Nike

In this feature, “What to Wear To…” we tackle attire for office events that are outside the confines of the 9-5 office day.

If you’re lucky enough to have a gym in your workplace (or nearby enough that there’s a good chance of running into people at your office), you may be wondering what to wear to the gym. Obviously, you’ll want to leave the thong-leotards and short-shorts at home, but what does that really leave you with? Particularly on a hot summer day, the choices can seem limited.

Choose moisture-wicking fabrics. These fabrics tend to cost more than your basic cotton or nylon, but they breathe more, wicking moisture away from you.  This means you’re drier, lighter, and cooler — which then means that you can wear pants rather than shorts, even on hot days.   Look for words like Dri-FIT (Nike’s brand), ClimaLite (by Adidas), and Double Dry (by Champion).


TRANQUIL D/F CAPRI, $50
3-STRIPES GYM PANT, $60

DD SEMI-FITTED CAPRI, $30

If you must wear shorts, go for modest ones. For example, these Moving Comfort Aero Shorts have the equivalent of a bike pant beneath a loose short — you won’t have to worry about what’s showing when you stretch. W/AERO SHORT, available at Paragon Sports on sale for $23.

Watch your bust. Not literally, of course — we’re just saying that a good sports bra is essential. (Let’s face it, a good sports bra is ALWAYS essential, but in the corporate gym you’ll be making a scene if you wear a regular bra for a cardio activity.) If you’re busty, we can’t recommend Enell enough — sure, they’re ugly as sin (see the pic at right) but these things do the job.

Finally, wear a shirt. This is not the time to show everyone your rock-hard abs (but congratulations if you’ve got ‘em!) — cover yourself up. Our reasoning is simple: Do you want to see YOUR supervisors without their shirts on?  It isn’t a man issue or a woman issue, it’s just a let’s-not-see-more-of-each-other-than-we-really-have-to issue. That said, there are tons of ways you can go with the shirt. You can stick with the trend and get a mositure-wicking fabric t-shirt. You could show your team spirit and don a company shirt. You could go basic and just wear a tank top, like these from Old Navy.  Or, you can go our preferred route, and show a bit more personality with your workout attire and go for something from Threadless (reader-submitted hilarious designs, examples pictured below), Busted Tees (think more caustic/funny one-liners), or Glarkware (television-related products).

Cake is Awesome, $17 S’more 101, $17
Word!, $17

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