You've just joined the gym �? so you should be feeling good about yourself, right? Unfortunately, women often start exercising just when they feel the worst about their appearance. But that negativity can affect your routine, or whether you go to the gym at all, according to psychologist Dr. Leah DeSole. "Simply contemplating changing in the dressing room is deeply distressing for women who are self-conscious about their bodies," she explains. Sound familiar? Then you know why looking your best is a vital part of making your exercise plan work. But take heart: It can be done. "Everybody can lose 10 pounds before even stepping on an exercise machine," promises Ruth Cox, image consultant. Read on for tips on how to look �? and feel �? your best during your workout.

 

 

A primary mistake gym-goers make is wearing the wrong underwear �? or none at all. "Lots of people come to the gym without it and don't realize how much other people in the class can see �? especially if the class has mirrors," says Stephanie Gabriel Boyden, personal trainer at Canyon Ranch. Appropriate undies don't have to be fancy, but should be made of a high-quality fiber that wicks moisture away from the skin and is cut correctly for your clothing. Try comfy full-coverage-panty under your shorts or full-cut athletic pants, and beneath leggings wear a thong, since bulkier underwear bunches up unattractively and can chafe. And the last thing you want is a wedgie.

 

Invest in a serious sports bra. "Don't go for the look, go for the feel," recommends Anne Kelly, president of Junonia, a company specializing in athletic wear for larger women. "Because if you're bouncing all over the place, you're going to feel like people are looking at you." If you hate the compressed "uniboob" look, sturdy underwire sports bras lift, hold and separate, like those available from Champion and  Speedo, among others.

While women don't always welcome breast-squishing bras, everyone loves compression when it minimizes cellulite and makes thighs and tummies look tauter. A Big Attitude, another line of workout clothing for full-figured women, uses a special 45 percent Lycra fabric in its bestselling Cellulite Smoothers �? compression bike shorts, leggings and leotards �? while Junonia offers pants with supportive mesh inserts to hold your stomach and lower back in place.

Gym newbies tend to pile on oversized clothes and lots of layers. Don't. "If you're a medium, wear a medium," says Cox. "Clothes that are too small can make you look larger, but clothes that are too large can also add pounds." Instead go for cuts that follow the line of your shape and have some waist definition. Wearing a tent down to your crotch to hide a rounded stomach, for example, will only make you (and your legs) look short and stumpy, and you're better off with a figure-skimming T-shirt that hits you at high- or mid-hip. Caroline Bollinger, fitness editor at Prevention, recommends Prana's princess-seamed Tawny Tank. As for layering, just keep in mind that layers add bulk �? and that you'll have to strip down as you heat up.

 

Play up your assets. Today's gym gear offers options that flatter every figure. Take advantage of slim abs with a snug tank worn over light, loose-legged athletic pants that camouflage a heavier bottom. A strategically cut T-shirt worn over bike shorts showcases the legs you love while disguising an upper body still in progress. A pair of yoga pants can show off your slender waist, but balance out fuller hips if it's got wide capri legs or a boot-cut.

 

If you're tempted to dress head-to-toe in one color, remember Cox's words of wisdom: "Trim and piping are great things." Appropriately placed stripes that draw attention where you want it can have a slimming effect. Racing stripes running down sleeves, for instance, can visually halve arms. Horizontal stripes, however, are very difficult to wear �? they create the impression of width �? so it's best to avoid them.

 

Color Yourself Beautiful

Forget T-shirt white and sweat-pant gray: Exercise togs now come in every hue, including trendy corals, aquas and even (gasp!) prints. It's still a good idea to wear darker colors for bottoms, since "light colors emphasize saddlebags," Bollinger warns. But the range of below-the-waist colors has expanded to include chocolate, navy and dark green. "Try light beautiful shades near your face," advises Penny Adams, Customer Services Manager at women's athletic-wear company Athleta and a triathlete herself. Go for colors that get you compliments outside the gym.

Be Yourself

Finally, make sure you get gear that suits your personal style. Wear clothes in the gym that look like what you'd wear out of the gym. "You'll feel more like yourself if you're wearing a top that looks like something you'd wear under a jacket to work," says Bollinger. "And with today's crossover styles, you probably can wear it to work."