Okay I Gotta Defend Vancouver Fashionistas

So in case you didn't know, Vancouver scored 3rd on the worst dressed city list next to Maui and Orlando, thanks to GQ Magazine's view of our famous yoga fashion wearing citizens.

It seems that Lululemon pants, seen on most ladies backsides strutting down Vancouver streets, are a fashion no-no.

According to GQ Magazine, we wear our Lulu pants all the time, to the store, running errands, etc. And not only that, many bottoms don't really look great in these tight fitting yoga pants...okay that's a fair statement, I agree.

Apparently, we're also wearing these totally comfy pants to work in offices. Okay another fair statement...keep the yoga gear out of the office space unless you're heading to the gym at lunch.

But I feel that I have to defend us yoga gear wearing "fashionistas".

Maybe for many of us it's not a matter of choosing this gear as an outfit to wear in places where perhaps a nice pair of jeans would be better suited. Perhaps we're actually wearing them for, oh you know...

EXERCISE?!?!

I think I speak for many of us. If you're finished at the gym, or doing your workout, and on your way home you need to hit the Safeway for some groceries, you're not about to go home, do a quick change, then go right back out again. You have seen the price of gas, right?

And on that topic, this is Vancouver. We're a very fit city. Have you seen it? We've got plenty of running/walking areas, hikes, mountains to climb, yoga studios to go to. And I have heard that we're known for our very pretty (a'hem - blush) ladies. Perhaps that's because we don our yoga gear and exercise in it.

Namaste. It's time for my Shavasana.

A wee hike, mountain bugs, and a whole lotta F-Bombs!

...but I was sporting my Lululemon outfit so I looked good looking bad.

I just came home from doing the Grouse Grind for the first time in about a year. This "hike" (ahahaha) is one of the North Shore's gems favoured by many, many people of all fitness levels.

This is the hike you take your "fit" cousin from Toronto on and once he's/she's completed this trek, they will be bowing down to you for the rest of their life.

This is "Mother Nature's Stairmaster", 2.9K (1.8M), 2800 feet elevation, near vertical HELL ON EARTH!

I am certainly not at my prettiest when partaking in this torture. Snot is dripping out my nose, sweat is coming out of every pore, F-Bombs are flying out my mouth aimed at nobody in particular, and I'm heaving my backside up this "stairmaster" in any way possible, usually hunched over in a near fetal position.

To make matters worse, every time I stopped to catch my breath (and it was often) I would be immediately swarmed by mountain flies, landing on every square inch of exposed skin.

Well I managed to complete this in about 1:45 which is my usual when I haven't done it in a while (compare to someone like my hubby who does it three to four times a week in just over 1/2 hour - make me barf).

So here's me at the top, squinting because I stopped and the friggin flies swarmed!

Yay me.

And the best part? Coming down on the PACKED tram that's filled with Grouse Grinders who are sweaty and stink!

*got home to find a few flies plastered to my sweaty face...nice!

The Lululemon Bag - A Psychology Session on Recycled Plastic

If you want to have a feel good feeling all the time, carry around the ever popular Lululemon shopping bag. Anyone from Vancouver knows about Lululemon. We all have at least 5 bags, which is kind of weird to me because Lululemon, the Vancouver based company, promotes well being (recycling) yet we all want a bag with each purchase. I own 6 bags myself. I was sitting on the bus with my small Lulu-bag, which I use for my lunch, and I was reading some of the quotes on the bag and I thought some of them were kind of funny. Here's a bag:

Do one thing a day that scares you - Uhm, I don't think so. I'm terrified of spiders and I'm not going near one no matter how pretty that quote looks on the bag.

Listen, Listen, Listen, then ask a strategic question - Here's one "can you repeat what you just said, cuz I wasn't listening" haha.

Friends are more important than money - Especially if those friends have lots of money!

Dance, Sing, Floss, and Travel - ....in that order?

Do it now, Do it now, Do it now - Okay, okay, mother!

Don't trust that an old age pension will be sufficient - Better start collecting more pop cans for refund because I'm sure as heck not going to stop shopping for shoes, fo' sho'.

Choose a positive thought. The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time - Oh thank God you said that cuz I thought I was just dumb.

Wake up and realize you are surrounded by amazing friends - Tried that and I'm surrounded by a snoring husband, twisted blankets, and dried up drool.

Oh well, I still love my Lulu bags and shopping at many of their awesome stores. I proudly display one of my many articles of Lulu wear in my daily outfits. After all, if you want to be a hip North Vancouver mom, you need to wear Lululemon!

Namaste!