"Splish Splash..."

So I’ve been swimming laps for two weeks now, and I actually am starting to look forward to my time in the pool. As I told you in my previous post, swimming is not something that comes naturally to me. When I look at all of the Olympic swimmers on TV, I realize that what I do doesn’t even look like the same sport.

And, swimming requires you to do more preparation than just lacing up your Nikes. I mean, I knew I had to wear a bathing suit, and for the first few days I just jumped wearing a tankini that blew up with water every time I swam a lap. My eyes burned, my ears and nose filled up with water, and my hair, ooooh, my hair! I kept pushing it out of my face and pulling it back, but it was a mess when I got out.

I tried using a kid’s brand of after-swim shampoo, but when I went to get my hair cut and colored, Lori (my hairdresser) couldn’t believe the dryness. Her tip for all swimmers: Wet your hair BEFORE you get in the pool. That way it won’t absorb as much chlorine and will keep your hair from getting damaged or discolored. And then, cover it with a swim cap.

So I went to a local swim shop called B & B Aquatics (or you could try Dick’s, Sports Authority, Target and even Wal-Mart), and bought a spray sunscreen, swim cap, goggles, ear and nose plugs, UltraSwim shampoo and new suit.

I needed to buy spray sunscreen so I could get my back covered without any help. The sun in St. Louis is strong, even at 7:30 AM.

The suit was easy because most of them are made in cute colors and patterns. Lap swimming suits apparently reduce drag and help you swim faster. See how many cute colors it comes in!

The goggles not only protect my eyes from the chlorine, but they also help me swim better by allowing me to see where I’m going. (Remember I kind of list a little bit to the side and find myself headed straight for a side wall or rope if my eyes are closed). Also, try to adjust them before you get ready to jump in the pool. I have to thank the nice lady in the lane next to me who kindly told me that my goggles weren’t adjusted and they were upside down.

The swim cap keeps the long hair out of my face, and that’s one less thing that gets in the way of taking a breath! Plus, caps also help reduce drag, making the swim strokes more efficient. This was a difficult purchase for me because I hate wearing ANY kind of hat or cap. So I bought one in neon pink and figured if I were going to look ridiculous wearing it, at least I’d have a trendy color. Also, the cap is made of Lycra, not Latex, so it really stretches to fit even big heads like mine!

To complete the look, I keep trying the ear plugs and nose plugs, but they keep falling off and out. (Any suggestions??)

And of course, to wash the chlorine out of my hair after swimming, I bought Ultra Swim. It's the best known shampoo for removing chlorine, but there are lots of different brands out there. You just have to use something to get rid of the damaging chemicals.


I’ll never make it to the Olympics and I would probably drown during the swim portion of a triathalon, but I’m doing everything I can to make this lap swimming thing work. I’m up to 30 laps now and I only stop to catch my breath after 3 or 4 at a time instead of after each one!!

"Summertime Blues..."

So, guess what I found out this week? I’m not invincible! I figured I could always push through the minor aches and pains of daily workouts. Whether it was a strained shoulder or a sore back, I could get back on track with a lot of stretching and foam rollers.

(The totally awkward picture above is me, my brother, and my cousins at the Excelsior Club pool in Columbus, Ohio. I'll explain why it's there later in the post)

But this time it was different. I was away for the 4th of July holiday and working out at the hotel gym and spa. Great setup, nice equipment, but not a lot of cardio machines. So, when I saw an open treadmill, I went right over to it. It was a little darker in the cardio area and I was excited to grab a machine, so I jumped on. Unfortunately, I didn’t see that the belt on the treadmill was still moving. I flew off the back and flipped, with the top of my foot hitting the back edge of the machine.

“Ow,ow,ow,ow and ow!!!” It REALLY hurt, but I was determined not to let it get me. I asked the people working there for ice and whether I should fill out an accident report. He got me the ice, but no report (more about that later). As the day went on, I watched my foot grow bigger and change color; from red to purple to blue toes and feet. I swirled it in the pool, iced it in my hotel room, and even wore flat shoes out to dinner, but it still hurt.

I limped through our vacation and figured it was just bruised, but after I returned home, it was still hurting. I called my doctor and he had me get an x-ray. And guess what? Two fractured bones on the top and side of my foot. Official names of the fractured bones are the cuboid and calcaneus.

