Were you the child whose mother constantly needed to remind them to wear their jacket?
If you were anything like me, you weren’t forgetting to wear your coat; you left it home on purpose. You just didn’t like that extra bulky layer. You didn’t want your arms restricted and couldn’t stand sitting in the car, let alone driving a car while all bundled up.
And worst of all, the coat ruined your outfit.
As a mother now though, I am forever yelling “DON’T FORGET YOUR JACKET!” and have been bundling that kid since birth.
See what I mean by bundling him since birth. Does he look comfortable?
I still don’t like to wear a coat. In fact, it really needs to be close to or below freezing before I put one on. As it was the day we took this picture.
What I do love though, are winter accessories. My friends and I joke around when we wear our scarves and call it our “coats” but the truth is, I am a firm believer in accessories for warmth.
Same belief applies when I am running. It is all about the winter accessories.
I have been very busy hitting the stores and surfing the websites in search of decent priced, high quality AND CUTE winter running accessories.
I love to save money but there are certain products/apparel/accessories that I will spend top dollars for if I deem them worthy.
I have really found that most Lulu Lemon products are worth it. Between the quality, the fit, the cut and durability, most of the below accessories that I feel we all need are from Lulu.
You can try to save some pennies by finding a similar product but more often than not, the cheaper products will not hold up or provide you with the same satisfaction.
This is when your extreme supermarket couponing pays off – you have the extra money to spend on your workout gear.
THREE BODY PARTS YOU MUST COVER WHEN RUNNING OUTDOORS:
1. KEEP THAT HEAD COVERED
Depending upon which study you read, you can lose up to 30% of your body heat from your head. So, if you wear your coat or not, leaving your head uncovered will still leave you cold.
The Lulu Lemon Run With Me Toque is perfect for cold weather runs outdoors. Although I would prefer pink or something prettier than the image below, the specs on this hat win over its appearance.
Key Features (from Lulu Lemon website)
- soft Rulu™ fabric top and cozy, ribbed Luon® band are stretchy, breathable and sweat wicking
- Set-My-Ponytail-Free™ window at the back lets you wear your ponytail high and your hat down low
- you’ve got options – reverse the toque and roll up the band to adjust the fit and look
BONUS ALTERNATE FIND: I did spot something else that may be perfect for the winter weather season. Although our heads won’t be covered, our ears will:
Say hello to Kate Spade ear muffs complete with ears buds so that we can easily listen to music. Definitely something to add to my holiday wish list.
2. NECK- If my neck is warm, the rest of me feels warm. And on the flip side, if my neck is cold, you can be sure the rest of me is freezing.
If you recall, last year I bought the Brisk Run Neck Warmer scarf from Lulu.
Did I love it? Not sure. It was good because you could pull it up and cover your mouth but it didn’t stay up all that well so I think I am in the market to find a replacement.
I popped into Lulu yesterday to check out their Vinyasa scarf.
While it is made with Lulu’s “Rulu” running fabric, it is a much bulkier scarf, involves snaps and even has You Tube videos instructing you on the 10 different ways you can wear it.
Key Features:
- made with soft Rulu (aka running luon)
- snaps on either end allow you to customize how you wear it
- wrap it, snap it, wear it loose – the possibilities are endless
Of course I tested it out.
Had it been red, I would be perfect for a remake of Little Red Riding Hood. Or maybe Jackie O?
I would have asked for a sales girl to take my picture but I could not let them know I am the girl with the blog. If you recall, I had a bit of an issue at my local Lulu Lemon store back in May regarding their return policy and really didn’t want to draw attention to myself.
Although, taking pictures of yourself in various scarf poses while wearing sunglasses indoors may not be the most incognito of approaches.
Overall, I do like the Vinyasa scarf – but probably not for running. They said in the store that you can absolutely wear it as a scarf for running but I think it is a bit bulky for the activity.
3. HANDS
Once it is below 45 degrees outside, I put the gloves on for a run. I sometimes take them off mid-run, but I would rather start off with warm hands than end with frost-bite.
The problem over the years has been playing around with my phone while wearing gloves.
Enter the touch screen gloves. It seems like every brand has adapted to our tech savvy world so we can keep our fingers toasty while still being able to play with our phones.
But, and this is a big but, not every brand is making their gloves with the sweat-wicking material we need when we run.
These cozy North Face gloves are awesome- but not for my morning runs.
Instead, I intend to get the Lulu Frisky Brisk Run gloves.
Key Features:
- wind- and water-resistant Softshell fabric on top helps you stay warm and dry
- soft, moisture-wicking Rulu on the palms
- touchscreen-friendly fingertips let you text, talk and tweet without pulling off your gloves
- reflective detailing helps keep you bright in low light
- stretchy ribbed cuffs keep their shape
*******BONUS MUST-HAVE ITEM IF YOU RUN OR NOT*************
Maybe it is the 80’s child in me, but leg warmers are awesome. These Lulu Falling Freely leg warmers are perfect for covering our legs when we have cropped pants or shorts on while we go to and from the gym.
I think I love them so much that I will purposely dress inappropriately for the weather just so I can wear the leg warmers wherever I go.
Good thing I am an adult otherwise my mother would have what to say. Guaranteed she will chime in any way after reading this post.
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I NEED TO KNOW:
Do you hate wearing your jacket?
What are your must-have winter weather accessories?
Do you have the Vinyasa scarf? How do you wear it?
The Cookie ChRUNicles 