My journey towards fitness started with doing short workouts following YouTube videos at home.
The initial days went by trying to correct my form, and I wondered why I was not able to get it right?
When I realized I used to workout wearing my jeans, which is probably the reason behind my restricted mobility and performance. I invested in a nice pair of joggers, and voila! The flexibility and comfort I felt were unmatched!
I also began feeling a lot more motivated and confident by wearing proper attire for physical activity.
“Enclothed cognition”, or the influence our clothing has on our psychological process, is a term derived by researchers from Northwestern University, Illinois. They concluded their findings by saying that clothes affect the performance of the wearer.
While working out, wearing inappropriate clothing will impede you from reaching your full potential. On the other hand, activewear will put you in an athletic mindset and allow you to complete functionality to get maximum gains out of your hard work.
Let’s throw some light on how the wardrobe has an impact on the efficiency of our workout.
1.Fitness wear offers improved flexibility
The best quality of gym wear is flexibility. It avoids restriction, which really hampers the efficiency of exercises that are meant to stretch your body.
Sports and any kind of workouts require one to do rigorous movements. But you don’t want to compromise on comfort along with that. Only activewear can help you by making both a possibility.
Daily wear or anything that isn’t stretchy will not contribute towards a good performance; neither will it offer the required comfort.
2. Moisture-wicking properties of blended fabric in athleisure
If you took out a pure cotton t-shirt to wear to the gym, you made a mistake. Yes, I understand that cotton is breathable and comfortable, but don’t forget that it absorbs sweat and doesn’t dry quickly. The clothing that you wear while doing exercise should be made with performance fabrics like spandex or polyester. These are blended fabrics that not only conform to your body but also stretch when required. In addition to it, they keep the sweat wicked and dry fast.
Not only for your tops and bottoms, but the blended fabric should also be your choice for undergarments. A moisture-wicking men’s pouch underwear or a sports bra and briefs for women will ensure that you are comfortable inside during the workout.
3. Seamless clothing helps avoid skin irritations
Do you think you will be able to do the CDC-recommended aerobic activity of a minimum of 150 minutes per week while your inner thighs are sore due to chaffing? Certainly not.
Here is where gym wear comes to the rescue. These garments are seamless, which means that there is no chance of getting your skin irritated, no matter if you wear it for longer durations. Also, seamless clothing is way more breathable than usual stitched clothing.
4. Compression clothing shield our muscles
Fitting tightly around the skin, compression clothing usually worn for exercises is an excellent shield for our muscles. It permits blood flow but saves our muscles from the aggravation of strenuous forms. It allows oxygen into the muscles, which are needed to lessen lactic corrosive.
Compression clothing also helps you stay super comfortable as it maintains your body temperature. Plus, it wicks moisture to keep you comfortably dry.
5. Close-fit clothing offering mobility
Unlike usual clothing, fitness wear is the sweet spot between tight and loose. It comfortably fits you and stays in place for the entirety of your workout, yet stretches when needed.
As a result, increased mobility is offered, which gives you the advantage to go beyond your threshold as you progress.
6. The aesthetic appearance of the gym wear amplifies your confidence
It is a cliche that when you look good, you feel good. Gymwear is designed very aesthetically. The perfect fit, premium quality of material, and appealing designs make the wearer look serious about his fitness. Sometimes, neon stripes are added here and there in the gym wear for an even classy look.
As stated above, activewear puts you in an active mindset, which will motivate you to beat yesterday’s target. You will look forward to doing more hard work to achieve that fit, athletic body that everyone envies. To sum up, you will feel immensely confident about your potential.
7. Activewear has tear-resistant properties
Heavy exercises like deadlifts or squats can be so inconvenient to do unless you wear tear-resistant clothing. As fitness wear is tear-resistant, it will allow you to do lengthy, strenuous workouts and stretching without any fear of a wardrobe malfunction. It’s quite durable also due to tear resistance.
8. Thermoregulation
The impressive quality of proper fitness wear is that it regulates body temperature. This means that it will keep you warm during winters and cool during high-intensity workouts in summers.
Researchers Susnik and Zadnikar conducted a study where they asked aerobic dancers to wear cotton or lycra tracksuits during a 45 minutes workout. They kept the humidity, air, and temperature were kept constant. They found out that dancers who wore lycra showed a body temperature lower than ones wearing cotton tracksuits. Both groups generated about the same perspiration.
This study proves the thermoregulation property of fitness wear fabrics.
9. The right footwear brings optimum support
Based on what kind of exercise you are doing, no one can deny the importance of appropriate footwear. It must provide the right grip, as well as ample cushioning. If you are using them for running, make sure to buy ones to avoid your feet from rolling inward.
What not to wear while working out
- Jeans: restrict your mobility, causes discomfort during continuous reps.
- Jewelry: may hamper many of your moves, and can get stuck in gym machinery.
- Baggy shorts: neither provide the necessary support nor any functionality.
- Cotton fabric: absorbs all the sweat, stinks badly, dries much slower than performance fabrics.
- Flip flops: can be hazardous and cause you to slip and twist your ankle badly.
Parting Thoughts
A gym-appropriate wardrobe is essential to get optimal results from your workout. The same exercise you do while wearing your usual clothes will give a lesser benefit than wearing appropriate fitness wear.
Furthermore, having some nice gym clothes will boost your motivation, inculcating the enclosed cognition that will improve performance and, consequently, better results.
