You think of yourself as an active person. It’s just who you are. You believe in the importance of living a healthy, active, and fit lifestyle. When the Athleisure trend hit, you thought great – “I already have Lululemon, Lorna Jane and Athleta bookmarked on my browser.”

Life is busy though. And, as you find yourself running from appointment to appointment, packing school lunches, getting to work on time, finishing the laundry, and planning dinner, you might be struggling to keep to that fit lifestyle and maintain your exercise schedule even if you see it as an essential part of who you are.

Now, we get back to those browser bookmarks – could something as small as wearing more active clothing help you be that active and athletic version of yourself on a more regular basis? Fortunately for those of you who love your tights, some experts say heck yes, and are backing it up with some science.

In fact, the Journal of Education Psychology explains that clothing has a systematic influence on the wearer’s mental state. Basically, wearing certain clothing can have symbolic meaning, for example, I’m an athlete! My grandfather was a big believer in “dress for success,” so we all always dressed up for school tests rather than wearing PJ’s. Turns out he really was right.

Think about how those cute tights and that zip up make you feel. When you feel strong, and confident and athletic, you are more likely to press play on that workout or lace up those running shoes. That’s just something athletic and active people do right, and that’s you!

Does this idea hold true for your actual workouts as well? The team at Freeletics suggest that yes, if you wear workout clothes that make you feel confident, you may actually be more likely to perform better in your workouts because of how you feel. And, confidence and performance are linked!

What do you all think?! Do you think that those cute tights and tanks help you to be more active overall?