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Clothes are part of the equipment you use to get a job done. Your workout clothes are no exception. The physical culture movement was spearheaded by the emergence of a Prussian bodybuilder. He was Eugen Sandow who was both a strongman and a Showman. Sandow gained worldwide fame as a strongman.

In the year 1901, he organized the world’s first bodybuilding competition. The event was set at London’s Royal Albert Hall and was reported by Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes novels. Workout clothes were not always tailored for the sport.

Can you believe that in the early 1900s tennis players wore the same outfit as test match cricketers? The men tennis players dressed in full-length trousers and white shirts.

Evolution of Workout Gear

In the early 1930s, the physical culture movement was gaining ground. A major change in sportswear took place in the early 1930s. This was the time when an English tennis player by the name of Henry Austin wore shorts for the first time at Wimbledon. The practice of dressing for the sport rather than trying to qualify as a gentleman or a gentlewoman started in the 1930s.

The Fitness Culture and Workout Clothes

According to research, over 25 per cent of the globe’s adult population workout either at gyms or health clubs or dance fitness centers or wellness centers.  Workout clothes have also evolved as a major accessory of this workout culture and is considered to be an essential part of healthy gym habits.

The points to keep in mind for choosing your workout gear

• Ditch the 100 per cent cotton wear from your gym gear.
• 100 percent cotton wear absorb the sweat during your workouts. Therefore, they tend to get heavy as your workout progresses. The heaviness of the workout wear impedes movement. Thus 100 percent cotton wear is a strict no-no when it comes to workout clothes. Additionally, you do not want to be the one who smells in a gym.
• Always use fabrics that breathe as your work out gear.
• It is almost a rule of thumb that your workout will involve stretching and contracting your muscles. Thus you should always make it a point to choose stretchable fabrics for your workout clothes.

Try to Dress in Layers When it Comes to Your Workout Clothes

You are the most susceptible to an injury at the beginning of your workout. Avoid putting on a heavy top. Try to dress in layers so that you can take your jacket off after your warm-ups. Remember that you sweat during your workouts and there are many instances of cramps after the workout. These happen due to getting too cold when the sweat is exposed to air. Ensure that you slip back into your jacket after the workout. This is especially applicable if you are working out outdoors.

Your Workout Clothes Have to Match with the Season

This is more applicable to you if you play seasonal sports. Your workout clothes have to match with the season.

Choose Light Fabrics For the Hot Summer Months

It is a good idea for you to choose not only light breathable fabrics but also light colors for the summer months. Dress in clothes that are comfortable and allow freedom of movement. Additionally, light colors are considered the appropriate fashion for the summer months.

You Can Also Choose Workout Gear which Can Hold a Bottle

Hydration is important in the summer months. You can choose a workout gear that allows you to carry a bottle of water. This is especially relevant in the summer months.

Do Not Let Your Workout Clothes Stifle You in Winter

You need to keep in mind that you will be getting your heart rate up during the exercise session. The body will generate more and more heat as the exercise session progresses.  Dress in layers and remove the layers as you get warmer. Do not get so warm that you get afflicted with hyperthermia. Also remember to put your outer layers on, once your exercise session is over. Remember to cover your ears and head, if the weather is that cold.

Your Workout Gear Should Protect You From the Elements

If the weather is wet and windy, your workout gear should be able to protect you. Ensure that you shop for workout appropriate gear. This is especially if you run outdoors as part of your workout.

Your Gym Gear Should be Able to Wick Away Sweat

You have a wide choice of breathable fabrics that are capable of wicking away sweat from your body. Fabrics that wick away sweat help it to evaporate quickly. This keeps your body cool. Avoiding hyperthermia during exercise is more important than you think.

Pay Attention to the Fit and Comfort of Your Gym Gear

You should feel like working out in your gym gear. Your workout clothes should be comfortable. Choose colors and fit according to your body image and personal style. You may prefer workout clothes that are comfortable and covers your body. You may choose to allow you to show the shape and contour of your muscles.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger realized that he had weak calves, he cut the bottom off his sweat pants to expose his weakness and embarrass himself. This motivated him to train his calves hard and make them his strong point. This is also a route you can take. It depends on your personal choice.

