It’s true, you need very little in order to stay healthy and active, but there are a couple of musts.
Good shoes for everyone are essential, and for the ladies, a good sports bra. Other than that, nothing’s mandatory.
On the other hand, there’s a lot of fun and useful fitness gear that makes exercising and staying healthy much easier and much more fun.
Our picks and where to find them in Houston:
1. The basics. You know – shoes, running shorts, sports bras, wicking tees. We like the big guys, such as Sports Authority and Academy just fine. In fact, we shop there often. You can usually find something on sale, and they’ve got good shoe and clothing selections. You can also find heart rate monitors, sunglasses, and equipment for specific activities. Be warned – you won’t get much specialized attention. Most of the time you’re on your own. But usually the selection is good, and if you’ve done your homework before you go, these places are great.
2. A step above the basics. Sometimes you want something a little more specialized. We like a couple of boutique stores in Houston – Lucy for women, and Luke’s Locker for both men and women.
Lucy is Carol’s favorite place to shop for athletic wear. These clothes fit well, are well-constructed, and quite fashionable. You can feel comfortable doing some grocery shopping before or after a workout, because while the clothes are perfect for activity, they are also great for day-to-day wear. The store in Houston is located in Highland Village.
Luke’s Locker is a great place to come up with those hard-to-find pair of shoes or the latest technology in sports clothing design. You can also find great gadgets there – watches, heart rate monitors, and specialized running gear. We hit the store on West Gray, in the River Oaks Shopping Center. There are other locations around town.
3. Specialty items. In this category, Whole Earth Provisions is our pick. You can find these guys on Post Oak in the Galleria area, next to the Container Store, or on Shepherd, between Westheimer and Alabama.
They have a lot of outdoor equipment, like backpacks and sleeping bags. Whole Earth always has our Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles that we carry around all day. This is also a great place to find specialty shoes, like Keen. Both Matt and Carol have found styles at this store that they can’t find anywhere else.
4. Supplements. We head straight over to Wholesale Nutrition. This store is on Richmond, between Chimney Rock and Fountainview. It’s the place to go to stock up on protein shakes and bars, and all of your supplements. The prices are lower than anywhere else we have found, and they have about any kind of protein shake you can think of. They carry the NOW brand of vitamin (Nutrition for Optimal Wellness) which is what we take. It’s one of the best on the market, and the company is supported by great research and great values. Also, the staff is great – really friendly and knowledgeable. They will help you find what you’re looking for.
5) When you don’t have time to shop locally. We’re like everyone else and end up shopping online or from catalogs. Carol orders regularly from Title Nine (sports bras – see article above) and Athleta. Both of these specialize in women’s fitness clothing and gear. Matt loves Perform Better, which has all the fitness toys you’d ever want. If you need shoes, try Zappos. They ship overnight and their free-return policy makes it easy to find the right pair.
Tags: fitness equipment, sports bra, sports gear
