Recently, I
was dismayed to find that a man I have been in regular email contact with (via a
hideous dating site) goes to the same gym as me. “What if he sees me, sweating
and purple? Gasping for breath with the treadmill on the lowest setting after a
mere five minute sprint?"I took a moment and realised; there was no way in
hell he would think I was the fantastical Glamazon presented in my snazzy profile pics.
These images have all been carefully vetted to present myself in the most
favorable light. Yes, I’ll admit it, some of them have even been slightly
airbrushed. Still, one can never be too careful, and so I started frantically
emailing PRs for sartorial help with the gym situation.
I began with
what I consider the foundation to any successful outfit; the undies. Freya
provided me with a champion sports bra which keeps everything in check; it’s
underwired and makes by boobs look at least two sizes smaller (which is exactly
what I want when running and jumping about). They even gave me a pair of
sweatproof undies which is quite handy. They don’t give VPL which makes me feel slightly less panicked about my arse size.
Everybody
knows that a decent pair of trainers are essential gym-wear. It was
surprisingly sad to say ‘goodbye’ to my beloved Britney trainers. I think I was
about 17 when I bought them and now, at 27, my friends agreed that it was about
time to buy some new ones. My mate Charlotte said Asics were a good all-round
running trainer brand so, knowing nothing about this sort of thing (the only
trainers I have ever actively coveted were from the limited edition
Nike/Liberty collaboration), I headed online and got the first pair I came across.
I went to a
Spanx press day and really liked the look of their loungewear ranges. I think a
pair of their Power Knee Pants would definitely provide some much-needed
confidence on the treadmill. If you’re fortunate enough to worry that your bum
is too small, then a pair of padded shorts can help in this area. The vest tops
were nice too, and have the added bonus of looking good under everyday shirts
(these days we always need to be thinking about multi-uses to make ourselves feel
less guilty about spending).
For people
who prefer to go for ‘sports performance’ over slender elegance, I suppose the
big names such as Nike and Adidas must know what they’re doing (I don’t claim
to be an expert here). Bit of Stella McCartney for Adidas worked for the Ab Fab
girls so it should work for the average gym bunny.
H&M have
just released a new gym range, fresh and funky, it deserves a mention.
The balance I
suppose I am trying to strike here is not the much-feared “All the gear but no
idea” rather a fresh take on my usual threadbare leggings and mouldy Topshop
vest tops. After all, as my favourite saying goes; “The worse you feel, the
better you should look.”
Freya's powerful gym undies are second to none
H&M have just started doing awesome activewear in zingy shades
My new 'not Sketchers!' Asics trainers
