Do you ever get overwhelmed when you walk into a Sports Authority, Nike, or some other fancy workout store????  Well, you are not the only one and I am a fitness instructor and I wear a lot of different pants!  My pants choice completely depends on what I am going to be doing at the gym that day.  My week, day by day, workout by workout:

Monday:  I teach a small group personal training class.  I am not working out in the class, but I do demonstrate the exercises, which consist of lifting as well as plyometrics, which is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric exercises may also be referred to as explosive exercises.  With that in mind I may be doing a lot of jumping around and would need my pants to be snug around the thighs and butt area. I may not be exercising very much during this time, but I still want to look great and a little fashionable, which makes these pants perfect, Lucy Lotus Power Capri. These are on the pricier side of my workout pants, but the material is thick, which helps hide any imperfections that I may have as well as being very breathable.  These pants are great to do moderate cardio in and are perfect to lift or do yoga in!

Tuesday:  I teach a weight lifting class and I like to throw in a light 3 mile run before.   I love to run in these, Nike Tech Women’s Running Capris. A little less expensive and thinner material than the Lucy ones, but they do not move. They feel like they are a part of your body and allow for no chaffing!  Always a great thing in my book because my thighs are nice and muscular (bigger)!  When I head to my lifting class they continue to move with my body as I am lunging and squatting.  They do not sit too low on the waist and they have a string to use to tie them off at the top, if needed!

Wednesday:  I am on the bike!  I teach two spinning/cycling classes.  If I do not feel like wearing biking shorts with pads I wear my Nike pants that I mentioned previously, because they are tight fitting and do not snag on the bike seat.  But when I wear my biking shorts, which is the majority of the time, after 2 hours on the bike you can imagine, my butt needs a little relief!  I wear, Womens BG Comp Short from Specialized . These are amazing shorts, of course mine are not exactly like these, because my husband bought these for me 5 FIVE years ago.  YES, Five years ago and I have worn these at least twice a week since, giving my some time off when I had my third child, and they are still in great shape and ready to last a few more years.   I even wore them when I was pregnant and during the months after when I was losing my weight.  Don’t get me wrong, there is some wearing in the inner thigh area, but they have lasted a really long time.  The pad provides a good amount of relief as I bike and the material offers great breath-ability.  Best $80 dollars spent!

Thursday:  I am back to teaching a lifting class as well as yoga/Pilates class.  Not a lot of impact on my Thursday, so I like to wear my looser fitting pants such as, Nike Dri-FIT Regular Fit Women’s Training Capris,  or my Lucy pants from Monday!  The Nike pants offer a high waist which makes a mother of 3 a little more comfortable as she is doing her squats!  These pants move with me as I am navigating my way through down dog, plank, crocodile, and then back to down dog.  As well as give me the flexibility when I am holding my swan pose!

Friday:  Back to spinning/cycling, see Wednesdays notes!

Saturday:  My day…..I love to go for long runs and incorporate plyometrics and lifting into my day!  Therefore, my pants of choice are definitely these, Nike Tech Women’s Running Capris.  Same ones as Tuesdays!  They just go with me!!!!

If I had to choose one pair of pants and had to get rid of the rest, my choice would definitely be the Nike running pants mentioned on Tuesday and Saturday!  They are great pants and very versatile.  I also have seen them on lots of different women and they look great on all of them.  At first, you may feel a little self-conscious, but once you start to move you will not regret your choice.  To make you feel more comfortable in them pair with a bigger shirt up top!

Now, if you are on a tighter budget, I know, sometimes spending $80 on a pair of workout pants does not sound like tons of fun or something you may not be able to do.  Try Target’s C9 by Champion Women’s Fitted Capri. They sit a little higher on the waist for some tummy control as well as fit snug around the thighs so you can jump, run, or do yoga in them.

You may also notice that there are no shorts, except for the cycling shorts, or long pants in this bunch.  I am not a huge fan of shorts because my legs are super white in the winter and I don’t think my class wants to wear sunglasses in the gym!!  Long pants get too hot and when I get hot, I get very irritated and cannot concentrate on what I need to be doing.  As a fitness instructor, I spend a lot of time in my workout clothes.  I own every pair of pants that I have recommended in this article and love them all!  Enjoy and BE ACTIVE!!!