Every woman makes a vow to get in shape when spring rolls around. I, however, am rather slow, and here I am in August, finally determined to pull myself together. I don't want to haul out my old Buns of Steel video or curse at Denise Austin, and I don't want to join a gym. I want to get involved in something more than a workout; I want to develop a lifelong joy in a sport. Other than shopping.
My three choices: golf, tennis or biking. We have great specialty shops in New York that cater to those sports, so I researched what it would take to kit me out.
Locally owned stores and welcome novices, even me. Golfers frown on throwing the ball at the hole, so clubs are the first need. I practice my swing with a few drivers to see which suit me best, and I wind up with a Callaway and a TaylorMade Burner. The TaylorMade is prettier, so there you go.
We move on to woods. TaylorMade Burners win again, and we throw in a hybrid design 3-iron called the Rescue. I'm going to need that! Other irons, a 4 through a sand wedge, come in sets, and I decide on the Callaway FT i-Brids. They're considered "player enhancement" clubs, and if any player needs enhancement, it's me.
It's a splurge, but I adore the Burton Apex cart bag. Designed with lots of pockets and zippers, it's fashionable and functional. And golf has a fashion secret: fabulous shoes! I'm happy with the Mary Jane styling of GolfStream's Cross Straps, but then I see the Walter Genuin PonPons with animal-print accents, and I'm sold!
Of course I need gloves (one for the front nine, one for the back). The Evertan Lipstick glove saves you odd tan lines, while the LadyClassic Nail and Ring glove allows long nails to peek out and lets your sparkler shine with a ring hole. Chromax metallic golf balls practically glow, and I throw in some Volviks with butterflies on them, too.
I round things out with a Swarovski ball marker, but I'm missing the most important item, and there's no room for frivolity. Wayne, my salesman/golf instructor tells me: "Putting is very personal," so I get serious. The range of designs is astonishing, and there's a real beauty to them. I eventually choose a Titleist Scotty Cameron Detour putter.
Before I commit, I have tennis to check into! a locally owned shop again, and Audrey Howe knows what I need. We start with a racquet. I'm torn between the Prince Speedport and the Völkl Attiva. Both are great for doubles, with large sweet spots and vibration-deadening technology. Having two racquets isn't unheard of, right?
Like golf, tennis has its own fashion, and I love the Nike US Open Night Dress with empire waist, pleated skirt and velvet-trimmed neckline. The 2008 Heritage line is also a hit, and I like the pink Ralph Lauren Classic togs as well. I am a sucker for shoes and can't resist the Adidas Barricade VWs with turquoise and silver accents.
A silver Whak Sak carries gear in style, and I fill it with colorful vibration dampeners, K. Bell Court Snob socks with rhinestones, and the fascinating Frogg Togg Chilly Pad Sports Towel, which stays cool for up to four hours.
I'm practically in shape just shopping!
But I head to Trek to talk bicycles with owner Jane Avery-Du Bois about what it takes to get Armstronged-up. The bike first, of course. These aren't grown-up versions of your seventh-grade 10-speed. They're impressive machines, and the Trek Madone 4.5 WSD is so pretty I'd hang it in my living room.
I'm over the moon with the accessories. I need a seat bag and a water bottle cage, and the Giro Ionos helmet makes me look like I know what I'm doing. I grab a CO2 One Shot for flats and a Bontrager Turbocharger air pump for home.
I'm a techno-geek, so the Garmin GPS gets me jazzed. It contains extras, like a speed sensor and heart monitor, and its color screen makes it easier to read without taking your eyes off the road. The Sidi Genius 5.5s are the coolest shoes ever, not just because they're truly gorgeous with iridescent pink uppers and red accents, but they also donate a portion of sales to breast cancer programs.
I need proper shorts, and the padded Pearl Izumi Microsensors in black
are just the thing. (Pro tip: Skip the undies!) We throw in gel-padded gloves, highly cute Pearl Izumi socks, a Pearl Izumi jersey and KéO Super Light carbon pedals, and I am good to go!
