FASHION While yoga

FASHION WRIGGLE FREE

Relaxed workout wear integrates fashion and fitness

by REBECCA PADGETT

More than ever, workout wear is everywhere. In 2020, we locked down in comfort. Shorts replaced slacks as office attire, and heels gave way to, well, unadorned heels.

No longer is workout wear confined to the gym. We attend cycle class, run errands and return to work at our home office without requiring a wardrobe change.

But while workout wear is still trending, it is transitioning. Women and men of all ages are jumping into sportswear that is fitted and flattering without being skintight.

Given the laidback luxe and cozy casual styles that the pandemic popularized, loose-fit and supersoft styles are lining storefronts. A looser fit is appealing because it is less revealing while still flattering to all figures.

For most, working out stems from wanting to look good and feel good. You may feel empowered in form-fitting workout wear or selfconscious in it. Choose clothing options that make you feel confident. Your workout wear can make or break your fitness routine.

At times, too-tight pants can restrict body movement and can

→ High-waist, 24-inch cropped joggers by Ready to Rulu feature sweat-wicking, lightweight fabric; front pockets; and a drawstring to customize fit.

↑ SOFT AND COMFORTABLE Workout outfit by R&R Surplus is made up of camo-lined zipped hoodie; Zip Back joggers; and Zip Back camo tank.

uncomfortably retain sweat. Tight clothing has a tendency to stick, scratch and rub in all the wrong places, especially during a workout.

“If you aren’t comfortable in what you’re wearing, then chances are you’ll be distracted,” said Lena Hosford, marketing manager of Pure Barre-Tallahassee. “Instead of focusing on pushing yourself to the end of a set or completing that final rep, you end up tugging, pulling and readjusting your clothes. Find something that you feel comfortable and confident in when you step into a studio or on to a mat.”

In 2021, loose and layered tanks, T-shirts, long sleeves, pullovers and hoodies will emerge as popular. Paintedon pants aren’t going anywhere but will be joined by sporty joggers and anything but frumpy sweatpants. Just because the fit is relaxed doesn’t mean these clothing items are any less able to perform.

“Workout wear can be a motivator,” said Candice Thompson, store manager at Hearth & Soul. “The right clothing can make all the difference. Coverage and support are essential to feeling your best.”

Thompson adores lululemon because the company’s clothing marries performance and fashion. The brand, available at Hearth & Soul, Pure Barre and the lululemon storefront, has quickly taken over as a leader in athletic apparel and offers styles suited to a variety of body types.

The top-selling lululemon Aligns are available in styles including Align Joggers and Wide Leg Crop Aligns; both are roomy options. Thompson also likes lululemon On the Fly pants because they are multi-purpose whether working out, working from home or traveling.

A line new to Hearth & Soul this year is R&R Surplus, which specializes in the

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Twenty-eight inch joggers from lululemon’s Align collection are buttery soft, practically weightless and have a waistband designed to lie flat.

most comfortable workout and leisurewear on the market.

If you’re headed out and about after a fitness session, Hosford suggests a moisture wicking pant that can be paired with a pullover for a relaxed look or dressing things up with a tunic top, long sweater and boots.

For those days that you don’t feel like wiggling into too-tight leggings or contorting your torso to pull on a strappy tank top, slide into slinky sweats and a flowy top. Fashionable, flattering and functional workout wear puts your physical and mental comfort first. TM

TALLAHASSEE PLASTIC SURGERY

profiles

DR. ALFREDO PAREDES DR. JEFF RAWLINGS DR. LARRY HARPER

Dr. Alfredo Paredes

AS A CHILD NEW TO THE UNITED STATES, Alfredo Paredes attended a prekindergarten program on the campus of Emory University while his father completed a residency in pathology and his mother pursued a master’s degree in chemistry.

The family had moved to America from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, so that Mom and Dad could pursue their post-graduate studies here. They would move again to Dothan, Alabama, where he worked as a pathologist in private practice before becoming a state medical examiner. She accepted a job at a Sony plant.

After graduating first in his high school class, Alfredo returned to Atlanta and Emory. There he would remain for 14 years as an undergraduate biology student, medical school student and resident in plastic surgery.

In 2003, Dr. Paredes came to Tallahassee, having been recruited by yet another Emory graduate, Dr. Lou Hill.

Says Dr. Paredes, “Emory has been very good to me.”

Today, as a partner at the Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic, he finds satisfaction in bringing about “good outcomes with patients who appreciate the changes that have been made in their lives. Surgery is fun because you get to see results right away and often can help people overnight.”

Dr. Paredes finds that his field of practice is continuously engaged in refining techniques.

“Procedures have become less invasive,” he said. “Greater emphasis has been placed on safety and proper patient selection. We may delay surgeries to give people an opportunity to quit smoking or lose some weight, for example. Surgery centers are safer, and anesthesia is safer.”

Dr. Paredes is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery and the prestigious Jurkiewicz Society. He holds a faculty appointment as a clinical assistant professor at the Florida State University School of Medicine.