After the x-ray, I went to see my doctor and was sure I was going to have to get a cast or a boot, or even crutches, but luckily, I didn’t have to do any of that. However, I DID have to stop all exercise where I pound down on my foot. No running, cycling, elliptical machine, no Zumba; just walking! My heart rate monitor kept flashing that I was way below my calorie-burning range!

So that was it. I was forced into weeks of low heart rates without my normal routine…

Now, I’ve never been a particularly great swimmer. When I was a kid at the Excelsior Club pool in Columbus, Ohio where I grew up, my cousin Marji (she's the one in the picture with me)got all the Red Cross swimming badges up to “Flying Fish”, and I was stuck on “Guppy” and “Minnow”. I never quite got that “stroke, turn head, breathe” thing down pat. Also, when you have curly hair that you straighten daily with a flat iron, the last place you want to be is under water. But alas, I needed do some cardio that would burn a lot of calories, but not further injure my foot.

It’s now day five of swimming for me, and I’ve got to say, I kind of like it. I bought goggles and nose plugs and ear plugs, but so far I haven’t used them. And it’s not like I look smooth swimming in the pool. I started out kind of listing to the side of my lane and alternating between holding my breath under water, and gasping as I pushed to the surface. But each day I feel a little more comfortable and increase my number of laps. And it’s kind of good way to just tune out for a while since I also can’t see anything without my glasses.

So, sometimes what seems like an obstacle is actually a push in another direction.
For now, I’m just grateful that I have an alternative. (And that it’s not a moving treadmill). And who knows, maybe one day I'll actually get that breathing and head turning thing right!

(And in hindsight, I probably should have filled out an accident report since the hotel claims no responsibility for the fall)

"Everybody Got Their Something..."

I have always loved taking group fitness classes. Truthfully, that’s what first got me interested in exercise back in my 20s. Whether it was at a gym, rec center, or church basement, I didn’t really care as long as I was moving.

Along the way I’ve had some amazing instructors, too. From Wendy with her 80s sweatband and leg warmers to Sheila, who would even teach on Thanksgiving Day in the church parking lot since we weren’t allowed to go in on a holiday! Julie and Amy made it worth getting up for a 5:30 AM aerobics class, Millie and Karyn actually mad me enjoy spinning, and Chad made us all feel like professional hip hop dancers!

Even now, instructors like Kim, Abby, Lisa, Beth, and Karyn make going to class worth all the work and sweat. But like any of the wonderful teachers we’ve had in our lives, they move on, and we have new teachers. And, if you’re open to that new experience (keep in mind that ALL instructors have a learning curve), you might just find yourself another “Can’t miss her (his) class!” teacher.



The benefits of a taking a fitness class are numerous. First of all, just being able to keep up with the class is great motivation for pushing your personal boundaries and achieving goals, especially when the instructor is saying “just 5 more!”

Also,in a group fitness setting you have the opportunity to meet new people, and make new friends that you wouldn’t normally meet unless you were taking a class. Regularly scheduled classes are great for helping you stick to a routine, and, in most classes you work a variety of muscles throughout the class. You are more likely to complete a full body workout and challenge yourself if you are in a group setting.

If you find yourself in a class with a new instructor (either new to you or the gym), give it a few weeks. It might take a while to learn the routines and moves. Over that time, see if the instructor makes an attempt to learn who you are. Do you feel like the instructor really cares about your well-being? A good instructor will make an effort to build a relationship with regular and new students.



Also, a qualified instructor will be happy to explain moves you don’t understand. He or she should be eager to share health and fitness knowledge with you and provide advice on how you can improve your fitness level in class.

Most importantly, an instructor’s enthusiastic personality and manner should help you enjoy the class. Does he/she try to create a fun atmosphere in class? Because if you don’t have fun in class, you probably won’t stick with it for long. Sometimes the fun comes from the steps, sometimes from the music, and sometimes from the instructor’s sense of humor or warmth.

Fitness classes should push you, but a great class (and instructor) should not intimidate you, and you shouldn’t feel like you’re going to: die, throw up, keel over, cry, or run out! If you’re having fun working and sweating, the time should go by quickly. By the end of a great class, I feel good mentally and physically and eagerly look forward to the next one!





(And just a side note, I actually had a new teacher subbing in Zumba this morning. I know people were ready to complain about not having our regular teacher, but Carly just wowed us with a great class. I had so much fun that I can't wait to take another one of her classes!)


.

"Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart..."

