Exercise and the stuff I can't live without

Like most people, I absolutely love finding hidden gems for my wardrobe, even when it's my workout wardrobe. It's hardly the most glamorous, but finding the right kit to exercise in can make all the difference. 

For example, most people swear by the Dri-fit clothes for running or circuit classes. I absolutely hate them, with a passion. I hate the feeling of sweat slipping and sliding over my skin while I exercise. I don't want it to stick to me rather than my clothes, I want my clothes to absorb it, so I can forget about it and carry on working out. 

That probably puts me in the minority, but there it is. I have texture issues, and slippy, slidy sweat is one of them (I promise i'm not still a toddler, just never grew out of the texture issues). 

So mostly, my gym gear is all about comfort and fit, and clothes that I can forget about when I'm exercising. I don't want to have to worry if my bum is hanging out, or if one of my boobs is on show. Not something you want to have to worry about when doing burpees and planks and jumping squats. If I had to find space in my head for those worries, I definitely would not be working very hard. 

But then there are also the little things that make the workout more bearable. Like music for my 1 mile warm up. I started out by carrying my iPhone around. Yes then are thin, but they are bulky when it comes to running, and I don't need to feel like I'm carrying extra weight around with me when I'm trying to push through the burning in my chest!

So here are my favourite work out buddies, I hope it helps some of you find your own favourite gym gear. 

Sports Bra:

Sorry boys, this is likely useless to you, but for the ladies, a decent sports bra is so important. Trust me, I tried training in a normal, underwired, padded bra.... and spent the whole time yanking my top up. Even though I'm not particularly well endowed in that department, I still need support and containment!

I love the entire Fabletics line, so far. It's the line of exercise clothing founded by Kate Hudson, and I stumbled across it completely accidentally. I love The Sevan Sports Bra has been great. It provides great coverage and support, and it doesn't look monstrous either! 

Top of the Tops:

I'm afraid it's another Fabletics number. I love this tank top, and I have it in several colours, twice over. The Aventura Tank Top is loose, which I love, and it feels really light, even at the end of my workout when I've sweated to death. 

The Bottoms:

I hate being hot while I workout, so you would think that wearing yoga pants would be out of the question. But actually, I hate wearing shorts. I find that they ride up no matter what size I buy. If I'm working out, the shorts are riding up and irritating me. I'm also paranoid that they are showing a bit too much leg and way too much bum. 

So I am distracted, fixing my shorts every two minutes. So pants are much better for me, I don't have to worry that anything is on display, and I can just carry on with what I'm doing. 

It's another Fabletics piece, as you can see, I'm totally in love with their range at the moment! The Salar Baby Boot is my favourite!

Pounding to the Beat: 

I cannot run without music. If I don't have music on, I spend the entire time telling myself that I'm going to die and that I need to stop before my heart explodes out of my chest. Seriously. 

In actual fact, I don't really listen to music, I flick through songs at high speed, occasionally listening to 30 seconds of one track before discarding it. But playing "guess the song" stops me from giving up, and I find that fast music makes me run faster, so I'm all for something that can get me moving. 

My iPhone really wasn't cutting the deal, so my babies bought me an iPod Mini for my 30th birthday. I love it. It is lightweight and I don't have to look at it to flick through the tracks. So I can concentrate on where I'm going and keeping my pace up. 

Listening In:

Confession, these aren't mine, they are my husbands. I steal them whenever I can, or think he's not looking. They are amazing (especially considering mine only have one working ear). They stay in my ear the entire time, and are much more comfortable than they look. The sound is great too, and I actually feel like I run much better with these rather than my own. So I think I'll be investing in a pair at some point! 

Feel The Burn:

I cannot go to a Circuit Factory class without feeling immense muscle aches the next day. I usually fall out of bed the next morning and curse whichever trainer had given me a hard time and made me work well past my comfort zone. 

The best thing for me has been a nice warm bath with a few drops of doTERRA Deep Blue essential oil blend. It really helps my body to relax and unknot itself and I feel so much better after a good soak! 

I'm really excited to try out the Deep Blue Rub that doTERRA does, so that I can carry it with me and apply it during the day when my muscles stiffen up (usually after sitting for so long!). 

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes:

Lastly, but most importantly, my footwear. I actually wore sketchers trainers to my first few weeks at The Circuit Factory (I know, I know, I know). They are definitely NOT running shoes, and I managed to give myself Tendonitis wearing them, because they gave me absolutely no support and I could have done some serious damage. 

So I invested in these, the Adidas Supernova. They are great. They give me great support and are a great fit. I've had to skip on set of holes when lacing them, because I have a really high instep (so high ballet dancers want my feet!), and if I fully lace them, it puts too much pressure on the top of my foot. But otherwise they are perfect and I am really glad I invested in a decent pair of trainers. 

I'm always looking for new favourites to add to my list, so what can you not live without when it comes to exercise?