If You are a Woman, Take the Time to Choose Your Sports Bra

Studies have shown that over 40 percent of women wear the wrong size bra. Women should look for a good sports bra. These provide great support and freedom of movement.

If You are a Man, Pay Attention to Choose the Right Cup Size Undergarment

You should look for an appropriate protective cup size for your workout. This is more relevant if your workout involves a contact sport. This is not uncommon with the increasing popularity of MMA as a sport and as a workout.

Differentiate BetweenComfortable Form Fit and the Feeling of Asphyxiation

Bodybuilder Johnnie Jackson severely injured himself when he attempted a 900-pound power- lifting squat wearing tight clothing. This was designed to help his squat. The clothing was so tight that he lost feeling in his legs at the bottom of the squat.

There are tight stretchable fabrics that are designed to help you get additional leverage. However, they can also get too tight and cut off circulation. You should be able to feel the difference between what is appropriately tight and what is too tight and asphyxiating.

Your Gym Gear Should Include the Right Footwear

Your gym footwear should be flexible and should not break when bent. Studies have shown that people who have worn boots with rigid metal-supported soles for six months or more have lost more than 20 percent of their ankle flexibility. Make sure you wear comfortable athletic footwear that is flexible and support your feet and ankles.

Summary

Keep the saying in mind that health is wealth. Keep these tips in mind while shopping for your workout gear. Stay consistent with the workout program. You are on your way to health, wealth, and happiness.

One of the biggest debates that still remains strong among fitness enthusiasts across the globe is the question as to which one is better and more effective – cardiovascular exercises or wright-exercises. We understand that when you are enrolling yourself for a gym membership, you are not only investing your money, but you are also spending a lot of time and energy into it. As such, you would want your investments to be worth it. Whether it is improving your body composition or increasing strength, you should be better aware of what these two types of exercises offer you.

Our goal is to be your guide so that you are able to make a wise and healthy decision and pick the suitable one for your needs. Don’t get us wrong! Both of them would help in giving you stellar health and a strong body, but yes their implications are indeed different from each other. Today, we answer every query that you may have related to the topic of cardio vs weight-exercises.

Cardio vs Weight-exercises – Understanding the Differences

To settle the age-old debate of cardio vs weight-exercise, we are going to take a direct approach into understanding what they each bring to the table. After a brief overview of both of them, we will then take a closer look into figuring out which one would work for you.

Let us start with cardio, which stands for cardiovascular conditioning. Cardio exercises are aerobic activities wherein they use oxygen to increase your heart rate and breathing. Running is considered to be the most polarizing cardio exercises. But, honestly, any activity that makes you breathe faster and harder while also increasing your heart rate is considered to be a cardio exercise.

Moving on, weight-exercises, also known as resistance training or weight training, are anaerobic activities. Evident by their name, they include lifting free weights such as kettlebell, dumbbell, barbell, and other weight machines.

Cardio vs Weight-exercises – Why to Choose Cardio Exercises?

When it comes to boosting your endurance, nothing can beat cardio exercises. These exercises improve your aerobic capacity, which is basically the amount of oxygen your blood receives and uses. They allow your lungs and heart to move oxygen throughout your body in a more efficient manner.

You would be able to burn more calories through cardio exercises in comparison to weigh-exercises. In a study conducted by Harvard Medical School, it was seen that a 155-pound person burns around 372 calories when he runs at a 10-minute per mile pace for 30 minutes in comparison to 112 calories if he or she lifts weights for the same duration.

Cardio exercises are also better at helping you lose more weight since they are highly efficient in burning fats.  

Cardio vs Weight-exercises – Why to Choose Weight-exercises?

Although weight-exercises do a decent job at burning calories, the main agenda in their case is building of strong muscles. Research has proven that weight-exercises help in increasing lean muscle mass.  

Cardio exercises burn calories only during a sweat sash, whereas weight-exercises keep burning calories throughout the day. This is because of the muscles you are building, which, in turn, boosts your resting metabolism. What you need to understand here is the fact that muscles help you in burning more calories when it is resting in comparison to fats.

It has also been seen that people who continuously perform weight-exercises witness a significant improvement in their metabolic rate.