The latest reports on diet and weight loss encourage us to eat only when we’re hungry, and then two weeks later, we’re told to eat on a specific schedule of planned meals. There’s so much conflicting information, that it’s no wonder we’re all confused. Truthfully, I think it’s a little bit of both, but it all depends on when and why you want to eat.

My dad was eternally thin; and not from eating vegetables, fish or lean meat. He ate when he was hungry and that could be at 10 in the morning or midnight. He subsisted on a steady diet of hamburgers, chili, diner specials, Mallomars and Hostess cupcakes. He wouldn’t think twice about ordering a triple carbohydrate breakfast of pancakes, hash browns and toast because that was what he felt like eating. All this and his nightly donut habit would have me waddling through the door, but he never once popped a button or split the seams on his clothes. (It probably helped that my mom wasn’t the greatest cook, but more about that later).

He never ate out of boredom or cravings; he just got food when he was hungry and did other things in between. And…. He ate only until he was full. If there was food left over, it stayed on the plate. It never occurred to him to finish it all.

I, on the other hand, have always eaten beyond hunger. I feel like I’m hungry all of the time. Not physically hungry, but my mind is in a constant state of food envy! I wake up contemplating what breakfast will make my taste buds happiest and the rest of the day is usually consumed with what flavors are next. The thought of eating only to fill my stomach is appalling to me. I have to mentally plan the flavors I let myself have so I can get the most taste from the fewest calories. I might be working, exercising or shopping, but my mind is always on food. I’ll plan my post-workout snack on the treadmill, then I’m planning lunch, and after that how long do I need to wait until my afternoon snack (but not too close to dinner), and then how long after dinner do I need to wait until I can have my 120 calorie ice cream cup? Sometimes I’m not even that hungry, but my body clock tells me it’s time and I don’t want to miss that treat!

When I see a plate of food that I love, my taste buds take over and my stomach no longer has a say in the matter! However, I’ve learned some tricks over the years that help me keep a handle on why I’m eating and how much I really want; like getting a doggie bag as soon as my meal comes and packing up half of it, splitting a full portion with a friend, ordering an appetizer as a meal, or even getting a variety of small bites by ordering the tasting menu. These can really help when we don’t have a true fullness gauge!

Below is a basic hunger/satiety scale from the book Eating Well, Living Well by Gaesser and Kratina:

0-Starving and beyond
1-You’re so hungry you want to order everything on the menu
2-Everything on the menu begins to look good. You may be preoccupied with your hunger
3-You’re hungry and the urge to eat is strong.
4-A little hungry. You can wait to eat, but you know you’ll be getting hungrier soon.
5-Neutral: not hungry, not full.
6-No longer hungry. You sense food in your belly, but you could definitely eat more.
7-Hunger is definitely gone. Stop here, and you may not feel hungry again for 3-4 hours.
8-Not uncomfortable, but you’ve definitely eaten a belly full.
9-Moving into uncomfortable.
10-“Thanksgiving full”. Very uncomfortable, maybe even painful.

Nutritionist Sheri Albert, MPH, RD recommends staying between 3 and 7 most of the time. In other words, try to eat before you’re so hungry that you think you can’t see straight, and stop eating when you feel satisfied and you’re no longer eating to satiate your hunger.

When my dad let his hunger be his guide, he remained thin and fit. We used to joke that my mom had been starving him since when he went into a nursing home and began eating meals every day at specific times, he gained 20 pounds. But I really think the forced feeding times eventually tricked his body into thinking he was always hungry at meal times.

So next time you’re craving something to eat, ask yourself what you’re really feeling: Physical hunger? Eat something. Boredom? Do something AWAY from the kitchen. Anger, anxiety, stress? Take a walk, run, go to the gym. Wait a few minutes, and then make your choice. Over time, you can train your body to respond to the right hunger cues!

"(Don't) Keep On Fallin'..."

I’ve always moved pretty fast. Not marathon-runner fast, but the “I’m in a hurry so get out of my way” fast. I walk looking straight ahead, not down, and this in itself has caused some problems through the years. I’ve walked into small children at the mall, tripped over puppies on the sidewalk, and once, (this is NOT made up; my children will vouch for this) to the horror of my kids, I tripped over a gypsy beggar kneeling in the street in Barcelona and kicked her money cup across the street.

I tell you this not so you will think I’m a total klutz, but to remind everyone of how vulnerable we can be if we don’t pay attention to obstacles in our surroundings. And we are even more vulnerable to “accidents” if we don’t have strong bones or good balance and coordination. This is especially true as we get older.

