Healthy Fashion + Accessories
Want to wear clothing that will help you perform better during your exercise routine? Check out these 5 things to include in your workout wardrobe that are important to wear during your workouts, and whenever you are active.
There is a big trend occurring called the wellness trend. A part of the wellness trend is “healthy fashion," also called “wellness fashion.” In this post, I talk about specific types of clothing that can boost your workout performance. Wearing these items will make you feel and look beautiful. Fashion for health naturally supports your own unique exercise routine needs.
Here are the 5 clothing items to wear in order to boost performance:
Plant-based performance apparel
Bras for better breathing (for women)
Cushioned socks
Shock absorbing trainers
Comfortable + sporty silhouettes
Below is a breakdown of each fashion item and the reasons why we may choose to wear them.
1. Plant-based performance apparel
There are several plant-based fabrics that are made into activewear apparel. A few of them are Tencel, linen, cotton, hemp, and ramie. All of these plant-based fabrics are being made into stretch-based jersey knit fabrics because they help the body move during activity. There are some woven fabrics that are good to wear for exercising, like windbreaker jackets and windbreaker pants. Windbreakers have a loose fit, yet, for most activewear apparel, we need stretch-based fabrics for tops, bottoms, underwear, and socks, etc. There are several textiles design manufacturing companies that are coming out with new performance-based fabrics made from plant materials. For example, there are many athletic apparel companies carrying plant-based, jersey-knit Tencel activewear.
Tencel is made from botanic cellulosic fibers, usually from the pulp of the Eucalyptus tree. It is a naturally wicking fabric. Tencel is a comfortable and lightweight material to wear. Tencel is cooling with temperature-balance textile properties.
A few other fabric types that are nice to wear during workout routines are bamboo, linen, cotton, hemp, and ramie. There are many new types of plants being made into apparel textiles. It is just a matter of time when more plant-based fabric will be produced for activewear products and garments.
Why wear plant-based fabrics over polyester fabrics? One big part of it is the comfort factor. Plant-based fabrics are more comfortable to wear. There are a lot of synthetic tech fabrics being made for sportswear and activewear, yet, more and more comfortable plant-based tech fabrics are being designed and produced.
Plant-tech fabrics, which are plant-based fabrics with technical properties, have similar and even better types of performance properties and characteristics than synthetic fabrics. Most of the time people are worried about sweating if they wear cotton while they exercise, yet they are not going to stay soaked in plant-based fabrics, especially when wearing the technologically improved plant tech fabrics.
Many activewear garments are plant-based. For example, yoga, pilates, and barre apparel brands design and produce clothing in organic jersey knit fabrics. Additionally, it is very common to see a yoga or pilates studio, become influenced and inspired by activewear brands that use organic cotton, bamboo, and Tencel.
In regard to exercise and sweat, no matter what fabric we wear, the sweat is going to collect in the fabric, but, we don’t want to get chilled from sweat. So, it is important to find the correct fabrics that work for people’s own unique selves and for their own bodies. We want to choose fabrics that are going to be able to perform for us.
2. Bras for better breathing (for women)
Bras should not be too tight, but they should be fitted. Bras can push on the diaphragm too much, and keep the body from being able to breathe properly. This is not good, especially during exercise, we need to be able to breathe properly. If a bra is too tight it can deliver less oxygen into the cells. One way of eliminating a bra altogether is wearing a cropped fitted camisole, but some camisole designs may not have enough support for the chest. Many camisoles that are cropped are almost like bras however, they just don't have the elastic or wire that makes many bras uncomfortable to wear, and make it hard to breathe.
Yet the camisole may not be able to support the chest as much as needed. We just need to find a bra that doesn't squeeze too much and/or causes too much redness. If its straps are elasticated, they can create a red mark on the body. This is a sign that the bra is too tight. Tight bras can cause fainting, so it may not be all from a strenuous workout if one feels dizzy, it could actually be the bra squeezing in the diaphragm.
I would definitely try the Tencel bralettes that they have available. Tencel is a great fabric for undergarments. Many of the synthetic fabrics that are made and designed into bras are not being regulated and tested for their toxic chemicals. The chest area is a very sensitive area and we need to support the body and protect the area in a healthy way. By choosing organic fabrics, and/or low-impact fabric dyes will help. Also, many light-colored fabrics have fewer chemicals.
