When athleisure boutique founder Kimberly Wattrick ran the Boston Marathon this past April, she faced freezing cold conditions, a strong headwind and torrential rain for all 26.2 miles. “I was dressed head to toe in gear from the shop and credit my PR in the race to my choice of clothes: a lightweight running rain jacket with a hood, moisture wicking capris, a warm inner base lay, wool socks, gloves and hat,” Wattrick says. “My clothing choice that day gave me not only a mental boost, but I also think helped my performance since I was able to stay relatively warm and comfortable for most of the race.”
You’ve heard it before, that your wardrobe choices undoubtedly impact your mood, your confidence and your performance whether it be in the office or at the gym. “Enclothed cognition is the theory that what we wear affects our mood and attitudes,” explains Cyndi Turner, co-founder and clinical director of Insight Into Action Therapy. “If we dress like an athlete, we try to perform like an athlete.”
That’s why Wattrick’s store, Summit to Soul, carries able-bodied apparel that is fit for the yoga mat to the mountain, and is committed to functional clothing and safety. “We love everything with pockets, especially pockets large enough to carry a cell phone. We carry a few different style sports bras that have built in pockets, and leggings and capris with side pockets, zipper pockets and waist pockets,” says Wattrick. “In the winter, having reflective gear is also really important. So we make sure that a lot of the running gear we carry in the winter has that important safety feature.”
Even off the yoga mat and treadmill, activewear has proven itself a staple to daily life, with athleisure being common grocery store or mall wear. “Our external environment reflects our internal beliefs,” says Turner. “When we put on workout clothing, we are externally saying that we are committed to our overall health and fitness.”
Better yet, athleisure clothing has been chemically associated with happiness and fulfillment because the brain releases endorphins, adrenaline and seratonin during exercise. “If you feel good, you are more likely to exercise,” says Turner. “Purchase work out clothes that make you want to wear them. Make them easily accessible. My tops and bottoms mix and match so I have one more excuse to go out and channel my inner Olympian.”