One of my favorite parts about living by the ocean is the ability to workout in a beautiful environment. beach > gym.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I’m not an athlete. I’ve never been an athlete. It’s actually a joke… ‘athletically averse’ is the nice term I use because the reality is cruel and politically incorrect.

I started my fitness journey in the spring of last year when I did my first 15k (not knowing what a 15k was… you can read about that here). From there, I trained for my first half marathon in SF, and my second this past January. Both were pretty significant feats for me, and major moments in my life.

Beyond running, I’ve started doing N+TC workouts (the free classes in the stores and the ones on the app you can do at home), and lots of yoga, thanks to some encouragement from people I love (I go to Mantra in Carlsbad). But like I said, all of this is new… I only started these workouts within the past few months.

So if you’re like me, and you’re also ‘athletically averse’ but you’re looking to get in shape, you can do it! Even the smallest of changes are noticeable and give you such a great feeling of accomplishment.

There are obviously several components to this new lifestyle I’ve adopted; the actual workout itself is central, but there are many things that need to be in place. 1) your gear – clothes, shoes, etc. 2) recovery (taking care of your muscles, etc). 3) training help and guidance. 4) nutrition.

Before I get down to it, I’ll share a few photos of my newest (and most favorite) workout ensemble from Nike… can you guess my favorite color? My friend Arielle and I went for a quick 3-miler to the end of the Oceanside Pier and back. Check it out… 

My Seaside Run Essentials

Bra: I didn’t know any brand would make a size 30 band size, but here we are. With an awesome sports bra. And it’s actually kind of pretty. And obviously I like the color. I did the bra fitting at Niketown Santa Monica and SF, and when they told me my results I was like “that’s not a size,” but it turns out it is, and they make a product just for me. yay. I would highly recommend trying this because it’s insanely comfortable and doesn’t give you the uniboob that a traditional sports bra does.

Tee: this Dri-FIT tee keeps you covered without trapping heat. It’s incredibly lightweight. A good staple for any fitness wardrobe.

Shorts: I like I little extra coverage/length. These also have built in underwear (woooo)

Shoes: I’ve already discussed my affinity for these beautiful things but let’s discuss again. Nike Free builds muscle in your foot by creating natural, barefoot motion. Other marketing words. Anyway, I believe it. My arches are sore and I can feel my feet getting stronger. I will switch to my LunarGlides when I start doing longer distances.

Socks: The Free Flyknit shoes are like a sock, and I’m guessing you don’t really need a sock… but I use these to keep my shoes from getting sweaty and nasty. I think you can wear them to studio classes. I honestly bought them because of the color so…

App: This is the app that basically started my running career. It doesn’t tell you to go faster, it just tells you to go. You can start at your own pace and build from there… you can literally walk, all that matters is that you set a distance goal and meet it (no matter how long or short that distance is). The coaching feature is what I used to train for SF, and I plan on doing the same for this October.

Water Bottle: this was one of my souvenirs from #werunsf. I threw it in the photo because I thought it was cute. There is honestly nothing extraordinary about it aside from the fact that it matches all my things.

Since Arielle and I are going to be training for the half marathon, I’ll be detailing other fitness tips. Follow along here and at Goldwire for all the deets! ALSO if you have any questions I would love to answer them in the comments :)

xx,
Dominique