Activewear vs. sportswear: Pick what’s right for you

It is only common today that the terms “activewear” and “sportswear” may ring alike in your ears, as much as they look alike, too, for the most part. While both attires serve the same broad requirement of providing comfort and safety for physical activity and are generally identified as training clothes, the purposes of these two, as their names plainly suggest, are slightly different to each other.

Sports have a history of evolving as long as human evolution itself, meaning it has been part and parcel of mankind’s daily life since the time of ancient civilizations, although more among the royal and elite back then. The concept of sportswear is believed to have risen in popularity in the 20^th century, concurrently with more people adopting some form of sport into their lifestyle. With this emerged the need to use technology to make sportswear more functional and customized for different sports.

Sports like track and field, cricket, volleyball, badminton, football, golf, and cycling have sportswear specifically made for their purpose, where components such as fabrics that are breathable, shoes that provide flexibility and stability, designs that support techniques and movements of each sport are key deciding factors.

However, as far as fashion is concerned, the fine line between sportswear and activewear is as good as blurred. While activewear is deemed to have descended from high-performance sportswear as a better-suited option for the ordinary person to exercise, it has now become a mandatory wardrobe essential for many around the world, where both men and women – especially urbanites and college students – prefer it for its comfort and chic style.

Activewear first rose to its now glorious popularity in the 1980s in America with college students setting a new trend of sneakers, sweatshirts, tracksuits, and hoodies, as you may have seen in almost every 80s young adult movie. What’s fascinating about this is how the trend has stood the test of many decades to still be a favorite choice of clothing of youngsters – so much so to the point that it has nothing to do with being active.

In the present era, activewear is vastly influenced by models and Hollywood celebrities, becoming the new ready-to-wear trend that rocks otherwise ordinary leggings, gym shorts, sports bras, bicycle shorts, and cropped tank tops.

Although comparatively not as complex as sportswear, the activewear industry, too, takes physical activity and its demands quite seriously. What do both these attires share in common? Improving performance!

Let’s glance through how sportswear and activewear serve their special purpose:

1. Helps prevent risk of injury

One wrong move is enough to put you at risk of injury. Wearing the right clothes that allows you to move in full form and shoes that support your body while you’re at it will greatly reduce susceptibility to injury, minor or major.

2. Let’s the skin breath

Sweating while training or exercising is a natural, healthy part of the process, but it can make you uncomfortable and eventually affect your performance. This is why sportswear and activewear are made of fabrics that keep you dry and lets your skin breathe comfortably. It also prevents skin irritation and inflammation.

3. Protects against elements

Protection against different weather conditions may not seem necessary…until you face them. Elements such as rain and sunlight may take a toll on your performance levels as you go on training or working out. Proper activewear and sportswear give protection against these elements, making way for an effective session.

4. Aids in recovery

Recovery plays an equally important role as being physically active itself. The role of activewear and sportswear in recovery is especially applicable when it comes to compressed clothing like leggings. For instance, what happens is, compressed clothing helps reduce muscle soreness and fatigue over the course of the session, as such resulting in a quicker recovery time.

5. Boosts self-confidence

Unlike wearing home clothes to train or work out, wearing proper activewear or sportswear instantly shifts you into that “active” zone, with it boosting your mood and mental state.

If you start out in a high-performance sport, whether with a long-term goal in mind or as an extracurricular activity, it is vital that you pick the right sportswear and gear under the guidance of a professional in the field (do not solely depend on the internet for this!)

If it’s a regular session of exercise, yoga, or dance – or even a casual game of badminton – that you’re looking for, the chic and stylish activewear is more than capable of accommodating all your needs.