Want.Love.Need - Affordable Workout Wear

I'm back! Again. After persuasion from several areas, I have hopped back on the blogging wagon again.

I know that in January, the media explodes with "NEW YEAR NEW YOU", "GET ON YOUR BIKE" and "LOSE 50lb IN A DAY", but being a massive advocate of health and exercise, I think it is important to keep up the momentum throughout the year. That is why I am doing a Want.Love.Need list of affordable workout wear this week. Just in case you missed the onslaught last month.

Just a note before we start. I am definitely not a crop top and mini shorts type of gym bunny. I mean, bring on the short shorts by all means, but make them comfy, and long enough to keep my glutes to myself!

1. Nike Tempo Shorts - These are the absolute bomb when it comes to running shorts. I have tried many, but I now stick with these. The first bright pink pair I bought have been used week in, week out, for the best part of 5 years now. They are comfortable, breathable, and most importantly, they cover your bum! Check out all the other colours on the website.

Tempo Shorts, £25, Nike

 2. Ok, so we all know that what I have going on in my upper-frontal region barely qualifies me as being a woman as opposed to a teenage boy, so needing a high support sports bra is not on the top of my priority list. This Sports bra from H&M is perfect for me. It is supportive enough to stop, well, you know, any kind of painful movement, but it is comfortable, attractive, and comes in some lovely colours. H&M have a good range of support in their sports bra department, for those of you who fear for your lives when jogging!

Sports bra, low support, £12.99, H&M

3. I have avoided wearing sports tights in the past, however, I bought a pair recently, and they are great. I consider myself too old to keep wearing just my shorts in this weather, so having my legs covered and cosy is rather lovely. These are another great buy from H&M, with a high waist to suck things in, and enough thickness to protect others from picturesque views of your workout underwear.

Sports tights, £14.99, H&M

4. I was so chuffed to have stumbled upon these last week. I have been finding that my sports tights provide a lot more resistance than I would like in some of my yoga stretches (XS Alice, good choice), and I wanted to find a pair of yoga trousers for a reasonable price. These are comfortable (see a theme emerging?) and long enough for me (I'm 5'8''), and the fold-over waist band reduces risk of cutting in/ the dreaded muffin top. Oh, and they are £10!

5. Sports tops are a tricky one for me. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a sweat-inducing, blood pumping workout, and your top rubbing/ twisting/riding up. Well, nothing worse apart from falling off the back of the treadmill, and deciding that the best thing to do would be to hang onto the side bar for dear life, while everybody in the gym (including your brother) stands and stares with confusion and pity. Anyway, the top scenario... I am very picky. My favourite top for the last year has been an H&M racer back, similar to the one below. It stays cool, doesn't rub, and if you get a size bigger than normal, is lovely and loose. Perfect for gym and studio activities.

Sports top, £7.99, H&M

6. So the items above are my basic staples for working out. These, and my ASICS Gel Kayano 19s. I would say never to scrimp on trainers, unless you know that they are perfect for you. I dread when it is time to buy another pair, but it is so important to have the right ones. The Kayanos provide great support for my flat feet, and I would thoroughly recommend ASICS to anyone.

Gel Kayano 21, £145, Asics

7. And to finish, this is the completely unnecessary purchase that I will be making as soon as I can justify it.

Sweatshirt, £25, ASOS

p.s. Check out Boohoo and Missguided for fun and affordable sportswear, their new collections will make you want to jump up and down (in a controlled manner).