Hipster's Guide to Indifferent Exercise, Sweet Nothings

The Hipster’s Guide to Indifferent Exercise

Broken neon-green shades are just a casualty of indifferent exercise

Do you ever see a hipster’s legs looking so damn svelte in skinny jeans and wonder, “How does he do it?” I know I do; fitting into tight pants takes a lot of work, and concealing all this hard work from the world requires even more effort. Lucky for you, me, and that pudgy poser over there wearing a fanny pack and Christmas knee socks, the veil is finally being lifted from the skinny-jeans secret. With The Hipster’s Guide to Indifferent Exercise, you, too, can get a complete workout without letting on to the world that you’re actually trying. Just to give you a taste of what to expect from this pragmatic column in the weeks to come, let’s start by tackling the three biggest wardrobe issues facing indifferent exercisers today…

  • Converted Converse – No one wants to face the shame of being spotted around town in supportive running sneakers, but exercising in Converse All Stars and cowgirl boots has been known to cause injuries. The simple solution is to line your Converse with athletic insoles. Purchase the insoles online or at Target in the dead of night, and no one will ever be able to tell that you’re gellin’. Insider tip: Be sure to dispose of the insole packaging in an inconspicuous manner. Indifferent exercise expert Farthington X suggests, “Take the insole package to your work and put it through your boss’s paper shredder…What’s that? You have a paper shredder at home? Lame.”
  • Jeggings – Your first instinct might be to suit up in electric-blue spandex, leg-warmers, and a walkman so you can listen to techno on cassette tape while strolling around the reservoir. BUT, this 80s getup coupled with swift movements is guaranteed to make it look like you’re trying too hard. Instead, opt for acid-wash Jeggings. From far away it will look exactly like you’re wearing skinny jeans and are simply on your way to that “Growing Pains” tribute concert being performed by homeless musicians under the highway overpass. In the inevitable instance that a hater examines your clothing up close, Jeggings make for the perfect ironic getup. I recommend throwing on a puffy-painted T-shirt and constipated scowl for good measure, and then proceeding to secretly enjoy the freedom of motion that these stretch pants in disguise provide.
  • Dollar Store Sunglasses – We all love a good pair of Ray Bans, but if you’ve ever been hit in the head with a frisbee or had your shades knocked off by a rogue dodgeball, you know what a dilemma expensive sunglasses can present when worn in the wrong situations. Because exercise exposes you and your clothing to the elements and lots of chance abuses, I recommend stocking up on plastic, neon shades from The Dollar Store. This way, if your sunglasses fall off during a walk through the park or an intense reenactment of “A League of Their Own,” you won’t have to embarrass yourself by bending down to pick them up. In the event that your Dollar Store shades hit the ground, stand by them for a few seconds and pretend to brazenly delete messages on your phone without listening to them; after you’ve let passersby embrace the poetry of this moment, just move on. In the world of indifferent exercise, casualties are inevitable.

Psst: For the record, I am someone who lives in yoga pants and has been known to wear a fanny pack non-ironically on occasion in order to carry dog treats – perhaps this makes the above advice even more entertaining, lame, or offensive, and I’m cool with either scenario. The Hipster’s Guide to Indifferent Exercise will indeed become a weekly column on this blog, but I should note that I do not harbor any particular hatred for hipsters – if anything, I fully support the rare and beautiful way the hipster movement encourages men to spend more time primping than women. As a matter of fact, I got the idea for THGIE while ogling a random hipster’s buns of steel a few weeks ago and decided that delving into the secret behind these seemingly effortless, skinny-jeans-shellacked buns would be a great (albeit rather absurd) way to spend my Thursdays with you darlings. Tune in next week for advice on acting nonplussed when a seagull poops on you in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge. Leave a comment.

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17 Comments

  • Reply clarissa November 3, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    OMG. I have more than once scowled at the hipster clad in skinny jeans and wondered the very same thing. Don’t get me wrong, I too enjoy that the hipster exists and that they bring a certain element to my neighborhood but my full thighs and giant calves have often felt the sting of bewildered jealously at the sign of those pencil thin legs.

    • Reply Jennifer R. Coté November 3, 2011 at 12:30 pm

      Haha, I am SOOO right there with you on the bewilderment/jealousy front, Clarissa. I, too, will never in a million years be someone who can wear skinny jeans (even if I take up an hourly cocaine habit and live off only paint chips and egg whites). I’m dead set on figuring out how hipsters make it look so easy to fit into those pants, though. 😉 Hope you’re having a lovely day in the hipster capital of the world!

