit of the Loom sweatpants and a t-shirt for my workouts!</p>
<p>teri - if the contestants on the Biggest Loser can wear these shorts, you can wear them, too! I see ladies of our age running around in shorts much skimpier than your UA shorts, and no one thinks that they look strange.</p>
<p>You can certainly wear them. It’s about function and comfort. I bet you look better than 90% of the people who wear compression shorts. I run in short running skirts, and I’m sure not 25 anymore! My “I’m getting too old” moment was when I got my official Brooks team uniform in the mail. I ordered a small- well, because that seems to be my size in MOST things. You should have seen me trying to get the singlet (tank top) on and off. It was truly frightening. It is a stretchy, skin tight racing top with a built in shelf bra (barely…). It was clearly too small and made for a Kenyan. The worst thing was that I couldn’t get it back off! H had to help extract me from it. The medium is better, but I still like a little more room in my running stuff. It was really funny.</p>
<p>teriwtt, I too wear compression pants at the gym, as do many many women my age. (60+) I think it depends more on your shape than your age. I have chosen not to wear compression shorts, though, because I’ve got spider veins in my thighs – plus, my thighs have never been my best feature. But I wear the compression capris that flare out a bit right below the knee, and I wear compression pants (well, maybe more like tights) that end almost at my ankle. </p>
<p>I think if you’re shape isn’t too bad, it’s fine to wear the tight stuff. I think if you’re very overweight, however, that style isn’t doing you or your gym-mates any favors.</p>
<p>I actually think the close fitting workout clothes make the non-standardly attractive bodies at the the fitness center look better, not worse. That sort of clothing seems to make everyone look better, I think. It makes me appreciate all body types more. Don’t like to see someone in baggy clothes working out. Prefer to see everyone conveying some pride in their bodies.</p>
<p>I do draw the line at midriff tops for women over thirty or so. Not going there.</p>
<p>I’m impressed with all you guys are doing…</p>
<p>my membership just expired to a gym connected to a community center…all I did there was the treadmill, (although I was going 3-4X a week regularly, for few months, which for me was real progress) so I am trying to find a new gym. I just tried out Curves and like the circuit approach, had done that years ago and it helped me to not get bored, also kind of social…planning to check out an LA Fitness to compare and then join the preferred gym. would enjoy your perspectives if you guys have opinions.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>hops_scout - it was my first time up there, and first time I ever deliberately sought out UA. A couple of months ago, Costco had some of the capri-length bottoms on sale and I bought two pair. I fell in love with the way they feel, and decided then, if I was going to spend any money on new workout clothes, I would buy UA and luckily the outlet mall is about a half hour away. </p>
<p>I will pull out my tags later this afternoon and let you know what the markdowns were.</p>
<p>lindz126, I have heard it said – though I don’t have any first-hand experience – that Curves is a little too easy to get value from. What I’ve heard (maybe even on CC??) is that the women do the circuits together, one after another, and spend a lot of time chit-chatting and – sinc ethey’re following each other around on each piece of equipment – they’re using weight that isn’t necessarily challenging enough. </p>
<p>Again, hearsay only, and that type of workout might be fine for someone who is just starting out.</p>
<p>YMMV.</p>
<p>VeryHappy - I belonged to Contours Express until it closed a year and a half ago. Their equipment is more efficient than what Curves uses, from how it was explained to me. However, there are a lot more Curves around than there are Contours Express. </p>
<p>Anyway, once you really learn the equipment (doesn’t take too long), adjusting the weight really only takes a few seconds. Yes, there can be a lot of chit chatting going on, but as you move from each piece of equipment to the next, you have your card with you which lists all your settings. Each piece of equipment has a small magnet on it, so that you just stick your card up on each machine as you go along. Also, when it’s time to take your heart rate (about every 15 minutes the recording says, Stop… and we all did a 10-second count), the staff there comes around and asks you what number you got, and writes it on your card. </p>
<p>At any point, if any machine starts feeling too easy, you up the weight and change the number on the card. Sometimes when the place was really slow, the staff would sort of walk the circuit with you and as you’d approach each new piece of equipment, they’d take a quick peek at your card and make the weight adjustments for you. But really, it only takes less than five seconds.</p>
<p>OK hops_scout - I want you to know that I’m currently digging through my bedroom garbage can and pulling out tags in order to report to you.</p>
<ol>
<li>UA Women’s Heat Gear Action Sleeveless Shirt; lists for $24.99; got it for $14.99</li>
<li>UA Tech Tee; lists for $19.99; got it for $14.99</li>
<li>UA Women’s Sleeveless Tech Tee Shirt; lists for $19.99; got it for $14.99</li>
<li>UA Action Short Sleeve Top; lists for $24.99; got it for $14.99</li>
<li>UA Women’s Ultra 4" Compression Short; lists for $24.99; I paid this price, but I think it’s an item that’s still available in stores… not discontinued.</li>
</ol>
