As easy as it is to throw on a pitted out t-shirt from high school band and a pair of old yoga pants that are nearly transparent from wear (not exercise, mind you, just plain old wear) to go for a walk or to a class or, if I am lucky, for a hike while traveling to Oregon. But the truth is, I am just not as motivated when I am looking and feeling as schlumpadinka as my grunge gear makes me look and feel.

And so I unabashedly admit to throwing on a little swipe of mascara and lip gloss before I walk around the block four times. I also admit to changing my workoutfit four or five times on occasion before I slink over to the Y to walk the treadmill with the old men in canvas slip-ons who live there and the middle age women tuned into the soaps on TV more than their steps on the elliptical. Crazy? Oh yeah. But does it work? Oh yeah.

For these reasons, I love love LOVE snazzy exercise shirts that not only wick away sweat (I swear, I do sweat) but also fit well and look like they were made this side of the millennium. I adore yoga pants with updated boot cut flares at the bottom and I drool over all those cute walking shoes and gym bags, even when I am only working out once a week. When I put on a workoutfit I feel fabulous in, it makes me even more amped up to be active. Putting on clothes that are more like pajamas than Pilates gear, makes me want to sit on the couch and watch America's Next Top Model with a giant bowl of chips.

This does not mean I sacrifice comfort. Stretchy and spandexy and soft pants are a must. The issue? Simply this: Badunkadunk. That's it. I've got a bubble bootie that is not always lycra-friendly. Plus, those kinds of pants very often don't have or look presentable with pockets. Dilemma.

Enter The Running Skirt. Designed by a woman who runs and wanted to feel free to just run while also needing to hold on to keys or change or a cell phone, The Running Skirt is meant to carry it all. The Running Skirt wraps around the waist or hips, comes in two lengths and can be worn over tennis shorts, bike shorts, capris or pants. It's apron style is a pocketed wonder with clips and zips and loops for your MP3 player, energy bar, doggie bags, ID, credit cards and...well, lip gloss, I'm sure.

At first glance, I was skeptical about the style but it does actually look quite cute over my lycra capri yoga pants. The outside layer is water repellent, breathable nylon and the inner layer is a soft mesh (think basketball shorts) that is said to circulate air while being waterproof and "sweat discharging." What you need to know is that it feels lightweight and soft, it is well-made and sturdy and is easy to get on.

That's really where I started get squirmy. It looked cute without anything in the pockets but once I put the water bottle in the sleeve, slipped my keys and phone into pockets, added some cash and my IDs, it started feeling heavy and didn't lay as nicely as it did when it was empty. It also started to weigh down a bit at my waist. Honestly, I think the skirt is really best for wrapping around the waist, which to all of us in the muffin-top age of garments might feel a little clothes-clausterphobic.

All said and done, The Running Skirt worked fine. It carried my crap and looked (sort of) cute. What I wanted was one step up, though. What I wanted was for it to look adorable and feel swishy like a skirt without clanky like I had on cargo pants with overstuffed pockets.

My suggestion is that you wait a bit on The Running Skirt. With some small improvements, I think this gear could be a great way to go for women who want to get out and look good, who don't want to run with a big old designer purse or ugmo fanny pack and who do want to carry a few essentials along.

This is a good idea, and a cute design that's alllllmost there, in my opinion. What about in yours?

WAIT! ONE MORE THING!:
FitBeauties, I bid you all a fond farewell as I move on to other blog and writing projects. It has been a great joy to find you all here and to celebrate all of you who are fit or are trying to be, are fabulous and are oh-so gorgeous. Be good to yourself, kittens! Look for more great FitBeauty features here and feel free to catch me on the flip-flop at Sassafrass. -- Jessica Ashley.