Now I must decide. Based on cool accessories: Biking with it's cool gadgets. Golf, for its fascinating putters and satisfying geometry. Tennis, well, do we need to revisit my joy in the Night Dress? But is fitness about fashion at all? Should it be a factor?
Come on, it's me we're talking about-of course not!
I'm going with biking. Now you get out there and find something physical to get involved in. It's good for you, and I've proven you can be cute doing it.
THE MISSION
Shape up!
THE CONTENDERS - shopping guide
GOLF:
TaylorMade Burner 10.5 HT driver, $300
TaylorMade Burner 3- and 5-wood, $200 each
TaylorMade Burner "Rescue" 3-iron, $180
Callaway FT i-Brid irons, $1,499 set
Titleist Scotty Cameron Detour putter, $300
Burton Apex cart bag, $199
GolfStream Cross Strap shoes, $115
Walter Genuin PonPon shoes, $215
Evertan Lipstick glove, $15
LadyClassic glove, $16
Chromax metallic balls, $15
Volvik butterfly balls, $20
Swarovski ball marker, $10
TENNIS:
Prince Speedport racquet, $249
Völkl Attiva racquet, $219
Nike U.S. Open Night Dress, $110
Nike Heritage polo, $45
Nike Heritage skirt, $50
Ralph Lauren Classic sleeveless, $75
Ralph Lauren Classic skirt, $125
Adidas Barricade VW shoes, $120
Whak Sak, $70
K. Bell socks, $10
Frogg Togg towel, $18
BIKING:
Trek Madone 4.5 WSD bike, $2,050
KéO Super Light pedals, $400
Giro Ionos helmet, $225
Garmin GPS, $534
Winwood water bottle cage, $60
ProPack seat bag, $23
Pearl Izumi shorts, $125
Pearl Izumi jersey, $55
Pearl Izumi socks, $10
Sidi Genius 5.5 shoes, $320
CO2 One Shot, $20
Bontrager Turbocharger pump, $70
Pearl Izumi gloves, $30
My three choices: golf, tennis or biking. We have great specialty shops in New York that cater to those sports, so I researched what it would take to kit me out.
Locally owned stores and welcome novices, even me. Golfers frown on throwing the ball at the hole, so clubs are the first need. I practice my swing with a few drivers to see which suit me best, and I wind up with a Callaway and a TaylorMade Burner. The TaylorMade is prettier, so there you go.
We move on to woods. TaylorMade Burners win again, and we throw in a hybrid design 3-iron called the Rescue. I'm going to need that! Other irons, a 4 through a sand wedge, come in sets, and I decide on the Callaway FT i-Brids. They're considered "player enhancement" clubs, and if any player needs enhancement, it's me.
It's a splurge, but I adore the Burton Apex cart bag. Designed with lots of pockets and zippers, it's fashionable and functional. And golf has a fashion secret: fabulous shoes! I'm happy with the Mary Jane styling of GolfStream's Cross Straps, but then I see the Walter Genuin PonPons with animal-print accents, and I'm sold!
Of course I need gloves (one for the front nine, one for the back). The Evertan Lipstick glove saves you odd tan lines, while the LadyClassic Nail and Ring glove allows long nails to peek out and lets your sparkler shine with a ring hole. Chromax metallic golf balls practically glow, and I throw in some Volviks with butterflies on them, too.
I round things out with a Swarovski ball marker, but I'm missing the most important item, and there's no room for frivolity. Wayne, my salesman/golf instructor tells me: "Putting is very personal," so I get serious. The range of designs is astonishing, and there's a real beauty to them. I eventually choose a Titleist Scotty Cameron Detour putter.
Before I commit, I have tennis to check into! a locally owned shop again, and Audrey Howe knows what I need. We start with a racquet. I'm torn between the Prince Speedport and the Völkl Attiva. Both are great for doubles, with large sweet spots and vibration-deadening technology. Having two racquets isn't unheard of, right?
