"Because sporty is sexy!"

[Captain Japan]

Health-conscious Japanese women are running in style
IHT

TOKYO: 'The quickest way to beauty is to sweat." So goes the battle cry in a recent issue of Anan, Tokyo's most influential women's magazine. A year ago this same publication had boldly endorsed sex as the surefire way of attaining and maintaining a beautiful body.

Now its paradigm has shifted, as more women equate fashion with health and the sense of true empowerment gained by strenuous workouts. And far from being sports geeks, these women don't forget to accessorize their activities with femininely attractive sports paraphernalia. "Because sporty is sexy!" declares another blurb in the Anan issue, followed by: "Women who sweat are beautiful from the very core of their beings."

"I think the magazine is finally starting to realize that their readers have other interests beside sex, dieting and clothes," said Yuka Takahashi, a model who works regularly for the magazine and is herself an avid workout fan. "Nowadays, fashion has got to be about individual happiness, well-being and ecology. It's great that they're finally tapping into those things."...more..

[Catoneinutica]

So that's why there seem to be more female runners/joggers around lately. And by "more," I mean more than zero, because that's what the number seems to have been up until now, which always struck me as a big contrast with the West.

Anyway, sporty is sexy, gosh darn it, so - a big thumbs up.

[xenomorph42]

Since when does looking chic has anything to do with working out?!!

[Adhesive]

Yes, the Japanese jogging fad has even swept Japanese natives living here in the States. I've been trying to get my wife to jog for years, as I'm an avid 10k'er, and she always showed zero interest in the idea. Then these stupid jogging articles started popping up in the latest magazines and my wife decides she all the sudden wants to start jogging. Amazing how it took a spread in a Japanese magazine to convince her it was a good idea. Of course, the first thing she wanted to do was go out and buy all of the appropriate fashion accessories. I told her if she jogged consistently we could set milestones at which point we'd make a purchase (new shoes, clothes, etc.) She's been going steady for over two months now and has already earned herself an 8gb ipod nano. Unfortunately, I'm running out of incentives and have a feeling she'll give up in another month or so.

BTW: In case anyone is wondering, I'm not some tyrant that controls my wife's spending, we are just both really disciplined when it comes to spending and generally don't buy things on impulse. I, of course, have the same milestones set for me before I buy anything. In fact, I'm still jumping through the seemingly endless set of hoops required to earn me a PS3.

[kurohinge1]

. . . BTW: In case anyone is wondering, I'm not some tyrant that controls my wife's spending, we are just both really disciplined when it comes to spending and generally don't buy things on impulse. I, of course, have the same milestones set for me before I buy anything. In fact, I'm still jumping through the seemingly endless set of hoops required to earn me a PS3 . . .

Being a tyrant is much simpler.



Oops - gotta go - the wife wants something.

[ttjereth]

[quote="kurohinge1"]Being a tyrant is much simpler.

]

Agreed, but my wife won't let me.