While having good balance and sense of body position is beneficial to sports performance, it is critical to preventing falls. Falls are a leading cause of debilitating injury and they become even more so as we get older. Doing balance exercises can help you maintain both your balance and confidence at any age. These exercises can also help prevent falls and improve your coordination. And they can help us remain more independent as we get older!

Nearly any activity that keeps you on your feet and moving, such as walking, can help you maintain good balance. But you should also include balance exercises in your daily routine. Try balancing on one foot while waiting in line, or stand up and sit down without using your hands. For a more targeted approach, try specific balance exercises
An easy way to begin is with weight shifts:
-Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally distributed on both legs
-Shift your weight to your right side, then lift your left foot off the floor
-Hold the position as long as you can maintain good form, up to 30 seconds.
-Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.

Then move on to standing on one leg:
-Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your weight equally distributed on both legs. Place your hands on your hips. Lift your left leg off the floor and bend it back at the knee
-Hold the position as long as you can maintain good form, up to 30 seconds.
-Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. As your balance improves, increase the number of repetitions.
Balance sitting on a stability ball:
Start with the ball against the wall and then slowly move out, holding onto the sides of the ball
Place one arm out to the side with feet flat on floor. Then, if you feel stable, both arms.
Challenge yourself by slowly lifting one foot at a time off floor.

The more balanced, and coordinated your muscles are, the less likely they are to be injured because of pressure or force.

A more advanced balance exercise is stepping over objects: Practice stepping over high objects (both walking forward and backward). You can use boxes, Reebok steps, flat benches—whatever you can find. If you want to progress, you can increase speed. This will help you develop a feel for where you are in space, and will also challenge your body to quickly catch and stop your motion, and to stabilize you as you change direction. All of these are fundamental components of sport and life.

And train overall functional strength: When you train in the gym, consider exercises that mimic your natural movement patterns. For example, squats, walking lunges, and standing cable chest flys—exercises that use muscles the way you need to use them in life.

Stretch daily: In addition to balance exercises, you need a daily stretching routine. Tight muscles get injured when they try to react quickly to extreme circumstances.

You also want to kind of “fall-proof” yourself by not standing up too quickly and staying active.

We want to do everything we can to prevent falls, but if our bones are strong too, we can prevent fractures if our balance fails us. Much of the support for strong bones comes from our diet and we need lots of calcium to grow strong, Eating calcium-rich foods increases calcium absorption, but calcium supplements can also strengthen bones, as long as they are taken with food and broken up over the course of the day.

Along with the right foods, spending time in the sun can also strengthen bones. Vitamin D, which is synthesized through sunlight, is critical to bone development.

Finally, load-bearing exercises strengthen bones and joints. Swimming, walking, biking, jumping and weight lifting can all contribute to stronger bones, because the body responds to physical stress by building up the bones to cope with it. It’s beneficial for bones in people of all ages, including older people. Weight-bearing exercise applies tension to our muscles and bones, and our bodies respond to this stress by increasing bone density; in young adults by as much as 2 - 8% a year. In addition to improving bone density, weight-bearing exercises reduce the risk of fractures by improving muscle strength and balance, thus helping to prevent falls.

What is most crucial to preventing injuries, though, is having an acute awareness of your environment. This means looking up and down and all around you when you’re walking (which also means not texting or playing with your smart phone), and keeping your home environment clear of obstacles that are accidents waiting to happen, like open cabinet doors, kicked-off shoes, laundry baskets or toys (doggie or kid)!

So do your best to keep your body strong, safe and balanced now and as you age and it will reward you with added years of health and mobility!!

"Every Little Thing (I eat)..."

Anyone who has ever spent a day with me knows I’m always writing notes to myself. Whether it’s stuff I need at the grocery store, appointments, directions or reminders of things to do, there are always random scraps of paper around my house and in my purse.

For years, I’ve kept my food diary in the same way; scraps of paper with my daily calories, fat, and protein combinations, cross-outs and recalculations, time of day and portion sizes. As scattered and chaotic as this might sound, I still always have a good idea of what I eat and how and when I exercise.