3. Cushioned socks
Ergonomic cushioned socks and compression socks for circulation are important. Socks help keep the body feeling healthy and comfortable. Polyester-based socks typically make the foot sweat much more quickly. If you cannot find hundred-percent cotton socks, you can always wear the 80% cotton 20% polyester fabric blend. It is a very popular blended fabric for socks.
There's a difference between midweight socks, heavyweight socks, and lightweight socks. Depending on the design and style, usually, you may want to wear a midweight sock. This is because it creates less friction between your skin and the shoe. Some lightweight socks are very beneficial for the feet when active however many midweight socks are going to give you the extra cushion as well.
Additionally, we want to choose socks that are going to be ergonomically designed for the feet. Some of the therapeutic socks available are specifically based on supporting the leg and ankle by their compression design. These compression socks, when not too tight, really help with circulation during the workout.
4. Shock absorbing trainers
The trainers with the most support have a shock-absorbing sole. The sole and insole need to feel cushioned and flexible. The ideal sneakers to wear are the ones that have a cushioned flexible sole and have shock-absorbing properties. In order to test this, take a sneaker, and take your two fingers, squeezing them from the outside and the inside of the sole. If it is stiff and hard you are most likely not going to get the support you need for your foot. A part of wearing healthy fashion is having good support for the feet and being comfortable.
You will find a comparison when you visit an Outlet shoe store and they sell cheap sneakers with low quality. Many Outlet sneakers, most of the sneakers they carry are going to have a very hard and thin insole and sole. When you go to an athletic performance shop like a sporting goods store, Adidas, Puma, Nike, and Macy's, these shops are going to sell sneakers over $70vUSD. Usually, any sneaker under $70 USD is typically not going to be a support-soled trainer.
I own a pair of Adidas sneakers. They were about $110 USD with tax. The reason why I bought these sneakers is specifically for the support. I have had problems with other sneakers that were cheaper. Adidas is a really good brand and they are worth paying the extra price. However, I also paid 35 dollars at TJMAXX for a pair of sneakers too, and it felt like I was walking on a cushion. It was surprising how much of a deal I got, and how comfortable and cushioned those sneakers are.
Another thing you might want to consider is buying sneakers where you can easily slip them on and slip them off. These Adidas sneakers I own have a type of fabric that is stretchy against the top of the foot which gives more comfort to the foot, when active. Some lace-up shoes, but not all lace-up shoes have a woven type of fabric that is hard against the skin, and hard against the top of the foot. If you can find a sneaker with stretchy-based fabric on the tongue and upper part of the shoe-- the fabric that hits against the upper part of the foot and on the sides, this will give you more comfort and it will help you while you workout.
5. Comfortable sporty silhouettes
Not all cuts are going to work for your body. Everyone has different tastes and reasons why they wear specific silhouettes and cuts. Basically, the cut is really important to keep you comfortable and keep you performing well. One example of a cut and silhouette that gives me energy as it feels good on my body is a boxy cropped cotton t-shirt and leggings. Others may just want to wear a tank top, some people love their large t-shirts and sweatpants, while other people love their tank tops with fitted leggings and men's spandex. The outfit that you look and feel good in will supply the most energy.
What's most important is finding the types of cuts that make you feel comfortable when you move. Not all garments are made to help people move. For example, a fitted blazer. Say, you're going to the office and you are wearing a woven knit blazer, and the cut of the garment doesn’t work perfectly, it is too small, and you really can't even move your shoulders because the blazer's cut is too tight. I have personally worn blazers that were just too small but they were so cute I wore them anyway. This is a great example of what I'm talking about with the silhouette’s cut. We need to wear cuts that agree with the body especially when we are in motion.
Final Thoughts
Part of achieving a healthy lifestyle includes the types of ‘healthy’ clothing items that we wear. Activewear clothes can also be worn as loungewear and daywear, not just for your exercise routine. Typically, activewear clothing is best worn throughout the day because it is often the most comfortable and most ergonomically designed apparel product available. We are heading towards a future where activewear apparel is going to be designed to cater to all of these apparel items and elements of design mentioned above: fabrics, bras (for women), socks, trainers, and silhouette cuts.
Healthier clothing will be more mainstream in general, like more and more activewear apparel is going to be made out of bio-based materials instead of petroleum-based materials. Clothing will have technical designs that are ergonomic and specifically made to support the mind, body, and spirit in a therapeutic way. More fabrics are going to be designed and produced as ‘plant-tech’, which is technologically futuristic textiles. There's a world full of potential for athletic wear, and currently, there are so many great options to choose from. I hope you have enjoyed this post, and I am sure these fashion tips will boost your exercise routine!
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