A month in athleisure also made me see my body differently. I found myself wearing less clothing when running outdoors. I went to Spin class in just a bra and leggings. Fear of mid-workout catcalls is really fucked up, but it happens . Plus, I've found the obliques-flaunting, scarily chiseled women who tap it back in sports bras tend to be the most obnoxious people jostling me in the locker room. Why would I want to deal with — or become — any of that?Well, here’s why it matters: I’ve lost a few dozen pounds gradually over the last few years, by obsessing less over food and finding no-BS joy in certain forms of exercise — bless you, dance cardio — and getting slightly toned in the process. That means I still run into PTSD moments over wearing shorts outside the gym or a super-fitted tank. Those are items that I never would’ve worn on my late-2010 to mid-2013 body. A month in athleisure ultimately made me feel comfortable wearing less clothing. Even though I could have done so at any weight, wearing more body-con clothes for a month was a salient reality check that my body (like most bodies) will continue to fluctuate, and it'll always be okay to wear anything.I surprised myself by willingly choosing to wear shorts. A lot. Wearing more body-con stuff for longer than just a workout helped me appreciate the hard work I've done sweating it out. Sounds minor, but I spent a few summers, not that long ago, covering up my arms and wrestling on pants on the hottest of days, worried I was too fat to show more skin.