Advice Part 74- Exercise "fashion"

My favourite form of exercise (ho ho, what a joke- that implies that I actually like more than one) is walking. Some of the many advantages of perambulating as a means of fitness are that it's free, easy, doesn't require expensive equipment, and can be done whenever YOU wish.

Perfect.

But my advice to young players is that if you are thinking about partaking in a spot of walking, you should be aware that some individuals in the exercise fraternity take their sartorial choices VERY seriously.....

How do I know this? Read on.....

When I head out for a stroll, I like to wear clothes which are COMFY and easy to wash (given that I have an unhappy propensity to sweat more than the proverbial pig). Consequently, my walking "outfit" consists of....

• An old T-shirt I was given for free when volunteering at the Sydney Writers' Festival in 2011. Said T-shirt is BRIGHT ORANGE, with Volunteer emblazoned across the back, and a picture of a typewriter on the front

• A pair of saggy, baggy black shorts which are now a rather disturbing shade of grey (pun intended)
• An ancient bra which has lost most of its elasticity
• Some runners which smell so bad that I can't keep them in the house
• A brown straw hat, with a huge sweat stain across the brim
• Some sunglasses that I bought on sale five years ago. Amusingly, said sunnies are now favoured by hipsters for their "ironic cool." But they were decidedly NOT cool when I bought them.

Needless to say, thus attired, I usually exercise early in the morning or at night when people can't really see me.

Everything was fine and dandy (another pun! I'm ON FIRE today!) until recently, when I became aware of a bit of movement in the exercise world, and an increased focus on "looking good" whilst working out. Now I see people walking past in....

• MATCHING T-shirts and shorts, generally from some exclusive boutique
• Expensive "compression tights". Sure, these might be helpful if you're competing in the Olympics or a professional sportsperson, but I'm seriously doubtful that they're going to improve the performance of somebody strolling along the footpath
• Shoes designed by Stella McCartney or similar
• Impeccably coiffed hair 
• Ridiculously pricey designer brand sunnies
• Full face make up (ladies only so far, but I'd be quite interested to see a similarly painted gentleman)

Sure, it's great to be proud of your appearance, but I honestly don't understand why someone would bother getting all dressed up for a bit of a dander around the park. I actually find it quite liberating to KNOW that I look shocking, but not care. But I think I'm probably in the minority here.

Still, if anyone has any old T-shirts they are too embarrassed to wear any more, and want to give them to me, I might be tempted to expand my walking (NOT walk-in) wardrobe......