Hi-tech apparel takes sweat out of exercising

New materials keep people warm or cool, repels moisture and even controls odor.
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In the months when we wake to dark skies and icy winds, it takes a little more than good intentions to pry a soul out of bed for a bit of exercise.
But if the first step to feeling good is looking good, then maybe you need to rethink that grubby pair of sweatpants and raggedy T-shirt stuffed into your gym bag.
Fashion needn't take a time out just because you're getting a little sweaty. Sportswear companies have made great strides in jazzing up exercise wear with attractive colors and eye-catching styles.
Among others, even A-list designer Stella McCartney got in on the act, creating a collection of clothes and accessories for Adidas.
But beyond looks, today's sports apparel is more comfortable and useful than ever thanks to high-tech materials that warm us up, keep us cool, repel moisture and even control odor.
No-cotton zone
Joanne Peduzzi of John's Run/Walk Shop in the Lexington, Ky., area, a destination for outdoor wear, says if you're looking for a plain cotton tee at the store, you're in the wrong place.
"Cotton is great for towels," Peduzzi said. "We're sort of a no-cotton zone."
It all boils down to perspiration, she explained. Old cotton shirts held the moisture, becoming sticky and heavy in summer. And in the winter, the last thing you want is to be covered in sweat or rain during a run.
Newer designs feature fabric that wicks away moisture to keep you dry.
Look at the labels, Peduzzi advised. Watch for names like Dri-Fit, Duo Dry and Vapor-Dry, all brands of wick-away fabric. And is it a relaxed fit or athletic, with a tighter cut?
Before you balk at the prices on those labels, remember that you get what you pay for, Peduzzi said.
Well-made attire gets you through more than one season, while cheaper lines might fall apart after a few washings.
Awful style trends
Debbi Dean, group fitness coordinator and assistant wellness director of the YMCA on High Street in Lexington, has taught exercise classes for more than 20 years. Through the years, Dean has borne witness to many a style trend gone wrong -- remember leg warmers and unitards?
Nowadays, she looks for bargains, but she demands comfort and durability from her purchases.
"A lot of times I do buy for the price," said Dean, who spends hours a week as a fitness instructor and personal trainer. "And they don't hold up quite as well."
"I look at the color and if I like the way it's made," she said. Plus, she asks questions like, "Is this going to rub my arms?"
Once, you might have found a sea of battleship-gray fleece, but now a sporting goods store, like Dick's, has wick-away stuff more than anything.
Jerome Gearlds wore wick-away apparel while playing minor league baseball for the Colorado Rockies and then football at Georgetown College, where he graduated in December.
Favorite things
"We used that kind of thing a lot," he said. He lists Under Armour and Nike Dri-Fit as his favorite exercise apparel.
"When you get sweaty and wet, it cools you off," said Gearlds, who works out four or five times a week, running outside and weight-lifting in the gym.
Peduzzi, of John's Run/WalkShop, says once you try high-tech attire, you won't want to go back to the old cotton.
And if you don't want to jump in right away, "It's nice to have a couple of nice pieces," she said. "The most important thing for a runner in Lexington in my opinion is a jacket or a vest."
In the end, Peduzzi said, "If you'd rather just wear cotton, that's fine, if that gets you out of the house to exercise."