I am not a huge fan of clothes shopping, but I do love looking for fitness gear. You know how you feel when you put on that really nice dress for an evening dinner out? Or that power suit for going into the office? Well, that’s one of the best reasons in the world to buy fitness clothing. Because when you put on the fitness outfit, you are putting yourself in the mental space to workout.
Something Comfortable
Let me make it perfectly clear before I even head down this road of discussion. The only reason to buy specialized fitness clothing for general workouts is because you want to. A comfortable cotton shirt, a sports bra and some comfortable cotton pants or shorts are perfectly fine for walking, weight lifting or doing cardio like aerobics.
The largest reason for this is that lifestyle workout wear is the rage these days. Clothes that you can wear before, during and after a workout – frankly as specialized as clothes can get – it’s better to have fitness lifestyle wear rather than just a body suit you wear when you are doing your yoga and that’s it.
So if that’s the case, what are we talking about here?
There are specialty fabrics out there designed to be fast drying in order to get the sweat away from your skin. This helps prevent you from feeling clammy and also helps you to avoid some acne conditions that occur when sweat is hugged to your body during a workout.
The specialized fabrics such as Supplex are mixed with Lycra to produce to hold the body without squeezing it unmercifully the way spandex did. The supple and soft fabric is moisture resistant. Imagine being able to take them off after a workout, hang them up briefly while you shower and then put them back on. They will not cling to your skin and because they dry quickly, they are a quite a bit more odor resistant.
Personally, when I’m in a hurry this is one of the best options available. There are days that I do my workout before I run my daughter to school and while I may not get a shower in till I get back, the fast drying clothes helps me stay cool, not clammy and I don’t stink to high heaven.
Where do we get these fast drying clothes?
You will not find these specialized clothes at Target or Wal-Mart. Instead, you’re going to want to go to a fitness store or specialty shop. A lot of gyms often feature clothing shops in their facilities. If you don’t have a handy store nearby, you can check out Internet outlets that specialize in fitness wear. You are looking for quick drying material that has Supplex and Lycra in their manufacturing. Luckily, because workout wear is becoming increasingly popular, the prices are not as outrageous as they could be otherwise.
Still, you don’t necessarily need to invest in Supplex wear – I have a couple of sports bras and leggings made out of it. But my general workout wear is cotton based — and I do just fine.
Related Links:
Let’s Get Physical – Not Fiscal
Soark – Quality Running Apparel