So it amazes me that most people, even those who know exactly what they spend and exactly how much money they have in the bank, have absolutely no idea of the amount or type of nourishment they put into their bodies!
Over the years. I’ve graduated from scraps of paper, to a spiral notebook, and now, with a smart phone, a food diary app to keep track of my food habits and exercise on a daily basis. And if you’re brutally honest, you can learn a whole lot about why those last 10 pounds just won’t go away. After a few weeks of tracking, you can see what negative patterns emerge and that awareness can help change your habits.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine did a study on over 2000 overweight adults and found that those who kept food records six days a week -- jotting down everything they ate and drank on those days -- lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less.

If you use the food diary in the right way, you get answers that just won’t come out of a diet book. My weight has been pretty consistent over the past 25 years within about a 5-6 pound range. So when the scale started creeping up 7,8,and then 9 pounds last winter, I first chocked it up to getting older. But when I finally spent three weeks tracking EVERY morsel I ate, the problem was clear. Too much “invisible” food; a bite here, a spoonful there, a handful of high-fat nuts, an overflowing “1/2 cup” serving of Slow Churned ice cream! All helped to pack on an additional 600-800 calories a day!

So, using the food diary as my conscience, I traded exact portions, switching to pre-portioned packs of the foods I tended to “over-eyeball”, substituted fresh fruit for high-sugar dried fruit, and replaced half the bowl of almonds with popcorn. The two “small” glasses of wine I’d been drinking were actually 6-8 oz glasses, so measuring and recording that helped too.

The food journal can act like a mirror by revealing to you what goes into your body, but you have to have to be honest for it to be effective:

-Make sure you account for all those ‘little extras’
Many people eat healthily at mealtimes, but snack poorly in between. If you’re aiming to lose a pound a week, just a few extras (eg. a can of coke, a cookie and a packet of crisps) during the day prevents you from seeing results on the scales. Writing down everything you eat demonstrates the cost of those ‘occasional’ nibbles…
-Know when you can afford to treat yourself
On the other hand, keeping track of your food intake over the course of a day or a week gives you the freedom to enjoy a treat once in a while – guilt-free. If you know you’ve got calories to spare for the day, and no ice cream has passed your lips for six days, you can indulge yourself! (But record it)
-Be aware of when you’re eating
Keeping a food diary highlights patterns, showing if you overeat at particular times. Maybe you binge late at night, because you’ve been eating too little all day? Or perhaps you graze constantly? If you don’t keep a food diary because you have no hope of remembering everything you eat … you may need to change your habits.
-Fight ‘portion creep’
If you’ve been dieting or maintaining for a long time, you get used to “eyeballing” portions rather than weighing everything out. But if your weight loss has plateaued, or if those pounds are edging back on, keeping a diary means you need to weigh your foods.
-See your habits changing
It can be motivational to look back on a food diary from a few months or even years ago and see how your nutritional choices have changed. Perhaps you’ve curbed your chocolate habit, or maybe you now eat proper meals instead of junk-food snacks. And if you’re having a bad day, flicking back to a “perfect” week in your diary is encouraging: if you did it once, you can do it again! What you include in your food diary depends on which area concerns you the most.

-If your problem is portions: focus on weighing and measuring everything you eat.
-If you want to focus on a nutritious diet: record the nutritional components (fat, sugar, salt, etc).
-If your problem is habitual eating patterns: Focus on recording time of day, where, with whom, and activity.
-Emotional eating issues? Log your moods and their connections to eating patterns.

If you have a Smart phone, there are Food Diary apps galore. Some are diet specific like Weight Watchers or NutriSystem, but most work no matter what program or plan you follow. The majority have large food databases, and most of them are free or low cost, so you can just type in a food, and it will calculate all of the nutritional facts.

I use an app called Calorie Count and it works well for me. It keeps track of the calories and nutrition and all of my exercise. It readjusts what I should be eating to maintain my weight and can adjust to help you lose weight. I can see if I’m too low in protein or too high in fats and make the changes I need. It also allows you to save your favorite (or regularly eaten) foods so you don’t have to search for them each time you need to enter them. It’s pretty simple, but I’m not the most tech-savvy person.

My son used Lose It, also a free app, that is similar to Calorie Count: it keeps track of all the calories you are consuming (food) and the calories you are burning (exercise). From there, you can look at how you’re doing with your calorie “budget” and what your calorie “balance” is at the end of each day. The app can also be used to track proteins, fats, carbs, and more, including the ability to print detailed reports. Each food type includes accurate calorie, carb, fiber, fat, sodium and protein values, which you can track on a separate page. Add in your daily exercises—including the intensity and hours spent—and it calculates how many calories you ate, how many you burned and how much more you can eat that day. For added motivation, a graph based on your data shows how much weight you've lost.

