Exercise Attire

LisamarieBond14

Hi all,

I was wondering if you could offer me some advice as to some of the best garments for exercising. I am predominantly walking at the moment, with the occasional (once or twice a week) bout of cycling. I hope to start jogging and then running in the next few months, too.

I currently just wear either leggings (just your general black fashion leggings) or an old pair of Adidas tracksuit bottoms with a longline vest top. I'm also just wearing old Puma fashion trainers until I can afford some decent running shoes (and I figure out which are the best to get).

I was specifically wondering about sports bras. I'm not majorly well endowed in the bust area and so I don't know how important it is for me to wear a sports bra. I currently wear a halter bikini top, as I just feel more supported in that than in a regular bra. Also, the lack of underwiring is a bonus as sweat + a nickel allergy = probably not too good!

I'm from the UK so if anyone could offer me any suggestions as to the types of things to buy and maybe where the best places to get things from are, I'd really appreciate it! There's just too many choices!

Sorry for the length of the post, too... You'll come to discover that I ramble!

NICOLED73

Hi TinklePrinces
I don't particularly like my legs so I tend to keep them covered. I usually wear yoga pants to walk/jog/cycle in. They are so comfortable and make your (my) legs look better. I am not large chested either. I typically just wear my bra and a t-shirt with my yoga pants.
A lot of people look really cute when they are working out. They have matching tops/bottoms and look very stylish. For me it's about what I am most comfortable in. I'm not at the gym to impress anyone. I would rather spend the extra money on clothes that I wear to work or out with friends than on what I wear in the gym, getting all sweaty and gross.
Do what makes you feel comfortable and good!

LisamarieBond14

Yoga pants - I never thought of that, thank you!
I don't care what I look like as I don't use a gym anymore, my partner and I just go for long power walks as we live near a popular cross country nature trail

luhluhlaura

I live in the US so I can't give you specific stores...but and sporting goods store and most clothing stores have fitness attire options. Personally, I LOVE spandex-type capri pants...I call them my stretchy pants lol
They are NOT unflattering, as you might think when you read the word "spandex"...they are structured to be "compression pants" and wick away moisture--so when you sweat, it doesn't look like you have patches of wetness anywhere.
I personally don't like running in yoga pants because of the above reason.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-400011/pgid-400013

And a sports bra is essential for both support and comfort. Running in underwire? The worst!
I'm small-chested as well so a simple pull-on type works fine for me...
here's what I use:
http://www.hanes.com/clothing/women/bras/sports-bras/hanes-sport-reg;-stretchy-cotton-sports-bra-2-pack

LisamarieBond14

LuhLuhLaura - Thank you for that, I have fallen in love with those pants! So it doesn't really matter what kind of sports bra you wear then? Because I've seen ones that look like they're right out of an S&M magazine with all the straps and support!

Graciecny

IAnd a sports bra is essential for both support and comfort. Running in underwire? The worst!
I'm small-chested as well so a simple pull-on type works fine for me...
here's what I use:
http://www.hanes.com/clothing/women/bras/sports-bras/hanes-sport-reg;-stretchy-cotton-sports-bra-2-pack

Running in underwire = completely dependent on your (ahem) endowment. With mine, the underwire, double-layer, lock and load type sports bra works best. :laugh:

I went to a running store and they had all kinds of bras in all styles to choose from. I had great luck trying things on, as some things that looked good in theory were really horrible in practice (as in, I had to do contortionist tricks to get OUT of one of them! :embarassed: )

Good luck, OP!

lizard053

I'm a yoga pants and a tighter top kinda person. Just comfortable. I wear and uber-sports bra, but no underwire! The Enell sports bra is fantastic for me. You would probably be find in most sports bras on the market though. A sports bra makes all the difference in the world with running. I couldn't run without a good bra!

luhluhlaura

LuhLuhLaura - Thank you for that, I have fallen in love with those pants! So it doesn't really matter what kind of sports bra you wear then? Because I've seen ones that look like they're right out of an S&M magazine with all the straps and support!

I know! I want them!! But for 60 bucks? not so much...

