on losing weight: workout clothes

I was going to write about maintaining momentum with your weight loss journey - about ways to keep you motivated. However, sometimes when you start writing, you realise that's not what your brain wants to write about, today.

So, workout gear. Obviously, you can go to to the gym in anything you want as long as it makes you go: sweats and t-shirts are just as good as the fanciest things you can buy - but in my experience, if you buy yourself some nice clothes or fancy trainers, it gives you a reason to go. Back in January I got myself some decent yoga pants (not the creepy see-through kind) and a fairly decent sports bra, I already had some trainers, but I felt like these were the important things. Everything else could wait, I thought, to see how well I'd stick this out. Over the last eight months, I have built up a collection of things that I thought I would talk about here...

Trainers: After six months of going to the gym at least four days a week I decided to treat myself to some proper trainers. I got myself some Nike Free Runs - which probably aren't necessary, considering what I use them for.. However, they stop me from turning my ankles over as much, and because they're cushioned, they're so comfortable. Plus, they're bright blue and fluorescent yellow. This shouldn't be a factor, but I basically live in an all black uniform, so injecting colour with shoes like this makes me happy. 

Leggings: Personally, I don't like wearing the super skinny kind of leggings, as I'm pretty tall and find that they're never long enough. I actually managed to find a pair similar to these from H+M, which I really love: they're long enough (which being almost five eleven is a difficult ask!) and fit really well around the waist and are made of a nice material. As a bigger girl, I know how hard it is to find comfortable trousers to fit you, so I would try anywhere and everywhere - I've found nice ones in Tesco, Marks & Spencers, TK Maxx, Decathlon, H+M, often in places that I wouldn't normally shop. Websites aimed at plus-size women actually have a pretty poor selection, I've found.

Tops: Like I said above, I used to just go in a t-shirt, most of the time, which I think is more than fine. As I've got a bit thinner, though, I've been enjoying more fitted, lycra vests, usually in bright colours or with bright trim. I also am guilty of wearing a thin vest over a brightly coloured crop top. This is where you can have more fun and pick really bright things, if you like that, or stick to tried-and-true black.

Sports bras: This is more of a tricky one to advise you on - as it's a personal thing about what kind of bra you need. I have fairly average size boobs for my frame, but that's still pretty big (a D cup) so I need something with a lot of support. I like buying those flimsy little brightly coloured crop-tops, but they don't have anywhere near enough support, so I would probably wear my regular sports bra underneath. John Lewis have a good selection of high impact sports bras, I know Bravissimo have them for the larger chested lady, and M&S have good affordable options.

Water bottle: A friend of my mothers jokingly made fun of me for having a 'fashionable' water bottle - but she is a serious-cyclist. I, however, am not. Going to the gym once a day doesn't require a fancy water bottle, but I do like to have a big one, as I get dehydrated easily. I like the Aladdin reusable bottles that you can find in places like Tesco (or sometimes TK Maxx) because they have the little fabric handle that is very convenient.


That turned into a long post! If you have any tips, feel free to share down below, I love finding new things.
For more weight-loss related posts, be sure to follow on Bloglovin, or check out my previous post on the subject here.