And just like that, the closet challenge is already halfway over! Two weeks down, two to go!
For the no-outfit-repeats challenge, I still had no trouble coming up with fresh new outfits for another week of workouts. That said, I’m just about of sports bras, so I’m going to have to start repeating those this coming week.
Here’s what I put together for week 2.
In case you missed what this is all about, you can read my original challenge post here, and my week 1 recap here.
What I wore
Day 8
Splits59 devon tank in tidal blue
L’Urv atomic kitten leggings
Underneath: Alala the cut bra in black
What I did: BBG week 5 arms
I love layering different cut-outs and straps on top of each other–it always creates such a neat effect.
Day 9
Alala seamless long sleeve in black
Koral mystic capris
Underneath: Titika cut-out bra in geometric print
What I did: aerial silks class
My outfits for silks class are always really simple. I always wear crops or leggings with a tight-fitting top, usually long-sleeved to protect my armpits. I can’t wear anything with zippers to class (since they can damage the fabric), so that limits my options a bit.
Day 10
Heroine Sport performance tank
Alala captain crops in cobalt
Underneath: Alala zip it up bra in cerise
What I did: BBG week 5 full body
I was a little bit on the fence about this particular bra under this tank. I think it would’ve be better if the bra was black instead of red, but I didn’t have that option for this outfit. Ah well, close enough!
Day 11
Lululemon cool racerback in heathered forest
Splits59 nova capris in navy
Underneath: Manduka cross strap bra in delmara
What I did: 35 min of about 6 miles on a stationary bike
Day 12
Lululemon define jacket in heathered paris pink
Lululemon cool racerback in bali breeze
Olympia Activewear mateo stripe leggings
Underneath: Alala the cut bra in eclipse
What I did: 30 minutes on the elliptical
Could this outfit be any more girly?? Actually, I kind of did make it more girly by doing the stereotypical girly workout of using the elliptical. For a while I thought cardio was super lame, but honestly, some days I just don’t have the mental or physical energy to do a complicated, super-high intensity workout. Some days, zoning out for half an hour and doing something really simple is actually much more of a positive for my mental wellness while still ticking the box for my physical wellness.
Not to mention, I’ve been wanting to read more this year, and I love that I can read while doing some low/mid-intensity cardio. It also helps pass the time and takes your mind off of the discomfort. Taking 30 minutes twice a week goes a long way toward getting through that reading list. I recently read Greg McKeown’s Essentialism, which had a lot of wonderful little nuggets but overall only 3 or 4 stars out of 5 for me. I say that because a lot of his advice seemed a bit impractical to me, or didn’t link well enough to actionable advice since it left a lot of my questions unanswered. I also just finished Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy, which was as delightful to me as her first book.
Day 13
Lululemon cool racerback in regal plum
Lululemon rebel runner crops in black grape
Underneath: lululemon stuff your bra in classic stripe/flash light
What I did: BBG week 6 legs
My dogs decided to photobomb me while I took pics of this last outfit. But they’re so cute, how could I kick them out??
Day 14
Rest day! My husband and I went to a show after work for V day (I bought the tickets in January!).
Obstacles this week
Over the weekend, my husband suggested we get take out for dinner. I hesitated, so instead, he suggested we make nachos at home. He made a quick run to the grocery store for a couple missing ingredients, but we had everything else already in the pantry. It was quite a bit cheaper than takeout, arguably healthier, and incredibly tasty to boot!
Another unexpected obstacle: I filed my taxes and I owe this year! Oops. This definitely wasn’t exactly how I wanted to use the money I saved this month, it does make the surprise tax bill a little less painful.
Things I didn’t buy
Compared to week 1, this week was a lot easier for me in terms of buying things. Most of the things I’ve been putting on my list have been almost painfully practical. New socks, frames for some wedding photos, some light fixtures… I know, I can hear you falling asleep just reading that!
On a less practical note, Alala’s sale caught my eye this week, especially since the sale ends before my ban is over. On the other hand, I had all season to buy what’s there, so if I didn’t buy it then, I don’t need it now. Plus, spring is coming soon!
I wanted to buy some wine or hard root beer at the store for the weekend (especially after the tax thing!), but since alcohol is definitely in the “don’t need” category, I skipped it and found other ways to unwind instead.
Other than that, it was a pretty quiet week. It was a welcome respite after the first week got off to a kind of wild start!
Thoughts from the week
Last week’s theme of “oh geez I have a lot of activewear” continued and intensified this week. I’m not really missing shopping right now since I’m still dealing with a little bit of overwhelm with what I already have. I think I was overdue for this shopping freeze, and I should probably do another before next February. Or, better yet, I’ll just continue to get better about what I allow to come into my closet, and then I won’t need the freezes!
As I’ve gotten through a portion of my closet options, I’ve noticed a rather telling theme arise. There are a couple things that leave me feeling uninspired when my eyes pass over them day after day. As I tune into those feelings, I’ve managed to pluck a few more items out of my wardrobe and put them in my sell/donate pile.
Besides that, I’ve also noticed another big category that’s raising some questions for me. I have a lot of things that I don’t wear frequently, but I don’t want to get rid of because they’re special, unique, or whatever other reason. These are arguably the trickiest to deal with for me. I don’t want to get rid of things that I think are special, but if I’m not wearing them frequently, do they deserve the space in my closet? Why or why not? Are there certain reasons that are valid and others that should go out the door? I’m still trying to figure out my answer to those questions.