  • Reply letiziabarcelona November 4, 2011 at 12:08 am

    I always think – like every day ;)- that I should be on a diet so I can wear those damn skinny jeans I see everywhere, but let’s face it I’ll never be skinny !
    I have to buy jeggings (I’m sure it’s so cool with heels, don’t know..have to try!)

  • Reply Erin November 4, 2011 at 12:16 am

    I think I just wet my pants! This is hilarious! And I thought it was a book that was called The Hipster’s Guide to Indifferent Exercise and I wanted to purchase it on Amazon! This is fabulous! Thank you for making my evening!

    xx

    Erin @ http://www.trufflesnruffles.com/

  • Reply Credibly Clueless November 4, 2011 at 12:31 am

    Oh my gosh, such a great post. I often wonder the same thing, so thanks for clearing up the giant mystery!

  • Reply Jennifer R. Coté November 4, 2011 at 12:43 am

    Haha, Letizia, you and me both will be resorting to Jeggings for life whenever we need to create a skinny-jean look. 😉 Unless of course all my indifferent exercises miraculously change my body type, and I’m not sure I’m crazy about that idea…

    Erin, your comment about wanting to buy this book on Amazon just made my night. Thank you so much, my dear! I’m so glad you found this entertaining. 😉

    Thanks for reading, Credibly Clueless! Stay tuned for the many more mysteries of hipster fitness that will be solved in weeks to come. 😉 😉

  • Reply kristina@beancakes ★ November 5, 2011 at 10:17 am

    hi jennifer!! haha ~ i just loved this hilarious hipster’s guide to indifferent exercise, it’s just perfect and so so true! loved the converse idea ~ you may have just hit upon a new thing w. making those kicks a tad more comfortable! and the acid washed jeggings are so great ha!! speaking of indifferent exercise ~ i’m unfortunately feeling pretty indifferent about making my way on over to the gym right about now ~ i’d rather eat noah’s bagels that are calling my name from the kitchen counter top 😉 😉 great post as always cote and hope you’re having a great saturday my friend!!
    xx ~ kristina

  • Reply Jennifer Fabulous November 6, 2011 at 9:24 am

    Hahaha! This is awesome. 😛 Now I’m going to be on the lookout for hipsters pretending not to exercise while they’re exercising in my neighborhood. 😉

    I know two hipsters who are underweight, but that is mainly because they just stand around and smoke all day. They rarely eat anything. I just assumed that’s what the other hipsters did too!

    I hope you’re having an awesome weekend!

    • Reply Jennifer R. Coté November 7, 2011 at 1:13 am

      Thank you for the happy weekend wishes, Kristina and Jennifer! I’m now thinking hipster starvation and Jedi mind tricks with Noah’s Bagels are topics I’m simply going to have to address in the future. 🙂 Lovely Sunday evening wishes to you two lovely ladies!

  • Reply Meta Musings November 7, 2011 at 5:15 am

    this is hilarious!! love the jeggings 🙂

    xx

    • Reply Jennifer R. Coté November 7, 2011 at 10:45 am

      Thank you, Miss Meta Musings! I’m beginning to think I actually need to start exercising in jeggings myself. 😉

  • Reply Alana Winder November 7, 2011 at 9:41 am

    haha You are too funny!

    Do you read Verbal Vomit’s “How to be a Hipster” posts? Hilarious.

    • Reply Jennifer R. Coté November 7, 2011 at 10:44 am

      Ooh, I have not read Verbal Vomit’s posts about hipsterdom. I’m going to have to check them out…Thanks Alana! PS: I can’t wait to read your most-recent love post – I’ve been saving it for when I meet a big deadline tomorrow. 🙂

  • Reply Salvo Lavis November 7, 2011 at 12:08 pm

    This is great!

  • Reply Every Hipster Poops | coté writes November 10, 2011 at 10:29 am

    […] In case you missed last week’s tips about indifferent exercise, you can check them out here. Do you have any other secrets that may be useful to coffee drinkers in tight pants? Any specific […]

  • Reply Pedicured Hipsters | coté writes April 26, 2012 at 8:42 am

    […] And, yeah, not to rub it in or anything, but this is exactly why I keep insisting that Jeggings are a must when exercising or nursing your indifferent-sports injuries at a Korean nail salon across town. Sure, skinny jeans […]

  • Leave a Reply to Meta Musings