Discount clothes shopping

At the beginning of the year, your family resolved to get in better shape. Now that you've done it, reward yourself with a few well-deserved perks. If you've been exercising all year, you're overdue for a shopping trip to replace or upgrade worn-out shoes and gear. While you're at it, let each family member get something to make exercise more comfortable, productive, and fun. Here you'll find some buying tips to ensure that the goodies you choose will help, not hinder, your workout.

COOL CLOTHES

As the mercury dips, it's important to dress in layers, especially when you're working out, so that as you warm up, you can remove a layer at a time and avoid overheating. Remember that during exercise, your comfort and performance depend on being able to move perspiration away from your skin while retaining enough body heat and protection from the elements to avoid frostbite or chills. Clothing made of natural fibers such as cotton and wool may keep you warm at first, but they trap moisture, which first makes you soggy and loaded down, then cold and miserable. Look for clothes designed specifically for physical activity, made of synthetics such as Coolmax, Lycra, or polyester microfleece. These are breathable and fast-drying--great for keeping moisture away from your skin. At the same time, these materials are protective, keeping you warm and comfortable.

FAB FOOTWEAR

New shoes are always a treat, hut when you exercise regularly, there are times when they're a downright necessity. It may seem like a big expenditure, but buying new shoes for the whole family is a lot less costly than a stress fracture or a sprained ankle (or worse), which is what you risk when you wear worn-out shoes. Even if the cross-trainers you bought back in January still look fine, they may not be. Hours of pounding on pavements or pushing bicycle pedals wear out the support material in the shoe. Depending on how much exercise you do, experts recommend getting new shoes every three to six months. Make sure you buy the right shoes for the activity you do most, or if you do a little bit of everything, buy cross-trainers.

A good place to determine the best shoes for each member of the family and get fitted properly is a sporting goods store or shop specializing in athletic shoes. You may pay more than you would at a discount store, but you're likely to get professional advice to help you get shoes appropriate to your age, weight and workout routine.

HI-TECH TOYS

For that special treat, kids may want an mp3 player or CD player (see "Sounds Good," page 92). It's an indulgence that offers big benefits. Studies have shown that listening to your favorite tunes while exercising boosts performance during a workout. Some items can actually turn a workout into a game. Take Hasbro's Lazer Tag game (see photo, page 96), which allows players to "tag" opponents with a harmless beam of light. Price: $60 per pair of tag units, from Hasbro, www.lazertag.com.

If you're thinking about taking your workout to the next level, a heart rate monitor is a useful tool even for beginners. It can help you find, and stay in, your target heart rate--the ideal rate for burning fat and building muscle. The longer you stay in the target rate, the more effective your workout will be. Many monitors are still clamped onto a strap around the chest, which ride uncomfortably up and down during exercise. New monitors, such as the Eagle 920HRM, are worn on the wrist. Although some claim the rate you get isn't as accurate as chest-based monitors, testers reported that the Eagle was accurate enough for their purposes and convenient to use. $75 from Accusplit, 800/935-1996 or www.accusplit.com.

Pedometers, meanwhile, do more than simply count steps. Some of the newer ones come with a built-in radio so you can listen to music while you walk. Others have countdown alarms, stopwatches, and more.

Finally, it's worth remembering that nothing you buy for yourself is as satisfying as accomplishing goals you've set for yourself. Don't let your workout get stale. Set some new standards to reach in the coming year, for yourself and your family.

HEADGEAR The Buff can be worn as a scarf, a balaclava, or a cap, trapping body heat and preventing frostbite. $18.50 from Buff, 888/276-2833 or www.buffusa.com.

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LAYER UP Start with a light shirt made Dl a synthetic material that wicks away moisture, such as this Dri-FIT shirt. $40 from Hike, 800/806-6453 or www.niketown.com. Add a jacket or shell such as the Element jacket with zippered vents that control heat and evaporation. $90 from Brooks, www.brookssports.com.

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BETTER THAN SWEATS Cotton sweatpants get soggy and droopy when you run. Performance pants like the ones seen here keep you dry and won't sag. $55 from Adidas, www.adidas.com.

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ON YOUR FEET Pick the shoe that matches your activity. If you do a little bit of everything, then your best choice is a pair of cross-trainers. Saucony's Grid Swerve is a great lightweight example. $100 from Saucony, www.saucony.com.

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SOUNDS GOOD

Listening to music actually enhances your performance while exercising. The kids will love mp3 players like the tiny Yepp, whose lanyard lets you wear it like a pendant, or the Mpio player, with its exercise-friendly wristband holder. Both units can store thousands of songs (depending on the size hard drive you choose). CD players like Sony's Sports Walkman will play any CD, even ones you burn on your home computer, and are sturdy enough that you could literally drop the player and not hear a jump in the music. Yepp, $100 from Samsung, www.samsung.com. Mpio player, $129 from Mpio, www.mpio.com. Sports Walkman, $60 from Sony, www.sony.com.

REFUELING RESOURCE

Ideally, you're supposed to drink at least one quart of water for every hour of activity, more if it's hot outside. Companies such as Camelbak make it easy and comfortable to carry all the water you need. Camelbak packs contain a pliable plastic reservoir that can carry a quart or more, connected to a flexible tube with a special bite valve you can clip to your shirt. Simply bite the valve and suck on it like a straw and you've got instant water-without stopping to fiddle with a bottle or canteen. $35 from Camelbak, www.camelbak.com.

Some people, kids especially, hate water bottles because after a while the bottle can impart a funky taste to the water. That won't happen with Nalgene bottles. These unbreakable, colorful bottles are made of a lightweight polycarbonate that resists odors and is dishwasher safe. $6-10, from Nalgene, www.nalgene-outdoor.com.

If you're hungry on the run, sports bars are so widely available now, you can find them at most convenience and grocery stores. But kids (and more than a few adults) have always complained of the taste and old-oatmeal texture of many sports bars. Let them try a Zbar sports bar, specially made for kids. Low in fat and cholesterol, these bars not only give active kids the energy they need, but also look and taste like a candy bar. $10 per box of 12 from Clif Bar Inc., www.clifbar.com.

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EYE COVERAGE

Sunglasses are more than a fashion statement. Pick ones with ultraviolet-resistant lenses, and you'll keep your eyes and the skin around them safe from cancer- and cataract-causing rays. Look for a sticker on the lens indicating UV protection. If your shades are more than two years old, you may not be protected. Below: Nike Vision's Linear (left) and Odeon (bottom) models offer 100-percent UV protection and rubberized pads to prevent slippage, Prices for both models depend on type of frame and lenses: $109-189 from Nike, 800/352-6453, Reebok (top) offers similar protection with a range of frames and lens colors the kids will love. $45-89 from Reebok, www.store.reebok.com.

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--Additional reporting by Myatt Murphy.