On the LIVESTRONG.COM's MyPlate Calorie Tracker’s website, it states that MyPlate's calorie counter allows you to set your weight loss goals, track your daily caloric intake and log your fitness activities. Browse the largest online food library, track your calories and get verified nutrition facts for even the rarest foods! You can browse healthy alternatives for your most frequently eaten foods, create entire meals for tracking, and monitor your progress with up-to-date, personalized charts and graphs. Detailed breakdowns of your daily diet will help you count calories and will serve as an educational tool-empowering you to make the best choices for long-term success.
If you won’t keep track of every calorie, carb, and protein, there are a few apps out there that allow you to just take a picture of your food and it lets you know if the food is good for you or not.

Food Tracker Pro ($1.99)If calorie counting isn’t your goal, and all you want is to be aware of what you eat, this universal app keeps things simple. Just click on the picture of the food group you ate from, mark the number of servings and you’re good to go. I’m not sure “sweets” count as a food group, but they’re included in FoodTracker.This app contains no database— just some pictures.

The Eatery doesn't even involve calories. All you do is snap a photo of your meal or snack, then rate it anywhere between "fit" and "fat." The app will pull other users' ratings for the same food to show if you're on track (you can also share and compare your foods with Facebook friends).
The app logs all of your meals and generates reports for you, like which food was the best you ate all week, which was your worst, what time of day you tend to eat more, and at what restaurant you make the healthiest choice.

Fooducate-with Fooducate, users scan a product barcode, it analyzes the product and gives it a letter grade. The less processed the food with fewer filler or additives, the higher the grade. This would be a great app to use when shopping for food to help you select healthier options at the store or try a healthier alternative to what you normally buy.

But, no matter how tech-savvy your app is, you still have to be vigilant about entering your food and exercise.
-Write as you go. Don't wait until the end of the day to record what you ate and drank.
-Use whatever type of food diary works for you. It doesn't matter whether you use scrap paper, a phone app or a notebook. What matters is that you use it
-Don't skip your indulgent days. Keep records, especially on days when you’re tempted to eat. (Vacations, parties, family gatherings) The AJM study found that, "What gets measured tends to get changed."
-Focus on portion size. Practice at home with measuring cups, measuring spoons, or food scales. And be aware that people tend to underestimate how much food they're served.
-Record physical activity. The new dietary guidelines recommend 60-90 minutes of moderate activity daily to sustain weight loss. Keep track of what type of activity you did for the day, and how much time it took you to do it.

Now, if I could only track my spending as well as I track my food, I’d make my husband very happy!

"Flashlight...Neon Light..."

Back in the 80’s, I was still teaching high school English when my students started coming to school in a variety of neon clothes, from MC Hammer pants to warm-up suits to boots and headbands. Though it was hard to look out into a classroom and have the kids reflect light off of their outfits, I still kind of liked the bright colors. Sadly, I had to keep my conservative look then, and it wasn’t cool to try and dress like the kids!

But lately I’ve noticed neon popping up all over the place (even in St. Louis) and especially at the gym. So even if you never rocked the trend in the 80’s, consider some of these neon workout pieces to add to your wardrobe!

For running outdoors or riding your bike, try Athleta’s Intrepid Workout Jacket in Chartreuse.
www.athleta.com

There are so many cool shoes out there that you can find neon on lots of styles and types. These Adizero Ace Men’s Running Shoes in Yellow/Orange will get you noticed.
www.adidas.com

This Under Armour Neon Green Heat Gear T is both bright and functional.
www.underarmour.com

If you love dance workouts, try the Zumba Electric Pink Cargo Pants.
www.zumba.com/shop

More subdued, but still neon electric is the Lucy Black/Neon Multi Criss-Cross Tank.
www.lucy.com

If you can’t bring yourself to actually WEAR neon, but still want to brighten up your workout, try the Speedo Lime Green Duffle Bag.
www.speedousa/Duffle-Bags

And finally, maybe you want to keep your neon look under wraps, so try lululemon’s Hot Pink Groovy Girl Short underwear.
www.lululemon.com

Whether you wore it in the 80’s or just want to amp up your workout gear in 2012, neon looks abound!

Send me a pic of you in your favorite neon workout wear (from the 80s or current) and I’ll post it on my Fitness Barista Facebook page! Hkraus52@gmail.com