Sometimes all you need to get motivated to start a fitness program is some new threads. There was a time when the only sorts of fitness clothes were leotards and spandex pants. Not to many women were comfortable in wearing something like this. Thankful though in our day and age there is a wide selection of clothes to fit anyone's needs. For some people, especially once they start to lose weight, it becomes just as important to look good as it does to feel comfortable!

The first things to consider when looking for workout clothes are are they comfortable and not restricting? If you are going to be doing a high impact cardio workout you want to make sure that your clothes will be easy to move around in. The material should be flexible and breathable. You don't want to have soaking wet pants or a top after a good workout.

Check out the material that the clothes are made of. Wicking-material clothes are a good choice for runners or speed walkers. This type of material helps the evaporation of sweat and is quick cooling. You can also wear it under warmer clothing for when you are outside during the colder months. Fleece is another excellent choice. It keeps you warm without being bulky and is also water resistant. There are also nylon and supplex clothes too.

So how do you know which one is right for you? It all depends on your activity. If you are a runner, you might want to go with the wicking material to help keep you dry as you run. You can even look at clothes that are made with what is called 100% moisture transfer polyester. These clothes will take moisture away from skin and keep you dry and comfortable.

You also want to make sure you do not get anything heavy to wear and it is a good rule of thumb to wear lighter clothes than temperatures might be. If you dress yourself to warmly you might find yourself sweating more than you should which will put you at a bigger risk of dehydration. So make sure your clothes have plenty of breathing room. In fact if it is very cold out, you should think about dressing in layers. That way if you get to warm you can simply remove a layer. In the warmer weather, you might want to wear light colored clothes to reflect the sun's rays which will help you stay cooler.

What you wear on your feet is just as important as what you wear on your body . There are many types of footwear out on the market today so it is very important to choose the right one. You want to make sure you have plenty of cushioning for high impact activities and most importantly make sure they are comfortable for you. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you want to be comfortable when you are working out. Make sure you are comfortable in your clothes, so that working out will be that much more comfortable for you.

There might be some of you, who are looking for something a little more structured and instruction. Not to worry there is something for you also. Gyms all around the world are starting to offer dancing classes. Starting off there is Cardio Salsa. This class if offered at The Crunch gyms nationwide or you can look for it on DVD. It is a low impact high intensity workout that combines the hottest Latin dances such as the cha-cha, mambo, samba and more with traditional dance steps such as the grapevine, lunges and arm raises. What women are loving about this workout is that they can take what they learn on the videos or classes and take it to a night club if they want to!

Cardio Capoeira is also becoming another popular dance workout. It was featured briefly on the cool down segments of the hit exercise video Turbo Jam, but has come out on its own as a great workout. In fact for fans of the hit Movie Ocean's 12 might remember it being featured as the Night Fox dodges the lasers to get to the goods, or you might remember Catherine Zeta-Jones using a similar dance in the movie Entrapment. Cardio Capoeira is a basically a form of martial arts that is disguised as dancing. It was used to train Brazilian slaves martial arts without letting their captors know. It requires a lot of kicking, spinning and even cartwheels. What makes this workout so powerful especially on your buttocks and quads is the move the ginga which links one movement to the next so you will find yourself doing this often.

Cardio Striptease is another dance workout that is sweeping the nation. There are a number of DVDs out that offer a cardio striptease workout. This routine is part burlesque, part yoga, and part gymnastics. There are no concise steps and the whole point of the routine is to allow you to move freely and beautifully and learn to express yourself. You never have to worry about holding any sort of poses but move from one move to another by using slow moving hip and butt circles. The aim of this workout is to tone the hips, buttocks, thighs calves and abs.

OF course you can always go the more traditional route and sign up for ballroom dancing classes which will still give you a great workout. Which ever one of these you choose, you will burning fat and calories while having a great time. You won't even know you are exercising, that's how much fun you will have.

Copyright (c) 2007 Jess Harley