What's your aura today?

Let’s face it. It has become apparent over the past year that being healthy is not another fad, but a lifestyle that is attracting people everyday. Whether it’s spinning, yoga, pilates, or running, more and more people are jumping on the health bandwagon.

So, throw out your ratty sweatpants and tees, along with those "Who am I going to run into?" worries. The sleek, yoga-inspired athletic gear at Aura Athletica looks as fetching on the street as they do in the studio – plus, they are super functional. The clothes are cool, comfortable, hip, and trendy that one even hesitates to waste them on a workout.

The clothes at Aura range from tanks to undies to low-rider stretch pants. They carry Vancouver-based brands such as Lululemon (pronounced loo-loo lemon), Tension, and Tonic. One of the fabrics, a combination of Lycra and nylon, absorbs sweat and feels good on the skin. The clothes also have great design features for comfort, such as seamless liners and care labels built into the clothing, so they won’t dig into flesh. The fabrics are anti-microbial, so they don’t absorb your body odors, and most of the women’s tops come with built-in shelf bras for extra support. The stretchy warm-up jackets have pockets for your knick-knacks. The trademark groove pants comes in many color variations, and fits so well that they are a constant top-seller. According to one of Aura’s loyal clients, "Lululemon is stylish and it makes your ass look great." Owner Carmen Delgado says people are willing to pay more if clothes are not only technically correct for sport, but also look good enough to wear to a coffee shop, or to go out to a bar. Basically, it seems like with these clothes, you can have your cake and eat it too… literally!

With the health craze everywhere in the world, everyone from the Desperate Housewives gang to Gwyneth Paltrow is wearing Aura’s stuff. You should be wearing some as well – whether it’s to hop on a plane, or hop on a bike, you’ll be stylish and comfortable. And of course, oh so very trendy!!

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Aura Athletica is located at Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati (Tel. 756-5104).

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E-mail me at djmontano@pacific.net.ph.