Another major benefit of weight-exercises is that it can play a significant role in increasing your bone destiny. This would ultimately lead to the strengthening of your bones. Stronger bones mean that you would be able to prevent fractures as well as osteoporosis.  Furthermore, strong bones would be able to support your joints better. As such, there will be a significant decrease in any risk involving arthritis or shoulder injuries.  

Cardio vs Weight-exercises – Why to Choose Both?

You need to understand that cardio and weight-exercises are not mutually exclusive. The whole debate of cardio vs weight-exercises should be put down. You don’t really have to pick only one. In fact, by combining the two, you would give yourself the best of both worlds.

Not only you would be able to gain muscles, but you will also be able to lose fat. Of course, it would demand a lot of time from you, but it would be worth it if you want to work on your body.  Muscles have more density than fat. As such, you can’t really be dependent on the weight-scale to track your weight loss, especially if you are doing both cardio and weight-exercises.

Doing both of them together would also improve the health of your heart. In addition, they would do wonders for depression and anxiety.

Cardio and Weight-exercises – Which One to do First?

Now, if you have decided to do both and are confused as to which one to do first, then let us help you out.

If you are participating in an upcoming race, then we recommend you to perform cardio before weight-exercises.

However, if your goal is to build core strength, then you should perform weight-exercises before cardio. The same goes for those who are looking to train only their lower-body muscles.   

Generally speaking, five to eight 30-minute cardio regimes per week are enough. As for weight-exercises, 2-3 days a week of full-body exercises with each session lasting between 20-30 minutes will suffice.

Summary

People have been questioning for a long time as to which one is better in the fight of cardio vs weight-exercises. Cardio exercises help in burning more calories during the exercise, losing weight, and improving endurance. On the other hand, weight-exercises help in building muscles and in burning more calories throughout the day.

Running, cycling, Zumba, etc. are some of the most common forms of cardiovascular exercises whereas dumbbells, kettlebells, and barbells are examples of weight-exercises.

You don’t necessarily have to pick only one between them. Combining them both will help you gain muscles and lose weight, both at the same time.

The world is witnessing one of the most dreadful situations in recent memory. The blanket of COVID-19 has engulfed almost every corner of the world and no one is safe. Keeping in mind the famous saying – prevention is better than cure – all of us must pull up our socks and face this challenge. Every little step from you will count in fighting off this pandemic.  There has never been a more apt time to get united and be conscious of our actions. So, let’s take a look at all the steps you, as an individual, can take to fight off COVID-19.

Preventive Measures Against COVID-19

Since COVID-19 is a novel virus, Scientists are working day in and day out to find its cure. Even at the earliest, we have to wait for several months for the cure to reach us. This makes preventive measures all the more important.

Besides, this disease is highly contagious, and if you get infected, you will pass it on to your loved ones who are living with you.

In the same line of thought, it should be noted that once you get infected, it may take up to two weeks for the symptoms to show up. So, it is very much in the realm of possibility that you wouldn’t even know that you are infected. As a result, you will unknowingly spread it to others.

All these variables make COVID-19 extremely dangerous. Enforcing the following measures will drastically reduce your chances of contracting this awful disease.  You will end up keeping yourself as well as your loved ones safe.

So, here are the preventive measures against COVID-19:

Wash Your Hands Frequently

Washing hands, in general, is a good idea, but it is of paramount importance in the current climate. You need to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds every 3-4 hours if you are working outside. Using anti-bacterial or anti-viral soap is preferred, if possible. Remember to work the lather between your fingers, the cuticles of your fingernails, and wrists as well.

If you stay at home, you don’t have to wash your hands that frequently, but make sure you wash your hands before every meal, and if you are coming from a public place.  However, if you are using a shared item such as a computer or doorknob or calling bell (items that are touched by multiple people in your household as well as by people outside your home), then positively wash your hands afterwards. 

In case of unavailability of soap and water, use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol content. Those of you, who still have to go out to work, carry a hand sanitizer with you all the time. While using a sanitizer, please ensure that you rub your hands until they dry.

Avoid Touching Your Face as Much as You Can

Humans touch their face 16-23 times every hour on average when they are awake. Now, we understand that it is not possible to eliminate this habit all of a sudden, especially most of the times you touch your face unknowingly. It almost works as a reflex reaction. But, try and avoid touching your face as less as you can. Let us explain why this is important.