Like golf, tennis has its own fashion, and I love the Nike US Open Night Dress with empire waist, pleated skirt and velvet-trimmed neckline. The 2008 Heritage line is also a hit, and I like the pink Ralph Lauren Classic togs as well. I am a sucker for shoes and can't resist the Adidas Barricade VWs with turquoise and silver accents.
A silver Whak Sak carries gear in style, and I fill it with colorful vibration dampeners, K. Bell Court Snob socks with rhinestones, and the fascinating Frogg Togg Chilly Pad Sports Towel, which stays cool for up to four hours.
I'm practically in shape just shopping!
But I head to Trek to talk bicycles with owner Jane Avery-Du Bois about what it takes to get Armstronged-up. The bike first, of course. These aren't grown-up versions of your seventh-grade 10-speed. They're impressive machines, and the Trek Madone 4.5 WSD is so pretty I'd hang it in my living room.
I'm over the moon with the accessories. I need a seat bag and a water bottle cage, and the Giro Ionos helmet makes me look like I know what I'm doing. I grab a CO2 One Shot for flats and a Bontrager Turbocharger air pump for home.
I'm a techno-geek, so the Garmin GPS gets me jazzed. It contains extras, like a speed sensor and heart monitor, and its color screen makes it easier to read without taking your eyes off the road. The Sidi Genius 5.5s are the coolest shoes ever, not just because they're truly gorgeous with iridescent pink uppers and red accents, but they also donate a portion of sales to breast cancer programs.
I need proper shorts, and the padded Pearl Izumi Microsensors in black
are just the thing. (Pro tip: Skip the undies!) We throw in gel-padded gloves, highly cute Pearl Izumi socks, a Pearl Izumi jersey and KéO Super Light carbon pedals, and I am good to go!
Now I must decide. Based on cool accessories: Biking with it's cool gadgets. Golf, for its fascinating putters and satisfying geometry. Tennis, well, do we need to revisit my joy in the Night Dress? But is fitness about fashion at all? Should it be a factor?
Come on, it's me we're talking about-of course not!
I'm going with biking. Now you get out there and find something physical to get involved in. It's good for you, and I've proven you can be cute doing it.
THE MISSION
Shape up!
THE CONTENDERS - shopping guide
GOLF:
TaylorMade Burner 10.5 HT driver, $300
TaylorMade Burner 3- and 5-wood, $200 each
TaylorMade Burner "Rescue" 3-iron, $180
Callaway FT i-Brid irons, $1,499 set
Titleist Scotty Cameron Detour putter, $300
Burton Apex cart bag, $199
GolfStream Cross Strap shoes, $115
Walter Genuin PonPon shoes, $215
Evertan Lipstick glove, $15
LadyClassic glove, $16
Chromax metallic balls, $15
Volvik butterfly balls, $20
Swarovski ball marker, $10
TENNIS:
Prince Speedport racquet, $249
Völkl Attiva racquet, $219
Nike U.S. Open Night Dress, $110
Nike Heritage polo, $45
Nike Heritage skirt, $50
Ralph Lauren Classic sleeveless, $75
Ralph Lauren Classic skirt, $125
Adidas Barricade VW shoes, $120
Whak Sak, $70
K. Bell socks, $10
Frogg Togg towel, $18
BIKING:
Trek Madone 4.5 WSD bike, $2,050
KéO Super Light pedals, $400
Giro Ionos helmet, $225
Garmin GPS, $534
Winwood water bottle cage, $60
ProPack seat bag, $23
Pearl Izumi shorts, $125
Pearl Izumi jersey, $55
Pearl Izumi socks, $10
Sidi Genius 5.5 shoes, $320
CO2 One Shot, $20
Bontrager Turbocharger pump, $70
Pearl Izumi gloves, $30
No comments:
Post a Comment