Good bye, yoga pants

So I guess this time of year is all about resolutions and making changes in your life. Every year I vow to work out more. Get back to that high school size.

Is that possible? Eat healthier, drink more water, spend more quality time with kids and hubby, etc. etc. I have lots of resolutions each year and I do give each new year some serious thought. So, after a few days this week to ponder my goals for 2012, I decided that this year I have GOT to work on a wardrobe change.

Chalk it up to being a stay-at-home mother of three for too many years, but I am yoga pant, sweatshirt, wind pant and T-shirt junkie. I appear to the rest of the world that I am either on my way to the gym or just left a yoga class. Neither of which is true. Although I've tried yoga before, I am currently not practicing it, just love the pants. And, although I love playing sports, my wind pants do NOT mean I just finished a pick-up basketball game.

If I put on jeans and sweater for the day, that only means I have a lot of errands to run or a doctor's appointment or something like that. If I'm gonna spend my day running kids here and there and cooking and cleaning at home, I am not wearing something nice. I'll admit I'm addicted to comfy work out clothes, with no intentions of ever working out.

However, in my twisted mind, I believe that if perhaps I find time or would like to work out that day, I'm already dressed for the occasion. If I have to change INTO work out clothes, then odds are I probably won't work out. Get it?

Plus, sporty clothes are more true to who I am. I'm not a fashion diva and don't claim to be one. I dress up only when I have to. Don't get me wrong, I like dressing up, and I like how I feel when I do but it's just not a priority. However, I know this whole lounge lizard get-up is becoming a bad habit for me after 12 years and I'm gonna HAVE to make some changes. Of course I talk about dressing up like I'm putting on a 3-piece suit with hose and heels. I'm only referring to pants and an ironed top or sweater. It's really ridiculous how bad I've gotten.

I know my husband would appreciate it if I fixed up a bit more, as would my kids. My 4-year-old just commented the other afternoon. "Mommy, you're still in your pajamas," she said laughing and pointing. Little did she know I had changed out of my pajamas and into my yoga pants and t-shirt before she had even woke up that morning.

I consciously know my daily outfits look very similar to my pajamas, but to have a 4-year-old point it out, was sort of a slam. My older girls have made similar comments in the past too, but when they ask "what are you all dressed up for" when all I have on is some dumpy jeans and a long sleeve tee, makes me think my appearance needs some retooling.

Then, last week I saw a woman dressed in a full yoga workout outfit, buying the biggest, sloppiest donut you can buy at the bakery. I came home and laughed about the absurdity of that visual, but then later felt bad as I thought of all the days I'm dressed the same way and at a restaurant wolfing down a cheeseburger and fries. To make it right, if you're gonna wear work out clothes, you have to be seen consuming salads and energy drinks, not junk.

Anyway, I accidently got bleach on one of my favorite pair of yoga pants and got a tear in my favorite wind pants. I immediately got online to find new pairs and it hit me as I scrolled through the options, that didn't I just make a resolution to wear less work out clothes? Why am I finding new ones? Maybe it's a sign, the bleach and the tear. Maybe I should buy more jeans instead?

I see other stay-at-home moms that dress in actual "outfits" each day. I know it's possible and so I decided, instead of just cold turkey, I will cut back by letting myself dress in workout clothes a couple of days a week instead of every day. I resolve to start ironing more, too, so that an un-ironed shirt won't be a hindrance in the mornings. I vow to look more presentable and we'll see how it goes.

Of course it's January and you know how resolutions work, I'll probably be back to my fake-gym-rat self by May. Wish me luck, though.