Matalan_Souluxe_Training_Kit

MATALAN SOULUXE: A FIT KIT FOR UNDER £20

If you haven’t heard of Matalan’s Souluxe range, then fear not, ’cause neither had I! That is until they got in touch, offering to kit me out for the Palace Half marathon, which I’m currently training for. FARRK!

Initially, I asked Mr. Husband for his advice. He plays tennis 2-3 times a week and as a firefighter is required to exercise regularly.

WHOAH! BODY-FORM. BODYFORM FOR YOU!

I digress…

His wardrobe is 80% sportswear (not here, it ain’t!) so I was genuinely interested in what he thought about high street active ranges and whether they performed as well as the bigger brands – you know the swoosh and the stripes, innit!

His reply was short and sweet: “Just don’t compromise on your footwear, FT.”

Considering that I’m in training to run 13 miles, I had to agree. I’ve written about how performance trainers are a must-buy to avoid injury and while admittedly my Brooks running shoes have been the biggest splurge so far, when you’re clocking up the k’s and pounding the pavements, it’s vital to have the correct runners.

So with footwear sorted, it was time to try on the gear…

My preferred choice of fit kit currently consists of the following:

1. Sports crop tops. I’m not brand loyal and mine range from Puma to New Look.

2. Racer back vests, which I wear over a crop top. I have a couple on rotation from Decathlon.

3. For training in winter, I’ll add an Asics long sleeve top (a Berghaus fleece jacket and headband too, if biting cold) plus running gloves which I picked up at random in TK Maxx for £8 – as you do!

4. Leggings – a mix of ankle and calf length plus running shorts for the summer months.

All of my training is done outdoors and I refer to it as meditative running ’cause I’m a bit of a hippy, ha! I run more for the mindful benefits rather than the physical. However, thanks to slippery roads and snowmaggedon, in order to avoid distrupting my training, I had to join a gym!

I’m 40 years old and have NEVER been to the gym before!

It’s never appealed to me but here I was, on the treadmill, which is where I tested out Matalan’s Souluxe range first. The week after, the snow had melted so it was back on the road. And the results? WIN-WIN!

And do you know why?

Comfort When you feel comfortable, you feel good. In the right fit kit, you feel inspired whatever your ability and level of fitness. The width of the crop tops aren’t cutting and sizes are true (everything here is a size 10)

MATALAN SOULUXE SMUDGE GYM CROP TOP £10

Style I love the circular logo. It’s subtle, it’s stylish plus this crop top is my very first ultra violet clothing purchase – hyped as this years new ‘millennial pink’. Love the navy marl leggings too and as a colour combination, it’s HOT!

MATALAN SOULUXE MARL SPORTS LEGGINGS £12
MATALAN SOULUXE GYM CROP TOP £7

Price OMG! Affordable athletic clothing doesn’t get much better than this, IMHO. With crop tops and vest starting from just £6 and leggings from £9, you can easily get kitted out for under £20, innit!

MATALAN SOULUXE RACER BACK GYM VEST £6

Performance Affordability, in this instance, doesn’t mean quality has been compromised. Antibacterial, sweat-wicking fabrics aid temperature control and seams are super flattering and there’s zero itch!

MATALAN SOULUXE SMUDGE GYM CROP TOP £10

I love the ‘X’ detail here and think this might be the outfit I wear on race day with their plain black, cropped leggings plus the grey racer-back vest. What do you think?

Sprint finish? Hmmm…? Can’t guarantee that! But it will be a stylish one – and a very sweaty face!

Wish me luck!

FARRK!

F.T.

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