My Sustainable Gym Wear Collection: TALA, Girlfriend Collective & Organic Basics

Until about a month ago, my only experience of visiting a gym consisted of me tagging along with my best friend Jade to a weights interval training class, following which I struggled to walk down the stairs and vowed to never submit myself to such torture again. I wasn't made for exercise and I couldn't fathom how so many people routinely motivated themselves to do it, let alone enjoy it. It just wasn't 'my thing'.

I've always found fitness culture quite intimidating, too. I spoke about this briefly at the weekend but the Positive Mental Attitude surrounding workouts has always had an adverse effect on me, making me feel guilty that I wasn't moving rather than encouraging me to get going. The more I'd soak up about sets and reps and weights and rests, the more confused I felt about the sea of exercise jargon and how I could possibly fit into the fitness world. I didn't know what my goals were or what I hoped to achieve and so simply starting became this mighty colossus - a laboured leap of faith.

Potential humiliation was certainly a road block; I envisaged my first gym experience to be me hopelessly wandering around a myriad of machines, surrounded by models and bodybuilders who could all plainly see that I was out of my depth. I thought I'd have to stop running after 10 minutes because I'd surely be out of breath. I thought I'd sweat a lot. I thought I'd struggle to lift even the lightest of weights and everyone around me would be biting their tongue in amusement. "Another beginner... She won't last long."

A few of those predictions turned out to be true. I did have to stop running after 10 minutes because I was out of puff. I did sweat a lot (mostly down my back which always feels nice when the sweat turns cold). I did struggle to lift the lightest of weights, and I couldn't lift these for long. But all of the other stuff was wildly inaccurate. There were people of all ages, shapes and strengths, people being instructed by PTs, people consumed by their headphones or an episode of something juicy on Netflix. There were people sweating buckets and people slowly stretching, people laughing in groups or solitary and focussed. It was the chocolate box of humanity.

One thing united them all, however: nobody gave a crap about what anybody else was doing. Nobody cared. They're all there to get in, get their workout done and get out. I've been going now for nearly four weeks and only once have I engaged in conversation with another person, and that was only because they were asking how long I had left on the machine I was using. We exchanged 12 words, maybe? And that was it. All of this panic I'd conjured in my mind about embarassing myself or feeling out of place was unfounded, and although I absolutely still feel nervous when I'm using certain machines by myself or doing certain workouts, I know that the confidence will come with practice and in the meantime I have to be patient.

Finding work out clothes I actually want to wear has certainly helped to make me feel more comfortable in my first few weeks of exercise. There's an abundance of gym wear available but I knew I wanted to find sustainable pieces which were kinder to the planet and the people who made them. The more digging I done, the more apparent it became that budget-friendly options were near non-existent. I understand that cheaper items come at a cost and that's why sustainable brands can carry a premium - because they're sourced from ethical factories, using more expensive fabrics and carbon-neutral shipping - but it shouldn't be the case that anyone below a certain threshold is excluded from making sustainable choices completely. We can't expect others to shop more consciously if we don't give them the option to do so.

With that being said, I've listed a number of budget-friendly options which may not be from particularly sustainable brands or made entirely from recycled materials, but which provide better options if you don't have the means to spend more. In an ideal world I could have bought and tested them all, but it seemed counterproductive to write about sustainability whilst simulatenously buying too much of one thing which I may not always use. I can't attest to the quality of the items I haven't tried, but I'm sure there are plenty of reviews across social and if you can't find any, let me know and I'll ask on Instgram Stories for some honest responses.

Notes: Gym wear doesn't need to be washed after every visit. When you do wash it, wash on 30 degrees and leave to dry flat. Use a GUPPYFRIEND wash bag to prevent microfibers releasing into the water. Links marked with an asterisk* are affiliate links.