So, that time of year has inevitably rolled around again. The excitement of Christmas has worn off, as well as the buzz of the new year, and it’s time to get back in the gym, and get started on achieving some renewed fitness goals.
Although this is easy to say, sometimes it’s a lot harder to do, and a lot of us feel this way. The new year can often be a stressful time, as there seems to be an overarching feeling of pressure to start the year smashing four gym sessions a week and being the best versions of ourselves. Although this can be the case for some people, this pressure of this can lead to motivation being very low, and it can often be difficult to maintain any momentum in the gym.
This pressure is often something we can’t control, however, there is one thing that can help to inspire you back into your gym routine - your outfit. Try to approach your gym wear like you would any outfit for any other aspect of your life. You choose your clothes that are going to make you look good, so in turn, you can feel good, and your gym outfit should be no different. What you wear to the gym can really shape how your session will go.
When you really think about it, fashion and styling are so important for so many people in all different aspects of life, so why shouldn’t it be just as important, and personal in the gym? Your outfit and styling choices can really help to transform your mindset and help to give you that extra push you need.
Confidence
Like with any piece of clothing, we choose our clothes based on what is going to make us feel the best that we possibly can, which is ultimately going to help us embrace any challenges we might face. Because of this, try picking a gym outfit that has you feeling good about yourself when you look in the mirror. Now, this could be anything from a matching set to make you feel put together, or a baggy graphic tee and some cycling shorts so you can keep up with the latest athleisure trend.
Whatever it is, by choosing gym wear that is going to make us feel confident on the outside, our motivation to go to the gym will immediately increase, because we now feel confident on the inside.
By creating this confident mindset, you may find yourself doing stuff that you’d never even thought of doing before, whether this be trying out a new class or going out of your comfort zone and wandering into a particularly male dominated area of the gym. You know what they say - look good, feel good.
Comfort
As well as feeling confident, there needs to be a major focus on comfort, too. Now, Instagram and Pinterest might have you thinking that high waist leggings and a sports bra is the typical gym attire for everyone, but I promise it’s not. Comfort is whatever you make of it, and it is key. Comfort can be a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt that are both pretty plain in colour. Wearing an outfit like this allows you to fully focus on your session because you're not stood there over thinking and wondering if you look okay in a matching set with a bright, loud print on it.
If you really want to focus on your session, and make good strives to better your workouts, choose gym wear that is going to make you feel at ease, rather than choosing outfits that you think you should wear, which is ultimately going to divert your focus away from your session, and more towards what other people are thinking about you.
Performance
As well as considering the mental impacts your gym wear can have on your workout, it’s also important to think about the physical impacts it can have too.
It’s important to evaluate what your workout is going to consist of, and choosing appropriate gym wear for the activity, as wearing non-appropriate gym wear for your workout will ultimately inhibit the optimisation of the session.
For example, if your workout is going to include a large amount of cardio, where you are more likely to sweat, you should be focusing on getting, lightweight, sweat-wicking performance gear. Performing in this sort of material will help to stop you from feeling sticky and a bit gross, and help you to stay fresh, so you’re not getting distracted by being uncomfortable.
So, what does all of this mean?
Although we would all love to have the motivation all the time to go to the gym, with a whole load of enthusiasm to go with it, this is not always the case, and sometimes we need a little extra helping hand; and this is where our clothes come in.
If we can all concentrate on wearing outfits to the gym that help to present the best version of ourselves, mentally, it can really help evolve our mindset into one that takes a positive approach to the gym, and our workouts.
Through wearing pieces that are catered to help us feel most confident, and comfortable, any sense of doubt, and uneasiness will be eliminated, meaning we can just focus on putting our full attention into working out, and nothing else.
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