About Time: You Were More Conscious About SportswearBy Angelica Malin
You should be more conscious about what your sportswear looks like, and here’s why
Sport and fitness are an important part of many people’s lives. Health, entertainment, joy, psychological fulfillment – they have it all. The right performance in sports activities can influence a lot of things. Ranging from successful matches and lucky odds at Mighty Tips to self-satisfaction and determination, if everything works as you’ve planned, then everyone comes out happy.
One of the main determinants of good performance is what you’re wearing. Many people ignore their fitness apparel and go for a jog with their worn-out sweatshirts and loose pants. But the truth is if you’re not wearing an appropriate outfit, not only will your performance decline but you’ll be under a risk of injury.
So, in this article, we’ll take a look at some major reasons why you should always be serious about your fitness apparel.
Confidence is key
First things first, what you wear outside is what you feel inside. And this might be a cliche for many but nonetheless, it’s true. Depending on what you wear, you might be confident in your success or constantly being dragged by the feeling of incompetence.
Studies of mind and cognition have shown that the right clothes have a positive impact on you in the workplace. It even has its own name – “enclothed cognition”, which fully reflects the idea of appropriate clothes on your self-efficacy.
“Enclothed cognition” is also true for sports and fitness. If you know you look great in that spandex or another outfit, the chances are you will act out that confidence in real life: you’ll go for that challenging weight or dribble further to take the ball from your opponent.
In short, confidence does translate into better performance!
Performance ramps up under the right outfit
Not only does it increase your confidence and self-belief in success, but the right apparel does actually improve your performance in sports and fitness.
For example, there are certain clothes in sports that are currently banned because they assist the players in many ways. Polyurethane full-body swimsuits are banned since 2010 after it was confirmed that they create a more aerodynamic flow in the water and give an unfair advantage to the athletes.
Not everyone is a swimmer or will be looking for full-body spandex, however, the right outfit can be beneficial in other sports and fitness activities too. For example, synthetic non-breathable shirts are detrimental for your performance in a gym because they stop the release of heat from your body. This then results in overheating and discomfort.
As for football, regular running shoes are not appropriate for the field. They don’t have that flexibility, as well as traction, and lateral stability that are required for a steady performance on a football field.
Injury protection
Another area where your clothes benefit your performance, as well as health, is injury protection. You might be thinking that only excessive weights or complex movements can cause injuries and avoiding them can be a matter of balance and experience.
However, using properly fitted apparel can greatly reduce the chances of workout-related injuries. For example, when going out for a jog, wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts on a hot sunny day or cold weather can either burn your skin or get you sick.
Long sleeves are a must for such situations. Caps and hats are also beneficial to protect from the sun, as well as from chilly weather.
As for the gym and weight lifting, or climbing rocks, always wear gloves to protect your hands from calluses. The skin on our hands is too soft to withstand high pressures and rough surfaces. So, protecting them with gloves might be a good idea.
Clothes can contribute to the recovery
Not only do they improve confidence, performance, or minimize the chances of injury, the right clothes are also beneficial to the recovery process.
After a heavy workout in the gym or long miles of running, your muscles get sore and stiff. The blood flows with less intensity through them, which also slows the recovery down.
Tight and compressed clothing is said to mitigate the soreness of muscles. They provide graduated compression and stimulate blood circulation in the body. Now, there are several studies that show counteracting evidence about this subject, but one thing is clear:
Whether tight clothes improve blood circulation and speed up the recovery or not, they’ve not shown to have any negative effects on your body nonetheless. So, they’re still worth a try.
Dress for success!
They say “dress for success”! It couldn’t be truer in sports and fitness. The right apparel can decide so many things ranging from performance to injuries.
First, they increase your confidence and make you more daring in terms of what you want to achieve. Second, they actually boost your performance by providing the necessary tools and traction for certain sports.
Third, they reduce the risks of injury by covering certain parts of your body from rough natural or other environments. And fourth, they assist the recovery from heavy workouts and intensive games.
All in all, you should never discard the importance of the right apparel either in sports or in other areas of your life.