<p>The bras I got (I know you’re not interested, but it gives you an idea of price markdowns) were originally $49.99, $39.99 and $37.99, that I got for $29.99, $24.99 and $24.99</p>
<p>Obviously the shorts I ordered online when I got home were full price. Like I said, I don’t know enough about UA to know if you can get it on sale at other retailers (like Dick’s or Sports Authority), other than when it’s on clearance. I went with your basic blacks and grays, but they did have other colors. I do feel like these were some pretty good discounts.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Good to know; thanks. My sister worked for Champs Sports for awhile so I used to get stuff at a very nice discount there. Since she left the company, I have been buying as much of the Under Armour stuff on Ebay because it is so expensive otherwise. I’ve got a few pairs of UA pants that are $70 retail and a fleece pullover at is $75 retail.</p>
<p>Just from looking at their website, it appears that the Curves circuit, combined with some kind of effective cardio on alternate days, could be an effective approach. The basic concept of a circut of exercises that works the entire body and moves at a pace that keeps the heart rate up is certainly sound.</p>
<p>It looked like it might be a little light on core muscle strengthening. I’m not sure about their ab machine. The back doctors would hate that machine.</p>
<p>Here’s a comparison of the machines at Curves and Contours Express:</p>
<p>[Contours</a> Express Fitness Franchise Our Equipment Difference](<a href=“contoursexpress.com - This website is for sale! - contoursexpress Resources and Information.”>contoursexpress.com - This website is for sale! - contoursexpress Resources and Information.)</p>
<p>The machines at Contours offers both positive and negative resistance, while the ones at Curves only offer positive, unless they’ve upgraded the machines they have now. Both personal trainers I’ve spoken to at my gym, have said they prefer the kinds of machines they have at Contours as opposed to Curves. But the concept of the circuit is what’s important, no matter where you are.</p>
<p>I suspect that the one downside to all the machines is that they focus so narrowly on one muscle group at a time. To really burn calories, you want to be engaging large muscles and the entire body as much as possible. So, something like doing shoulder curls and presses with dumbells is exponentially more effective if you are stepping up and down (moving your bodyweight) at the same time. That’s why a pushup is probably a better exercise than some machine that works the same arm and shoulder muscles.</p>
<p>There’s no reason that you couldn’t combine that kind of circuit with alternate day walking/jogging and get well-rounded workout program.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I HATE machines. 95% of them are useless. Which machines come anywhere close to being functional? That should be the whole point of working out-- to make you able to do your day-to-day life things better.</p>
<p>I just bought 4 pair of " skorts" at Costco ( two black- two grey) for $10 apiece. ( they both fit- but hard to try on stuff at Costco.</p>
<p>I suppose longer would be more flattering- but I get really hot ( and i carry my towel around with me to sit on)-
we drove by a lululemon outlet on the way home from " visiting D", but H wouldn’t stop!</p>
<p>^ I meant that I bought both small and mediums- they have some stretchy so they both fit- I have also found that Target has good ( not great) exercise clothing- they even have petite length pants!</p>
<p>But to switch to food for a moment- I need healthy cookbooks
I haven’t been paying that much attention to what I eat because I don’t really like meat and I have been at a good weight for quite a while- but both my cholesterol and blood pressure are high and I need to clean up my act apparently.</p>
<p>However Cook’s illustrated and " add fat for more flavor" 
style cooking is about my current speed- anyone have suggestions?</p>
<p>emeraldkity4,</p>
<p>I have had to temporarily throw in the towel and get on blood pressure medicine. Low dose, doctor thinks as I get closer to my fitness goals, there’s a good chance I can wean. It was disappointing, but I’ve got to keep my eye on the big picture. Mom had the first of many strokes at age 48, which is my current age.</p>
<p>5K training:</p>
<p>Run/walk ratio today was 8:2 times 3. I ran 3.0 miles in 32.15, shaving more than a minute off my time. Still waiting to enjoy the run, however.</p>
<p>Smalls. Mediums. At my lowest weight, I would never fit in those sizes. It gets frustrating sometimes when makers of active clothing for women manufacture clothing as if the average woman were a size 6. </p>
<p>I say women who are exercising should wear very fitted clothes if appropriate for the sport. Yoga clothes need to be tight so what we don’t want revealed is not revealed when we twist ourselves into poses. Baggy shorts, um, no, this does not work when the person next to you can look up your shorts. A loose t-shirt, um, no, the bottom will be around your neck when you’re in downward dog, and did you really want to show your bra to the whole class? </p>
<p>For road cycling, tight shorts and jersey are more comfortable because looser clothes flap around distractingly.</p>
<p>But the problem is to find clothes that are tight, but not too small. I don’t want an ugly roll just above my bike shorts or my yoga pants.</p>
<p>Oh, my dogs are barkin’. Feet that is. I added another mile to my walking route yesterday and today… trails up and down through the woods in a nearby state park along the river, this added to my usual hills. My legs and feet are feelin’ it.</p>