LOL good way of putting it. Well, like Gracie said, (and I agree!) for well-endowed women, there are all the bells and whistles when it comes to support, including underwire. But I think it's cushioned so it never digs into your skin.
For me, I just use those because they're inexpensive and there's really not much to support. -__- So they work well for me.
BUT even as a small-chested girl, I'd say the more support the better! So try on some styles, jump up and down a few times, and choose whatever you feel most comfortable in.

LisamarieBond14

Will do Thanks
And I found those capri pants, they're £30 over here so not too bad, will have to wait a couple of week though :P

tpot74

I'm a yoga pants and a tighter top kinda person. Just comfortable. I wear and uber-sports bra, but no underwire! The Enell sports bra is fantastic for me. You would probably be find in most sports bras on the market though. A sports bra makes all the difference in the world with running. I couldn't run without a good bra!

Nell sports bra? Never heard of it. Do you wear it is a regular bra or just while you workout? For $64 I would get all my monies worth and for that price they better perk up the girls too lol

fiberartist219

I wear the shock absorber bra from www.figleaves.com, but if you are smaller chested, you could probably get away with something else. I'm a 32G, so there were only two brands to choose from in that size. Fig Leaves is actually located in the UK, so you might find something good! Almost all my bras are imported. I live in the US.

Anyway, for other workout attire, I wear yoga pants, which can be purchased at any big box store. I throw a tank top on over the sports bra, and I'm good to go.

Also, make sure you have a nice pair of sneakers. Your shoes can make all the difference in the way your joints respond to working out.

LisamarieBond14

Does anyone have any experience with knee support or ankle support? I get a dodgy knee sometimes and my partner broke his ankle twice, in the same place, and it's very weak.
Also, is there anything similar for the hips? I can't imagine there is!

mandylooo

It really is about what you feel comfortable in, except for the sports bra which I would strongly advise you invest in to help prevent sagginess later in life!

Try M&S for decent mid-price sports bras or Next for something slightly cheaper, not quite as good, but acceptable.

almonds1

I picked up aLULU shirt...I feel like less of a man:sad:

robin52077

My 32A boobs and I have no comment on a good sports bra, but I would like to chime in about your shoes.
The "off the rack" Puma's are "ok" for walking. but before getting into running, please get yourself fitted for proper running shoes. Otherwise you WILL end up with an injury, and then you will not be able to run OR walk for a while! And that would truly suck!

MrsM1ggins

I really like the Nike Dri-fit range of clothing. You don't get too sweaty in it, regardless of how hard you are working. You can get it at JJB Sports or online in loads of shops and there are loads of different styles/colours to choose from.

Shoes-wise, if you are planning on starting to run go to a running shop and get them to do a gait analysis so you get the right pair of shoes for you. The wrong shoes will exacerbate any existing problems you have. I had niggly knee issues when I started running (always thought I had dodgy knees) and they went away completely after I bought the right shoes.

For sports bras I recommend you have a look at www.lessbounce.com. You can specify what type of exercise you'll be doing and the site recommends bras for you.

questhaven

Hey girlie! I always wear yoga pants to work out in - unless I'm running and then I wear capris (like these: http://www.amazon.com/ASICS-Womens-Thermopolislt-Running-Capri/dp/B003EEN95M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331229322&sr=8-2) because the legs of yoga pants can get caught in the bike chain. For running shoes I highly recommend Asics shoes with the gel sole (I have these ones: http://www.zappos.com/asics-gel-cumulus-13-lightning-hot-pink-storm?zlfid=111&recoName=zap_pdp_sub) and for sports bras I recommend these by Champion: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038A2A52/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3JMZ4EL52GCAP. - they have great support and no underwire (I've got 36D's so support is a necessity - but you should have good support at any size!). Make sure you get some good running shoes before you get too far into running - bad shoes can lead to a world of pain (shin splints, twisted ankles, etc).

MrsM1ggins

Does anyone have any experience with knee support or ankle support? I get a dodgy knee sometimes and my partner broke his ankle twice, in the same place, and it's very weak.
Also, is there anything similar for the hips? I can't imagine there is!

I used a bioskin knee support for a while when my knee was really bad. Was able to play volleyball and snowboard with it, couldn't do those activities at all without it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bioskin-Knee-Skin/dp/B005LMYKQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331229794&sr=8-1

Wickedmeowmer

The clothes are whatever you feel happy in, for walking you just need a good pair of shoes. I'd use your money on those first and stylish/fun clothing second...