#FitnessFriday: Self-Acceptance/ Self-Love

"If we hate any part of ourselves, then nothing is ever good enough."

For the last #fitnessfriday posts featuring activewear from my sponsors Rosegal and Zaful, they were always about a review of the product and making sure I somehow look good with it in the photos. I’m sure that by now the brand’s quality is pretty much established and proven trendy. So let me just tackle another point here…

The truth is, I wasn’t really satisfied with how I presented the products upon myself. Lol. Prolly not my tiptop shape to wear something ab-baring or (or lack thereof) or skintight at the moment of shoot. I was pretty sure I didn’t slip into my regular fitness routine too though I could’ve overeaten or something and there could be a whole other reasons why.

But at the end of the day, aside from the pressure from the sponsors to post (lol), I just have to finally let these pics out and say, “Sod it!” This body has run half marathons in the past, can do a back to back dance (energetic if I may add) class if needed or climb the second highest summit of the country without prior training. This body has served me well so much. What do I have to complain about?

Quick description of the items here: if you haven’t heard of the naked trend, well it has taken over the athleisure world particularly in the form of leggings. I’ve had attendees doing double takes if I was really wearing at the bottom with this nude two tone thingy. Haha! And it’s so sweet to find a cool take on the hoodie with this open front top from Rosegal.

Open Front Cropped Hoodie

Two Tone Active Yoga Leggings
Hoop Earrings

Plunging sports top, yaaay! Definitely flattering for flat-chested ITBC members. Lol. But what I appreciate the most here is the half-hand coverage through a thumbhole that doubles up as fitness gloves for tough workouts. 💪 

Plunging Neck Sports Top

P.S. Use the code ZafulChen and RosegalChen in your purchases to get additional discounts. :) Happy Shopping! 

#FitnessFriday: Gym Dress Codes

If you’re someone like me who’s in the gym almost everyday (trust me, a 5-min walk or 15-min walk to the gym is a very good motivator *wink*), then chances are you get tired of your usual outfits. It’s not that I don’t recommend a “uniform” or a standard outfit formula (after all, sometimes we’re already stressed out on what to wear at work so why still bother for the gymwear?) but then again it feels good to switch things up a bit from time to time.

And who better to turn to for motivational gym outfits than one of the queens of athleisure Kendall J herself? Supported by other Adidas endorsers like Rita Ora, tracksuits are back but not the velour type of the 90s (one that I once dreamt of wearing, in pink. Haha!) but in different iterations. I’m talking about this black hooded one-piece from Sammydress that I didn’t realize is one hella sexy playsuit in the gym. Lol. Seriously, I felt like I was in a catwoman suit in this piece because of the fit. For someone like me who knows the discomforts of a jumpsuit, I can recommend this piece to wear for those times where you just wanna feel sexy while doing light gym workouts. :)

Skinny Hooded Jumpsuit

If you're joining group exercise classes in the gym though, one part of the fun particularly in the program that I teach (lol!) is the dress code. It's not something that happens every week for a class and sometimes the dress codes aren't that comfortable (lol!) but what the heck, it's just fun when everybody turns up in their own versions and interpretations of the theme. From animal prints to military to movie-inspired themes like Grease, the options are endless. I intend to bring the same culture to the new gym where I'm currently teaching (since most of them being K-Pop fanatics, lol!) and here's probably a good matching set from Zaful to wear. P.S. Actual gym wear for planned K-Pop night may vary. Haha!

Mesh Sleeves Cropped Top

Knitted Mini Skirt

P.S. No, we don't use balance balls in the program I'm teaching. Hahaha!

Sponsored: Athletic Chic

As a certified gym rat, let me just preface this by putting it out there: what you wear to the gym matters. Your workout wardrobe can help you make or break your goals. So pick a clothing that doesn’t only make you cute but functional too. :P Don’t believe me? Then read up on ‘enclothed cognition’ here. 

I am grateful that Zaful gives me enough freedom to pick a collection for a blog feature and up until no I still wonder why it took me so long to look at their activewear collection. Seriously? I need more gym clothes than dresses, lol! Well, to be fair to me though, they really have a lot of products. :D

Their entire line is surprisingly stylish and performance ready at affordable prices. For this post, I’m featuring their matching sets that are certified to make you “fitspiration chic” in the gym. Lol! And I’m also grateful that for this, I get the chance to feature the sets with none other than ze bff in the gym. See us work up our sweats in  effortlessly cool cropped hoodies and leggings/ pants below. :)

Btw, the bowling was actually a first for both of us and it was so much fun! Hahaha!

Cropped Hoodie with Mesh Leggings

Hooded Cropped Top and Pants

Comfy Casual

Several years ago, I joined a business scheme that jumped on the beauty, health and wellness bandwagon – it being the next trillion dollar industry as predicted. I'm no business savvy but I did believe the products and saw the trend coming. What I didn’t expect though is for the industry to become big that it crept on several aspects of consumer life including the apparel category. But what do I know then? An advertising company has just recently published a list of Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands and the result is quite surprising. In the list, the sports brand Nike claimed the #1 spot in apparel category beating out the other most-loved brands like Zara and H&M among others. Wow. This really says a lot about the activewear trend being more than just a fad.

Will I really prefer Nike over H&M? Well, gym rats like me for sure love the brand but cost-wise, the latter has much cheaper offerings which would provide me with something more to use in my 3 to 4 times a week schedule. Further research informed me that this activewear trend has inspired a lot of people to get back to the gym - seeing an increased result in gym memberships and renewed interests in sports. Well, if that is the case then I'm all for it. But will this really change the way women dress forever? * gasp* I hope not. Lol.

Recently though, Nike got me with their recent silhouette - the Roshe Run. I have been looking forever for black kicks that would really look good when I'm wearing leggings in the gym and these babies simply made the cut. Again, this is my fourth sneaker investment after joining myself the athleisure trend. But will I be wearing this more often than my pumps and strappy heels? Nooooooooooooooo. Of course not. This has been so far the only time I wore this at work - when a sneakerhead friend/ co-worker wanted me to wear it. The cushioning is perfect - I so love it for dancing and it would pretty much be abused that way. ;)

Top: Mango; Skirt: Unbranded; Bag: Marks & Spencer

Sunnies: Aldo; Shoes: Nike