Getting in and out of a sports bra is a pain - literally and figuratively. I wear pull on ones, 'cause the ones with hooks rub and create a raw spot. Fabrication might be better these days, and I might give them a try when next I need to replace.

Sterling, thanks for the formula for 'white out'. Having reintroduced white tops to my wardrobe, I've recently remembered why I stopped wearing white tops! Will mix up some whitening potion and give it a shot.

thanks, Sterling!

Re: the price of Lululemon, you can find a lot of like new and gently used garments on eBay, Poshmark, and Tradesy. The Lulu site sometimes has good deals on excess inventory (albeit, no refunds permitted). I don't view exercise gear as part of my wardrobe capsule because it's indispensable to me, and anything that helps with fitness or a healthy lifestyle gets a pass in my books.

Sterling, I have to thank you for the very interesting and useful topic. I am being very careful with what I buy but your topic has inspired me to actually wear what I have instead of hunting for more. I make it a point to wear what I have not worn and I am finding nice stuff in my closet. All the great tips that everyone is sharing are another big plus.

For bras...I'm not sure what your situation is, but I wear 32DDD. If I achieve my desired weight, I'll be 30DDD (maybe 30DD...one can hope). Running activities can be pretty brutal. I like shopping for bras at Title 9. My favorite--it's a sports bra but I choose it for everyday--is called "Wired and Ready for Action". I love it...but I think they are discontinuing it as the choice of available sizes is dwindling. The other one is SUPER supportive. It is not necessarily the most comfortable, but will TOTALLY eliminate the bounce--that one is "The Last Resort" bra. It is front closure, so getting it on is a lot easier than for most sports bras. And I just noticed that it is available in pretty colors--used to be available only in white.

Title 9 has some cute pull-on dresses, too, that I wear on the boat or at the beach. I would throw one of these pull-on dresses or tunics over my work-out clothes and call it good.

My work-out "capsule" is pretty raggedy. I do like color, though, and don't find it to be too distracting.

Great capsule! Nike Legendery are the best! I have a printed version and LOVE them. I wanted to add the black but the color does not work with all my other black workout items, it seems very faded and I just knew it would continue to bother me. I also tried the Zella leggings and right now they are my #2 favorite. They beat out Lululemon IMO.

I like your concise workout wear and may be inspired to finally try some. In the past I have been so horrified by what older women wear to the gym in the way of workout clothes that I just workout in jeans and a tee and often regular comfortable flats rather than sneakers. I feel better in this sort of outfit and can run errands on the same outing if I dress carefully enough.

Emily K -- Thank you for posting. I will definitely look into Title 9.

Granfashionista -- Thank you for the tip. I have only shopped eBay in the past. I will look into Postmark and Tradesy. Perusing these new sites will be yet one more way to re-enforce my purchasing fast.

I once considered adding a budget line item for sports wear because I agree with you. It should fall under health and something like that. I'll have to revisit that decision. The single problem is that my Clothing budget has a limit. My health budget has no limit because it just is. I wonder if that would result in uncontrolled buying. I'll think about this some more.

Yesterday I had some time on my hands and I suddenly resorted to "I deserved a reward for all the tasks I've accomplished this week/weekend." Sales and Rewards are my two triggers. The Purchasing Fast has really helped reset my sales shopping trigger, but the reward trigger only comes up intermittently. I didn't have a real solution to counter that urge so I stepped away from the computer and watched Game of Thrones.

Colette -- I love the Nike. I have not personally noticed that the Nike black color is any different than the color of my other black leggings, but I have always looked at them in artificial light. IF I were wearing blacks together in a single outfit, a faded black would drive me crazy. I am confident you look fabulous in your printed leggings. It would take a lot of getting use to a print or color for me. I am tall. 5'9". A lot of that height is in my legs. So a splash or color or pattern seems to dominant. I feel that is all someone would see. Certainly it is all I saw when I tried them on. I just can't wear Zella. They fit me funny. I can't say exactly what the problem is either. They just feel "off." It feels like they were designed for someone of shorter stature.

Joy -- Your solution works well, but may I humbly encourage you to invest in one single workout outfit. My rationale for suggesting this is personal experience. I cannot get the same mindset or workout intensity in street clothes. When I put on workout clothes, I know what the task is at hand and I work out with a certain level of intensity that corresponds to my outfit. When I am in street clothes, I go "through the motions." I'm not saying that you do something similar; I am only speaking of personal experience.

Can you elaborate on your statement "horrified by what older women wear to the gym in the way of workout clothes." That would help me better understand and direct my comments. As a side, I do work out at a gym and we have "silver something or other." I personally have never noticed the outfits worn by older women and men wear as being horrifying (and you know I evaluate every single person I see in real life). You are also in a new life. The gym situation may be entirely different.

If you decide to try buying a few pieces of workout gear, you can experiment with cheaper pieces. Several women in the post commented on how much they liked Old Navy. That might be a great place for you to look. Start with one bottom and one top. Get the most comfortable pieces you can find in colors/prints you won't mind wearing day after day after day.

This is an inspiring thread and I can see we have lots of very active ladies on the forum. No wonder you all look so great! For leggings I like to wear Skins Compression tights - they are designed to aid muscle recovery and do work. I tend to be very basic in my gym wear, wearing an all black ensemble with a coloured jacket. I have a hot pink running jacket that is mainly a light weight wind break and a warmer jacket that I wear in winter.

