Sportswear

[Fiddlestikks]

Morning,

The fitness regime starts here! I've booked myself onto a course of fitness classes and now need the kit. Where are the best online places to look? I'd rather not spend loads, but happy to pay for decent footwear as obviously don't want to injure myself, which could happen when my body goes into shock at actually doing exercise beyond walking! I don't think I'll be able to browse the shops in person anytime soon, so online would be best.

Thank you!

Decathlon is excellent for all sorts of kit.

But if you can get to a store to ask for advice on footwear, do so.

What sort of exercise are you doing! That'll make a difference to the type of shoe you need. I can witter on about fitting shoes for running, but know less about requirements for other activities. My guess is you'd want light weight, with neutral sole (non-marking) and perhaps lots of cushioning. And for serious exercise, it's always worth going up at least half a size.

I'm doing a body blast class. I was hoping my trainers would be ok as I went to the gym fairly regularly before I last gave birth, but the sole is beginning to come away. My current ones have always been comfy, and I think they're the same size as I normally am, but I'll have to check.

I've recently lost some weight and needed new gym wear. As I'm still getting smaller, didn't want to spend a lot and found some surprisingly nice and comfy stuff in Sainsbury's. It's survived daily washing and hasn't started to smell or fade. I've bought a short sleeve tee short, a vest top, a pair of capris and a pair of leggings all in mix and match colours. Trainers Ialways go specialist store for though.

The Nike short leggings - the ones that are cropped below the knee - are great as they don't fall down (any other ones I've tried do unless I buy them so tight I can barely breathe...not good for exercising!) My female friends on my basketball team and from the gym agree. I think the quality is also superior to the equivalent from high street stores. I buy mine from an outlet store usually but even when I pay full price in the Nike store I feel they are worth it.

Like decent, well fitting trainers, a good sports bra is also essential. I am quite flat chested and use ones from Victoria's Secret Love Pink range for light-ish exercise like the gym and Marks & Spencer for the sports that involve more jumping.

For tops, you can buy them from anywhere, just look for a style / fit / fabric that you find comfortable. It usually takes some trial and error so buy them one at a time until you know what works for you.

I have quite a lot of sports bras, crop tops and vests from a cheap brand called Boomerang which I've found to be really comfortable, well fitting and long lasting.

Thanks for your replies.

Any recommendations on which store is best for shoes? I could probably get to a Sports Direct or a Decathlon. Are they any good? I got my last ones from John Lewis I think.

Fabletics? Got good deals and nice styles. Well worth a look ..

IME Decathlon staff are more likely to know about the stock than Sports Direct.