[T Gellenbeck]    

For my birthday in August of 2012, my sister & mother in law got me gifts and gift cards to lululemon athletica.  I’ll be honest, I had never shopped there before.  At the time, I thought it was just for yogis, which I wasn’t.  And I was happy with my mix of workout clothes from Nike, Northface, C9 [Target, if you didn’t know], and whatever else looked cute, fit well or was on sale.

A couple months later I finally went to spend my gift card.  And so began my obsession with the clothes, the store, the brand.  I shop there, I help lead a run club in partnership with our polaris store, I have my students do a case study on their corporate culture, they [along with my sis-in-law] inspired me to give yoga another chance… you could say I have a crush on lululemon.

Here are TEN reasons why we [our Thursday night running group] LOVE lulu… 

1.  They share Living Fit’s favorite passions; running, yoga & other sweaty pursuits.  And of course, blogging. 

• A tagline on their blog reads ——>  
• A tagline on one of their ads reads ——->   

2.  The lululemon manifesto.  These inspirational rules to live life by speak volumes about the company’s mission and core values.  “We are passionate about sweating every day and we want the world to know it. Breathing deeply, drinking water and getting outside also top the list of things we can’t live without.”   Find your favorite quote and write it on a post-it to see every morning.  Better yet, frame it.  Filling your mind with positive thoughts and energy helps you live a happier, healthier life!

3.  Their Educators are awesome.  They have kind, knowledgeable associates aka ‘Educators’ – we have worked specifically with Jackie, Lisa, Jess & Betina at the Polaris store and they are amazing.  The Polaris staff is so friendly, I’ve literally even stopped in to get opinions on dressing my husband for a wedding with an outfit from Macys.  No joke! I’ve also been to the Easton location and Chicago, Michigan Ave location and both were equally friendly.

4.  Goal setting is a company priority.  Staff have their goals posted around the store, they ask what your fitness/sweat goals are and they even have resources on their website.  We have used these with our runners and I’ve used them in my classroom with my high school students.  Use them to set your next set of personal, health and career goals!

 

5.  High quality, high fashion, anti-stink apparel.  You will be the best dressed person on the mat or trail, I assure you.  And the silverescent technology helps prevent stinky-ness so you don’t have to rush home to shower.  They also offer accessories (headbands, water bottles, yoga mats, bags), men’s clothing and a cute little tote with every purchase.

6. Artistic photography.  Many of the ads feature a unique style of photography that we happen to love.  Organic.  Minimalist.  Some of the summer ones are vintage & sun kissed.  Love!

7.  They are all about COMMUNITY.  Lulu hosts and organizes so many local complimentary events, just to encourage people to sweat and have fun doing it.  POGA, SUP, Sunday Fundays, Run clubs, CrossFit sessions… we’ve tried a lot of them and you will surely leave blissed-out.  And often you’ll have met new fitness lovers like yourself.  They also promote local fitness facilities and yoga studios through out their store.  This is our community, lets make it awesome and FIT!

8.  Yoga, run, party ~ take me to the Sea Wheeze Half Marathon please! We WILL get here someday.  It is on our bucket list!

9.  They have outlets.  Bet you didn’t know that?  Add it to your bucket list to visit every single one.

10.  Humor.  The ads and corporate culture make us laugh!  And who doesn’t love laughing?  As seen below, they are often found supporting local runners at races, holding signs that will make you smile for miles.

 

So there is a quick rundown of our reasons for crushing.  If you haven’t checked it out, stop in sometime.  But beware, it can be addicting.  And the following pic was found while creating this post… I can’t guarantee it will happen, but it could.

 

Yoga Challenge – Day #14 

While we are on the subject of lululemon, may as well use their blog and yoga resources for today’s practice!  Visit Yoga Info 101 for information, videos and more.

We [me and my little guy] are heading out for a 3 mile run with the jogging stroller, so I’ll do lulu’s pre and post run yoga stretches and poses for my practice today.  You can find these on lulu’s blog or on our earlier post.

Don’t forget about #independencearmy challenge if you are doing that too.  Today’s pose is a tough one – tittibhasana or firefly.  This move is another advanced one that we aren’t quite ready for, but it is impressive to watch.

 Kino is crazy flexible, she even does walking firefly! 

Check out Kino’s how-to video HERE if you want to witness her awesome-ness and [gulp] try it for yourself.

Follow our yoga challenge from the beginning HERE.

If you made it this far, you deserve an award!  Watch for two giveaways coming soon, maybe you’ll win!

See you soon 🙂