You can look good in the gym, I promise!

My friends find it amusing that even my workout gear is carefully chosen to fit with my style rules and always in the best colours for my skin tone.

Sometimes, while I’m hunting out the perfect pieces, I do my own head in a bit, I have to admit. But, having had a period of working out wearing old mismatched t-shirts and leggings, I turned over a new leaf a few years ago.

My thought process is this: while I don’t mind my gym trips, working out is not my favourite thing to do. Sometimes I have to make myself go. To get around making myself do something I don’t want to do I’ll look for the smallest possible motivations to get myself started. Whether that’s wearing a fancy outfit that makes me look great (even if I don’t feel great), or treating myself to a coffee with a friend afterwards. I try to create those opportunities to tempt myself into action wherever I can!

So, this week, I’m unashamedly offering my take on the nicest, and most flattering gymwear available.

Admittedly, if you are one of those January gym goers, who are taking up all the parking spaces in my gym this month, you probably don’t want to invest in fancy clothing. It’s simply not worth spending the money if you are going to give up by March. But, if you are a regular exerciser, a committed new exerciser or regular purchaser of exercise wear then this is for you.

The good news is that there are super sales going on RIGHT NOW so you can update your workout wear, and save a fair bit of money.

My sportswear retailers of choice are Sweaty Betty (though I usually wait for the sale because they are pricey) and BAM, which if you haven’t yet discovered makes exercise wear out of bamboo. It is SO soft, environmentally friendly AND even antibacterial! Check it out if you haven’t already.

As with putting any kind of outfit together, I recommend following a set of essential guidelines which will ensure that you look as good as possible in head-to-toe lycra.

Pear-shaped

If you carry your excess weight on your lower half (belly button downwards) you do very well in brightly coloured and printed tops. Wearing these keeps the attention up high, on your lovely, neat top half.

Racer backed tops will broaden your shoulders, and rebalance your figure, so they are great for you.

Women’s Bamboo Swift Vest (Reduced to £21)

Lululemon Sculpt Tank II £52

Never wear the hugely popular, patterned leggings or a light tone on your legs unless you want to draw the eye of your gym buddies straight there.

Black, navy, dark grey or any other dark tone is most flattering for slimming down your bottom and thighs. And, any trousers, including joggers, that are slightly flared at the ankle are always going to be more flattering for you than skinny ones.

Lululemon Groove Pant III (Tall) £88

Top-heavy Body Shape

If your excess weight is all on top – in the tummy, bust and love handle regions – and you have slim hips and legs, reverse the formula.

Choose darker-toned tops to minimise these parts of your body.

Women’s Bamboo Rapid Vest (Reduced to £15)

A great shape to disguise your tum is a looser fit with an elasticated hemline. I have loved wearing this one by LA Gear. And it’s incredibly good value right now!

LA Gear Fitness Vest Ladies Reduced to £4!

You are lucky in that fashion is with you at the moment; feel free to go for fun prints or lighter colours on your legs. This will rebalance your top-heavy figure very well.

Women’s Bamboo Enduro Deep Waistband Leggings (reduced to £27)

If you are wearing cropped leggings, try to ensure that they finish on the slimmer part of your calf as this will most flatter your legs.

And finally, everyone needs a really stylish and warm top to throw on after exercising or for lounging around at home.

Here are some of my faves:

Scuba Hoodie IV £98

Women’s Bamboo Journey Cover Up Reduced to £22.50

Fleece Tech Workout Pullover £90

Try it out, get yourself some new gear and you might even start to LOOK FORWARD to a trip to the gym!