His special interests include cosmetic surgery, especially breast augmentation, body contouring and facial cosmetic surgery. He performs breast reconstruction surgery and has extensive experience with silicone breast implants and reconstructive tissue flaps. He also treats patients with skin cancer and Mohs defects and is skilled at laser treatments, including removal of brown spots and tattoos.

Dr. Paredes’ wife, Maria, is from Venezuela. The couple has three children: a son attending the University of Florida and two daughters at the Maclay School in Tallahassee.

Dr. Jeff Rawlings

AMONG COUNTLESS INTERACTIONS THAT Dr. Jeff Rawlings has had with patients during the course of his career, some will remain at the front of his mind.

“Ten years ago, I met a lady — a wealthy socialite — who I did a facelift on, and she came back to see me a year later,” Dr. Rawlings said. “She was following up to make me aware that, for a long time, her husband of 45 years had never failed to tell her how unattractive he thought she was.

“You experience that for a while, and you start to believe it,” Dr. Rawlings recalls the woman telling him. He says she then added, “Now I get ready to go to church, social meetings or my bridge club, and I put on my face and I am happy with the way I look. That is a very powerful thing that you were able to do for me.” IT’S AN IMPRESSIVE LINEAGE.

Dr. Larry Harper’s paternal grandfather was a doctor in Crawfordville, and his father served as a circuit court judge.

He is asked sometimes, often by lawyers, why he did not follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I tell them that my grandfather told his son, ‘Whatever you do, don’t got into medicine, go into law,’ and my dad told me to avoid law and go into medicine. I told my son to become an engineer,” Dr. Harper said.

At the Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic, Dr. Harper said that a great day for him presents a mixture of new challenges and established procedures.

“We have two levels of success in plastic surgery that are very common,” he said. “One involves reconstructive or restorative surgery,

“I have never forgotten that,” Dr. Rawlings said. “We put people back to a place where they can work and function, or we treat people who have been damaged by disease or injury and make them comfortable again with themselves in society. We give people self-respect by addressing some aspect of their appearance that they are selfconscious about. For me, that’s the real privilege of doing what I do.”

A board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Rawlings received an undergraduate degree from Auburn University and earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, where he graduated with honors and completed residencies in general and plastic surgery. As an advanced aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, he trained with internationally recognized plastic typically in cancer patients. That’s a very fulfilling part of our job. And cosmetic surgery is more gratifying than you might think. In our practice, it’s not women undergoing extreme breast enlargement. It’s reasonable people coming in with reasonable concerns.”

For example, he said, a 22-year-old woman with A-cup breasts may be is very selfconscious. She may recall going to the beach as a teenager and feeling the need to stay covered in a towel.

“A safe, one-hour procedure can enable a woman like that to release her potential and enjoy her naturally bubbly personality,” Dr. Harper said.

A 1987 graduate of Florida State University, Dr. Harper received his medical degree in 1991 from the University of Florida College of Medicine. In 1996, he completed his general surgery residency surgeons, studying innovative cosmetic surgery techniques in several disciplines.

Upon departing Arizona, Dr. Rawlings established a private practice in Thomasville, Georgia, where he grew up. He remained there for two years before moving to Tallahassee.

He has been elected to membership in the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) — only one-third of surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery are invited into ASAPS.

An animal lover, Dr. Rawlings sometimes offers free advice to veterinarians.

Between 5 and 10 percent of his patients are men, he said.

“A lot of men are working longer. They’ve got game, and they want to look as sharp and

Dr. Larry Harper

energetic as they feel.” at the University of South Alabama Medical Center followed by a plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University.

He joined Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic in 2000 and specializes in breast augmentation and body contouring, including abdominoplasty, liposuction and thigh lifts. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

He and his wife have two sons, one in dental school and the other in college in Jacksonville.

“All three of us enjoy talking to people,” Dr. Harper said, referring to his colleagues Dr. Alfredo Paredes and Dr. Jeff Rawlings. “If you are just a cutter, one day they will build a robot to do that. There are a lot of interactions between my life, people I know and my patients. That keeps things interesting.”

TALLAHASSEE PLASTIC SURGERY CLINIC 2452 MAHAN DRIVE, SUITE 101 | (850) 877-2126 | TLHPLASTICSURGERY.COM

When Love CONQUERS ALL

Last year was a very tough year. One of the most expressed sentiments heard toward the end of 2020 was, “I can’t wait for this year to be over and 2021 to begin!” So here we are, with a new year and new beginnings! What has stayed with us, though, is the love of those who shared 2020 and its ups (and more often downs) with us … the ones who got us through! As we head into the “season of the new” (January) and the “season of love” (February), let us communicate our feelings to the ones who comforted us in trying times and made our lives joyful. A gift of love can be as simple as a pretty card, a poem, a weekend trip or a gift of jewelry. A gift of love does not have to be expensive; it doesn’t have to be over the top. It can be whimsical, fun or emotional. It can last a moment or change your life. Whatever you want to express, just let someone know how much they mean to you. The time is now, the emotion is love, so just let that happen and make 2021 the best year ever!

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