January is here and with it the cold weather, rain and gloom; it also brings with it though the promise of a new year and the opportunities that it offers. For many people this means beginning or getting back on track with a regular exercise routine. I’ve exercised regularly for the last couple of years but with all the changes that 2014 brought (mostly positive) have meant that I’ve been working out a little less regularly than I’d like. I cycle the short distance to my bus stop for work (it is mostly up hill on the way in but that makes for a nice journey home) and I run at least once a week (usually), what I have been missing though is body pump classes. I have weights at home but it just isn’t the same. James and I both wanted to get back on track with our fitness and joined our local gym, which is great because they do body pump classes, and I can run in the dry when it is pouring with rain and blowing a gale outside. I went to my first body pump class in a year last week and loved, loved, loved being back. I couldn’t walk for the rest of the week but that glimmer of being able to get back to where I was at the beginning of 2014 was much needed, I was the fittest and slimmest I’ve ever been back then and I’ve been feeling really disheartened that I let all that hard work slowly slip away. I am also really excited about getting back into swimming, I was regularly swimming 80 lengths but I haven’t done that in a while either.
Anyway, I’m no expert but I wanted to share with you my gym wear choices (plus a few extras), from leggings that let you bend over without everyone in the room suddenly knowing you much better, to headbands that stop you having to wash your hair all the time because you had a fringe cut in 6 months ago that can be a grease fest (attractive huh?!).
Leggings:
When it comes to gym leggings, you really shouldn’t skimp on quality. Working out puts you in all sort of bendy and uncompromising positions and you need good quality leggings. Black Milk Clothing is hands down my favourite clothing company/addiction and when it comes to gym wear, they make magic happen; their gym leggings have 4 way stretch, shrink-resistance, fade-resistance, pilling-resistance, UV protection, breathability and most importantly they stay opaque when you bend over. They also have pockets (on both sides!!) big enough to fit your phone in, even if you have one of those big smart phones, like I do. They spent months sourcing the perfect fabric, which they import it from Italy (they are an Australian company that ships worldwide, US readers, they do have a US site too, so you don’t have to pay import duty). These are my two favourite pairs that I own:
Noisette 