These are a few of my favorite things

We hear all of the time how much it expensive it is to participate in various physical activities when we consider things such as gym memberships, personal training, good running shoes, bikes, etc.  In most cases it is really up to the individual how much they do or do not spend but there are a few things I have found are worth it By no means do I consider myself I an elite athlete, I am much more of a weekend warrior and because of that I try to be reasonable about my expenditure for my hobbies.  Here are my top 5 must haves that won’t break the bank:

 1. good running shoes – by good I mean fit well offer appropriate support and simply feel good to run in.

2. good socks – yes socks – my current favorites are lightweight smart wool socks (I switch to the heavier weight when it gets cold out).  I have tried all different brands of running socks but these are by far the best for me because my feet do not sweat and I rarely get blisters – enough said

3. workout clothes that work – no cotton for me, it must breathe, move with me and not end up in places it should not be and look good – yes I said look good, it really does make a difference mentally when you like the way you look when working out so go ahead and splurge for clothes that actually fit well

4.  Gloves – I have different gloves for indoor biking, outdoor biking and weight lifting.  Why?  because it really helps me feel like I am performing better – nothing worse than have a poor grip due to buckets of sweat (I sweat a lot) and not performing the exercise properly – bad form leads to poor outcomes and possibly injury and we all know how pleasant we are when we can’t do what we love

5.  My most recent purchase and my new favorite is my aerodynamic water bottle for my bike.  It fits snuggly inside my aero bars, holds a reasonable amount of fluid (I still use my camelbak too – another favorite) and best of all has a straw.  Hands down so much better than the traditional water bottle mounted on the bike frame that I always seem to fumble with.

There are several websites I have discovered that are helpful when trying to find gear at decent prices that I have had good luck with you may want to try:  www.theclymb.com      www.sierratradingpost.com   www.departmentofgoods.com  www.evo.com   www.rei.com/outlet 

I would love others to share their favorite sites as I am always looking for the best deal on a new favorite thing