By Lexi Petronis, Glamour
Photo credit: Robert Mitra
So, this happened to me on my morning run today: my pants fell off. Well, okay, they didn't actually fall off, because I might have died of embarrassment before posting this. But as I ran, they kept sliding down to the point that I got so frustrated by a possible flashing situation, I cut my run short and went home.
This happens to me more than I would like. I mean, not the pants thing, necessarily -- usually, pants are my first order of importance in workout situations -- but I've also had earbuds that malfunction, sports bras that sag weirdly, and hair ties that pop, all which have led to discomfort and eventual abandonment of exercise. And an informal poll of Glamour editors has shown that I am very much not alone (thank goodness).
I shared my chagrin on the subject with Amy at Second Shift Athlete, who's a whiz with finding ways to exercise, even when faced with a fail. And look at this! Some excellent ideas for dealing with workout clothing malfunctions on the fly.
The too-tight sports bra: Eight in 10 of us are apparently wearing the wrong sports bra -- and you can tell when you are. Bras shouldn't hurt! But if you're in a pinch (heh), pre-workout, soak the thing in hot water and stretch it out over the back of a chair as it dries, says Amy, or stretch it out and then pin both sides to an ironing board and iron the elastic so that it starts to have some give.
Next time: It's worth it to take some time and find a bra that doesn't make breathing a problem -- or make you feel a bit, you know...floppy. Here are some ideas that might best fit your chest, and a bunch of Glamour-tested bras to consider.
Workout-pants-falling-down-itis: Whip off your long-sleeved tee and tightly tie it around your waist (which I totally would have done, were I not outside in 20-degree weather). If you have a spare hair tie handy, you can pull the extra material of the pants into a kind of ponytail and tie it off, or use safety pins to gather fabric and keep them up.
Next time: To avoid future pants rolldown, Amy suggests buying pants that ensure non-stretching in the wash (labels and salespeople can help with this), and picking up detergent made for activewear.
Too-short shorts: If you have to, what about spritzing a little bit of hairspray on the inner bottom edges of your shorts to provide a little traction that'll keep them from moving around too much? You can also employ the wrap-around-shirt method here, too -- tie a long-sleeved tee (preferably one that's on the longer side) around your waist.
Next time: Amy says to pick looser shorts that have a split in them--which can help keep them from riding up -- tight shorts with clear elastic on the inner bottom edges, or even ditching the shorts altogether and trying a workout skirt.
Slippy sunglasses: Speaking from experience, if you're mid-workout, you have three choices: take 'em off, wear them as a headband, or -- if you're already sporting a headband -- secure the earpieces underneath it. But if you're about to head out, you can use an eyeglass repair kit or tiny screwdriver to tighten the sunglasses so the temples stay put.
Next time: Invest in some sporty sunglasses, which are specifically made to hold on to your head.
Broken hair ties: The right tie is important -- how irritating is it when your ponytail keeps slipping out? (Answer: so irritating). But sometimes we don't know that we're wearing the wrong one until we're actually wearing it. If the loop breaks, loop it around two or three of your fingers and tie it into a tight knot. It's not perfect, but it'll get the job done. If you're at the gym, you can ask the front desk for a rubber band (don't tell the Beauty girls I suggested this -- regular rubber bands aren't good for your hair -- but this is an emergency situation!). Out of desperation, I once even used an old and random shoelace I found in my gym bag.
Next time: Keep a few good extra hair ties in your bag or locker, along with some headbands.
Have you ever dealt with workout clothing fails? How have you improvised?
More from Glamour: