Twist it up Tuesday

In an effort to get out the noise, get out the funk, I decided to switch up my Tuesday routine yesterday and try something different and (kinda) exciting. Since I sat in the hot tub at the Perinton Rec Center last Tuesday and watched Molly and Rob do laps, I got inspired. No, no... not to don a teeny bikini, but to take advantage of the work out facilities while my peeps did their thing. In a weird coincidence, Evan just happened to be working out while we were there and so he and I decided to go together this week. Which was a good thing, because it was freezing and snowy out. I need to grow my extra fur layer for winter running, it hasn't come in yet.

Sitting in the hot tub sounds way better then
running in the cold, right?

So Molly and Rob were set to do laps and Evan & I would work out. Since lap time started later, I picked up Evan and Rob & Molly were supposed to come separate. Evan and I started on the  treadmills, which have their own TV's!!!

The view also overlooks the pool area and we got to watch all the cute babies taking their swim lessons. Nothing like some soggy diapers to make you want to jump in for a round of Marco Polo. We decided to do 30 minutes.

Woah, I have no neck from this angle,
I have to work on my selfies.

Then I quickly remembered why I hate the treadmill so much! Even though Evan and I were thoroughly engaged in an episode of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, how has he never seen this before, I was bored and wanted to be done five minutes into it.

Evan was having a great time.

When the torture was over I realized my results were lack luster. I needed to redeem myself so we headed over to the Erg.

Evan is  a Crew-ber, not sure if that is a term, but he is a member of Fairport's crew team. So the erg is NBD. That's text talk for "no big deal" for you grandpa's out there. I strapped in and got to work. Taking some breaks here and there, this rowing stuff is hard, in the end I did ten minutes and really enjoyed it. While I was finishing up (ie. catching my breathe and trying not to faint) Rob walked down the stairs with his swim stuff. He actually seemed kind of impressed with my erg stats, and since he loves rowing at CrossFit I felt great!!

So even though I have a gym membership and could have just gone to the RAC, I thought having a different workout partner and switching it up would keep me interested, it definitely did. But I still hate that treadmill.

Did my post on Lululemon get your yoga pants in a bunch? Check out the latest...

1. Mr. CEO apologizes for blaming the female body for the breakdown of their product.

2. Lululemon is so resourceful (or cheap) that they took their recalled (see through) yoga pants and just added mesh and extra fabric to them and put them back on the rack!! Dubbing them the "Second Chance Pant". They did give you a six dollar discount, now they only cost $92 bucks.   

When life gives you lemons, try to squeeze your big butt into them?

Lately there has been more and more written/said about the Lululemon brand and their transparent yoga pants and exclusion of the plus-size woman. I have sort of ignored all the hoopla, but it is becoming harder and harder to claim ignorance when the founder of the company, basically blames the female body for the breakdown of their product. HUH?!?! I have purchased and received gifts of Lulu since I started running. They are pricey, but I have never had an issue with the quality of anything breaking down. I have three jackets/hoodies, a pair of running tights and capri pants that I have used for yoga or lounging, and a long sleeve shirt.

 

 

I really do love all of my Lulu gear. It is comfortable, washes well, works well in tough situations (ie. couch time or running in freezing Rochester winters) and I feel good when I wear it. I know that may sound strange, but I am sure you have a favorite article of clothing that just makes everything right in the world while you are wearing it. Now, I have much less expensive athletic wear that I have purchased at Target or Marshall's or have gotten with a race entry, that is equally as comfortable and has worn well over my last three years of running.

Where I do struggle with the Lululemon brand is in its sizing. I do not have the typical runner body and this body changes easily depending on what I am putting in my system and what I am training for. What?! You can't train for a cookie eating contest and expect to fit into your body hugging athletic gear, what is wrong with the world! Not only does Lulu clothing only go up to a size 12, it is very rare to be able to find a size 12 in the product and style you want. And is the "12" even a realistic 12, probably not. The kicker, is that Lulu does this on purpose, because the the plus-sized customer isn't someone who they want representing their brand. We aren't part of their demographic, and they admit this. Out loud. To play devil's advocate though, if you walk through your typical mall, there are stores that you simply will not go into because you don't fit into the demographic. Am I going to shop in Hot Topic or Abercrombie and Fitch, probably not. Are the young and skinny going to step into a Lane Bryant or Christopher and Banks, doubt it. So why does Lulu get in trouble when they are simply doing what most stores in the mall do? Is it because the chauvinistic, male co-founder (spokesperson) of the company comes off as a douche bag? Here's another little gem from Wilson: "It takes 30% more fabric to create plus-size clothes, meaning that he would have have to charge a higher price for them. Something that Wilson said he would never do because plus-size people are sensitive and the company would feel intense fallout from the community." Sensitive?!? So what is your excuse for selling $98 stretchy pants to skinny people, you have no problem doing that. If you haven't been able to tell already, I am struggling with this whole topic/issue. An article I read recently said that consumers are expected to spend about $332 million on athletic wear sold at plus-size women's clothing stores this year. That is a crazy number! In fact, the article went on to say that the plus-size apparel industry is worth about $14 billion. So If Lulu chooses to not be a part of it, just to protect the image that only skinny people should be squeezing their butt into transparent yoga pants, then so be it. Maybe that is why analysts are seeing their growth slow. Don't I sound so smart?!

Taken from Lulu Rochester FB page.

The Rochester Lululemon "showroom" recently shut its doors to make room for a bigger and better full size store later this month. Will I go and check it out? Probably. I am actually more curious than ever to see what the stock is of their size 10's and 12's. Naively, I used to think maybe they didn't have many "larger" sizes because they were just a showroom, which offered limited amounts of their products. I guess I'll find out the truth soon enough, even though I probably already know the answer. If you are interested in a male perspective on the Lululemon issue, check out this link.

Have you ever boycotted a store/product because of the company's philosophy?

Stars and Stripes Veterun 5k Race Report coming soon!