Activewear explained: staying fresh during and after your workout

Looking to hit the gym this new year? With 12% of all gym sign ups happening in the first month of the year, there’s never a better time to reach for those fitness goals and resolutions. But with most people having quit or stopped going after 24 weeks, will you stick it?

While there is plenty of advice around not overdoing it too early, eating right and maintaining consistency, your kit will also play a key part in helping you stick to your fitness resolutions. The right kit can make you feel and look good while you work out. It will work with your body rather than against it and it could be one of the small details that helps you maintain your new fitness intentions.

So, with that in mind, we’re talking all things activewear with a few of your top activewear FAQs, starting with choosing the right gym clothes and then focusing on looking after your new activewear.

Choosing the right gym clothes

Whether you’re running, heading to the gym or taking up a yoga class, activewear will be a crucial part of your kit.

What is activewear?

In really simple terms, activewear covers clothes that are specially designed to be worn when you’re active – whether playing sports or going to the gym. If you’re hitting up the gym this January, it makes sense to invest in some activewear that is crafted to wick away your sweat while you’re working out and that helps your body to breathe when you’re pushing yourself hard. Gone are the days of slipping on an old t-shirt and shorts to work out in. If you’re going to do it properly, you need the right kit to do it in.

What kind of clothes should I wear to the gym?

When you choose clothes for the gym, you should be looking for those that support you, keep you comfortable and keep you cool. If you’re working up a sweat, you want to choose clothes that wick the sweat away rather than absorb it. Breathable fabrics are ideal for the gym, as are clothes that you can easily stretch and move about freely in.

Looking after your activewear

If you have workout clothes that you wear especially for the gym, you need to look after them too. After all, if you’re working hard, you’re bound to be sweating into your activewear. This means you need to treat your gym clothes a little differently. Here’s what you need to know.

What to do with sweaty gym clothes?

Here’s a bit of advice… don’t just throw them in your gym bag and whack them on the next time you head to the gym. First of all, no one else in the gym will appreciate the sweaty stale odour. And secondly it won’t be good for your clothes or for you – if you wear the same sweaty clothes to the gym, bacteria can breed which can cause skin conditions.

So, you need to wash them. But you might find that when you’ve really worked up a sweat, a simple wash isn’t enough to get rid of the smell. So, how to remove odour from gym clothes?

It’s actually a simple process and it just requires a bit of prep before washing. Simply fill the sink up with cold water and add a cup of white vinegar and a cup of baking soda. Submerge your sweaty workout clothes and soak them for half an hour at least before putting them in the washing machine on your usual wash.

How to store wet gym clothes?

You’ve hit the gym at lunchtime and really worked towards your PB. You’ve jumped in the shower and are feeling refreshed and ready to go back to work. But what do you do with your sweaty or wet gym clothes?

To contain the odours of your gym clothes as much as possible as you go about your day, you can try the following:

• Rinse out your sweaty clothes in the sink (or even in the shower)
• Wring out the clothes to dry them as much as you can – this is an important step, so try and get rid of as much moisture as possible
• Spread out a towel and put the gym clothes on the towel before bundling it up as tight as possible
• Put the bundle in a plastic bag and tie it tight
• Place the plastic bag in your gym bag

Of course, you’ll need to wash them as soon as you get back home, but this should definitely help with containing odours.

How to store gym clothes in your car?

If you’re driving back to work after a heavy gym session before you go home, you might want to leave your sweaty gym clothes in the car to avoid taking them into the office. But how should you store them to stop the car smelling like old changing rooms?

If you don’t want to follow the above advice and wash them out in the shower or sink before you leave the gym, you can opt to store them in bin bags in your car. Proper bin bags should contain the smell while you’re in the office and won’t make your car smell too bad. Just remember to get them in the washing machine as quickly as you can when you get home.

Whatever your chosen fitness goals this year, the right kit can make all the difference. Just make sure you look after it too! Happy training…