Anyway, that’s my report for the week. How about all of you? What’s going well and what’s going maybe not so well?
Hi ! Thanks for your thoughts. Have you thought of selling your “special ” or hard to get rid of items! Sometimes that makes it less painful for me. I mostly donate my lightly used items and sell items that still have price tag. This makes it a lot better for me in my head. This helps others and helps my bank account a little bit.
Oh yeah definitely, I sell things all the time. That definitely helped me part with a couple of things recently that I wasn’t quite sure about. But for things that are hard to find or have low resale value, selling isn’t always an obvious solution, which makes things tricky.
your dogs are gorgeous!
you’re outfits are on spot this week. I’m loving the Alala cobalt crops and Lululemon black grape runner crops are my faves on you this week.
I’ve struggled this week with the Alala sale on especially as there are a few pieces from seasons ago before I knew Alala even existed. But like you say, its Spring soon and I think I’d rather have some fresh spring pieces in March than dwell on seasons past :)
My other spending challenge this week was due to work, we take turns on our work meeting days to bring in breakfast and treats and it was my turn this week. Couldn’t get out of it but at least I knew it was coming!
Looking forward to Week 3…roll on February!
Thank you! :) I totally agree with you that it’s more fun to just wait. There will be TONS of new spring collections soon, so I don’t want to get carried away buying from past seasons and leave myself with nothing for the new!
alala just opened up its spring preview and it is looking excellent
The rose gold! <3 I'm optimistic about this season too, definitely looking forward to seeing what they roll out on Tuesday.
I like this girly outfit, and your comment that cardio is lame and girly cracked me up… I immediately pictured all the girls at the gym in college with their ellipticals on setting “1” Lol. I have to say though, when I am wound up or stressed or whatever, there is not much better than a (not level “1”) elliptical workout during a good crime drama episode to make me feel better. I don’t belong to a gym, but when I visit my parents or in-laws, the elliptical at their gym is one of my first stops! I shall wear a girly outfit next time I go!
With regard to the challenge, I just had my second CC statement close without me having to dip into my bank account. Yeehaw! Thank you eBay and ebates big fat check! Plus, I have a $74 surplus in my paypal account to spend on frivolous souvenirs on my vacation next week. Score!
P.s. Love your dogs!!!!!!!!!!
Haha yeah, I used to be one of those girls in college with the elliptical set to 1, lol. But usually just for like the 2 weeks before going to the beach. ?
Cheers to another successful week and having some fun money for your trip!! :)
Do you like BBG? Do you use the guides or the app? I feel like everyone posts about it on IG… but I just can’t seem to justify buying them… which is totally dumb because I would go drop the same amount at Lulu – well anymore Athleta – and not think twice about it.
Yes I’ve been enjoying it. I’m definitely seeing results too. I like the program because it’s challenging regardless of your fitness level, and I like that the workouts are not too long (and I can do many of them at home). I bought the guides instead of the app, because I’d rather have it forever than lose it once I stopped the app subscription. She’s has a code (15% off?) if you sign up for her email list. It ended up being like $45. Considering I was paying $150/month for CrossFit, $45 for 12 weeks was a steal!
This week has been hard! I really like the rouge long sleeve swiftly & Poseidon align pants….hoping they’re still available 3/1! You making working out look cute!
Aww thanks Gabrielle. :) Deep rouge and poseidon are such great colors! I hope they stick around for a couple more weeks for you to snatch some up.
I definitely feel you on those “special” items. It’s crazy to think how attached we can get to material things. For me, I tend to not wear things I think are “special” as often because I don’t want to ruin it or whatever, but that’s just silly. Especially with regard to activewear which is meant to get sweaty and abused!
As far as the not buying things goes…it’s been a little difficult (I was tempted by a L’urv sale and briefly by the Alala sample sale), but I’ve held fast so far! There are other more important things I should spend my money on right now.
Also, good job sticking with BBG so far! I did it for 2 months last year and then just kept repeating workouts from the first month because I was too scared to move on or something. I like HIIT/bootcamp workouts because they are fun (ha!), but BBG got too repetitive and boring for me. I’ll probably try it again in future, but for now there’s a fitness studio near my house that does great bootcamp and tabata classes that I really like.
Yes, definitely hear you on not wanting to wear special things! I try not to fall into that trap but it’s a tough one. I’ve been enjoying BBG so far but will probably switch it up after I finish the 12 weeks. It’s been really helpful for getting me back into the routine of working out, since everything is marked by day. ;)
I love the pink define outfit! By the way, all the reviews at Lululemon complain about the defines pilling. Have you had that problem? Also I typically wear a size 4, but do you recommend going up a size if you’re layering?
i have a 3-year-old define and little to no pilling. i don’t wear it super often, but it’s been through the wash it’s share of times.
Mine doesn’t have any pilling at all. That said, it’s from about 5 years ago, so the fabric may have changed in terms of quality since then. Your normal size will be fitted but you can still layer a thinner long sleeve and tank under it. Anything thicker and you’d need to size up. :)