I know what you mean about printed leggings. My printed Nike leggings are way out of my comfort zone but they are cropped length so that helps. Honestly, I kind of grabbed them on impulse because I felt I needed something other than black, but really, black is me so I'm not fighting it anymore. But the fit and comfort is off the charts good on them so I wear them even though I'm a bit 'aware' of them because of the print. Regarding Zella, perhaps because I'm just over 5'4" is the reason why they work so well for me? A few of the other styles of Zella pants don't work but both the cropped and full length leggings do work.

This is a great thread, Sterling. Thank you. I plan to go back and read the comments and links more carefully when I have a bit more time. And I commend you for using your shopping break to do some evaluation of a very important capsule!

Also, count me among those who is awed by your ability to keep white looking pristine! Wow.

My active capsule is varied for my different weather and activities. I have four kinds of dedicated shoes -- snow boots, hiking shoe, cross trainer indoor shoes, and running shoes.

For my long walks, I wear casual street clothes except for the footwear which might be snow boots in weather requiring that. Usually I pick a puffer coat vs. a wool coat, so in other words I'm on the most casual side.

For my runs, I have regular length fleece leggings (1 pair), regular length leggings, capri length leggings (2 pair) and shorts (2 pair). All are black. I also have a black hoodie thing and a few thermal tops that I will wear in cold weather.

For skating I have fleece lined leggings, one pair of snow pants, and thermal tops -- and/or I will just wear jeans and a puffer -- depends on weather and location.

For indoor and outdoor summer weights workouts, tees and capris or shorts and the appropriate footwear.

I do wear coloured tops.

I wanted to come back and amend my first post.
I'd said that lululemon was great, but I forgot to say that I've been just as happy with my nike and adidas clothing. The only thing about the lulu stuff is it has a slightly nicer sheen to it, IMO.

Many of the Title 9 dresses I like are made by Toad&Co. and are available on their own retail site--super casual, but can look polished. I'd just throw the dress on over my workout clothes and it would suffice to get me home from the gym or covered-up enough to do a few errands on the way home.

Thanks Bijou and Suz. This has been a really fun thread.

Working out in four seasons has to be challenging. I never forget how easy I have it comparatively speaking. I admire the fact that you manage to work out outdoors regardless of the weather.

Colette --- I am certain you look fabulous in your printed leggings. In time, you won't even notice whether they are patterned or not. You are still getting used to them. If I pressed onward, I might have gotten used to them on me as well.

Sterling, I absolutely have to get outdoors. I admit it is harder to do that in winter, and there are times when I just can't force myself, so I make sure I have at least two gym classes scheduled per week as well. I suppose it is no different for our southern sisters who find it difficult to work out in the outdoors in summer due to heat! In some ways, it's probably easier to manage in the cold.

Oh! I don't work out in the heat. I am heat-intolerant. I spend all Summer long in air conditioned splendor.

Sterling, I haven't commented on your threads for ages (was on holiday and I find it too hard to use a phone to type) but have been reading them with great interest.
You are doing so well and have come so far! Was it only last year you were saying that you had to shop sales because you had a limited budget? Now both those things are turned around.

In a very limited way I have been trying not to shop at sales either, or at least to shop a little earlier in the season and buy higher quality. My Australian summer capsule was actually bought before Christmas this year, not in our post xmas sales.

While not officially joining your shopping fast, I'm like Suz and don't tend to shop in Jan- April anyway, so haven't got anything yet this year. To someone as unkeen on shopping as me, your posts have been giving me an insight into a different personality.

Lastly, so impressed at your working out more. I had to ask - do you start work at 6:15 (and eat breakfast before) or meet for breakfast at 6:15? that you'd fit in a gym workout BEFORE that!! Wow! You must have to go to bed really early!

Thank you, Anne. Your comments inspire me to try all the harder. I am glad I can help you understand the psychology of an every day sales shopper. I think it is a habit. A way to relax or to reward myself. Worst case scenario, I shop out of sheer boredom. All three of these triggers can result in impulse buys. It is those buys in particular that fail me. People that shop like you and Suz surprise me because the people I know in real life tend to shop very similarly to me. It is almost a sport.

And I do remember that post about having to shop sales due to budget constraints. That is a contradiction. IF I shop more deliberately, my budget does allow me to buy at full price. It is the mental hurtle of buying at full price that I have to overcome. I also doubled my clothing budget this year. I realized I was trying to shop with the same exact budget amount I used when I first got out of college. No adjustment to match circumstances. I have been out of college a long time and my financial circumstances have changed for the better. I failed to update my thinking to correspond to changing circumstances.

I need to explain my schedule. I do meet my BF and coworkers for breakfast on M, W, and F at approximately 6:15 am. I do this as a social thing. I can workout before meeting them by getting to the gym at 5:00 am. This happens infrequently. It can be done, but it sets up my entire day to feel rushed and frantic, really frantic. I am far less productive at work than I should be.

On T and TH, I work from home. I start my work day at 7:00 am. It is much more reasonable to work out before work on those days. I don't have to pack work clothes/food for the day. Everything just gets easier. I am in bed at ~9 pm nearly every day of my life. This includes weekends because by the time the weekend hits, I am exhausted and just want to catch up on rest.

Didn't someone ask about tanks with thicker straps? Nic + Zoe tanks work for me because the scoop is fairly high. Be warned that they are shorter than most so work with skirts. I think I've also read on YLF that J.Jill's tanks are pretty good.