Ladies: On Comfortably Avoiding Muffin Top Exposure at Crossfit

This is my contribution to the health and fitness world today. No, not exhaustively and wittily analyzing the hottest new published study. Not philosophically exploring the benefits and disadvantages between 80/20 paleo and perfect paleo.

I want to talk about the dreaded escapee muffin top.

Because I have one. And you might, too. Ain't no shame - if you have a muffin top and you are working out, you are working on it! That said, feeling a bit drafty because you suddenly feel your midriff exposed while trying to exercise can be at best distracting, at worst, fairly mortifying. It helps to know that you can work on the muffin top while keeping it in its place - which is to say, away from the cruel light of day, or overhead fluorescent lights at 5 a.m. workouts.

By now, four months into Crossfitting, I've managed to hone a very serviceable system that keeps my muffin top fully and reliably covered through overhead weighted walking lunges, scaled handstand pushups, and sledgehammer swings. My method also happens to be exceedingly comfortable!

Here it goes:

• Foldover style yoga pants. Get thee some! My favorite pair - of which I have two, in black - are the prAna Amber knickers, which are a foldover yoga capri. Roll up that foldover top up all the way - halfway up your stomach - to give you maximum coverage.

On top of that, pull on a:

• Very lightweight, long stretchy tank top or cami. Buy this in one body length longer than you usually do. If you're petite, get a regular. If regular, get a tall. There are a lot of options out there - I've heard very good things about the Reebok long bra tops, though personally, for comfort, I'd still rely on my favorite sports bra, the Moving Comfort Maia, underneath any tank top, even those with built in shelf bras. Pull this long tank all the way down at the bottom - then you should have at least a good 6 inches where your yoga pants and your tank overlap.

Final layer (as colder temps dictate):

• A workout shirt that is comfortable and breathable. If you pick something that lets you move comfortably and gives added coverage, you can run, jump, pull up, and do what must be done. Since you have two layers of yoga pants/tank overlapping underneath that shirt - no matter which direction it may pull, you can focus on your workout instead of whether you're going to find yourself overexposed.

What wardrobe tricks do you use to make sure that you're comfortable and able to concentrate on your workouts instead of wardrobe malfunctions?

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