COVID-19 is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus is very powerful, proven by the fact that it can stay alive on hard surfaces for 72 hours.  In other words, the laptop you are using or door knob you are touching may be infected simply because someone else who is suffering from COVID-19 has touched it, let’s say, three days back.

So, when you touch your face after touching these surfaces, you are allowing the virus to enter your body through the gateway of your eyes, nose, and mouth. Thusm you shouldn’t bite your fingernails, rub your eyes, and scratch your face, among others. Avoid these instincts as much as you can.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has clearly stated that COVID-19 is also transmitted through fomites (inanimate objects that carry infection such as utensils, furniture, and clothes, among others) alongside respiratory droplets. So, be sure to follow this measure.

Cover Your Mouth While Sneezing

You have to be accountable for all your actions, even if you are not infected. As we stated earlier, the signs of this disease are sometimes not even seen in the first two weeks. So, you wouldn’t even know whether you are infected or not.

One such measure that lessens the spread of this virus is when you cover your mouth and nose while sneezing or coughing.  In the previous point, we stated this disease can spread through respiratory droplets. So, when an infected person sneezes or coughs, the surrounding air can carry the disease to the healthy people around him or her. Besides, the droplets can stay on hard surfaces for three days as well.

So, cover your face with a handkerchief or a tissue paper every time you sneeze or cough, even when you are at your home.  If you don’t have a handkerchief or a tissue paper near you, and you are about to sneeze or cough, simply cover your face with the inside of your elbow.

Maintain Social Distancing

Along with all the other points, maintain social distancing. We know it’s tough. It’s tough staying at home, not seeing your friends, not being able to hang out, and not being able to go to your multi-gym, among others. But, you have to think long-term. This is for the greater good. For now, working out at home is safer. There are several exercises that you can perform without using any equipment.

If you don’t follow social distancing now, things might get out of control and the longer you avoid social distancing, the longer it will take to control this virus, meaning the longer will be the lockdown.

Therefore, stay at home 24X7 and go out only when it is necessary, such as to buy medicine or groceries. Even when you go out, you need to ensure that there is at least six feet distance between you and the person next to you.

Avoid Eating at Public Places

The restaurants have been shut down for a reason. This highly contagious disease can spread through the food, dishes, tables, chairs, and washrooms, among others of a restaurant. Therefore, control your urge for outside food and don’t go out to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, cake shops, and other eateries.

You should also avoid getting home deliveries from there as well, just to stay on the safer end of the spectrum. Home-made food is the go-to option now. However, if you have to rely on delivery or takeaway food, order from a clean and hygienic place and pick hot food instead of cold food.

Disinfect Household Items

Maintain cleanliness in your household. Keep an alcohol-based disinfected spray by your side to clean hard surfaces. Focus on the items that are frequently touched by multiple people such as furniture, doorknobs, calling bells, desks, faucets, sinks, light switches, and kitchen countertops, among others.

Every time you go out to get groceries, disinfect the bag in which you carry your belongings. You can use white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide for cleaning purposes as well.

Eat Immunity-Boosting Foods

Increase your chance of being safe by including immunity-boosting food items in your meals. Eating healthy during such a precarious time will reward you by keeping you safe.  

Look out for food items that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals since they will help you in keeping your immune system strong. When you eat food items that have selenium, probiotics zinc, beta-carotene, curcumin, and vitamins C and D in them, you end up providing a protective layer to your body.

Some of the immunity-boosting food items that you can include in your meals are sweet potatoes, yogurt, broccoli, spinach, ginger, garlic, green tea, papaya, turmeric, almonds, watermelon, wheat germs, sunflower seeds, oysters, and poultry, among others.

Take a look at this infographic that tells you everything that you need to do (just like the article) in brief.

Final Thoughts

The situation is undoubtedly scary, but we can work through it if all of us make individual contributions in the form of following the aforementioned preventive measures.  Remember, the safety of yourself and your loved ones primarily rest on your hands. So, let us all be responsible and fight this together. Please spread the word and encourage your family members and friends to follow these measures as well.

Before we conclude, there is another piece of information that we must share with you. If you feel sick, do not immediately go to a medical clinic. Overcrowding the medical intuitions will only worsen the situation. Instead, consult your doctor through phone and tell him or her about your symptoms and follow their advice.