Right here’s a secret: I completely by no means put on underwear to work out.
Is that gross? I by no means thought so, however then I discussed this within the Glamour workplace the opposite day, and everybody stared at me wide-eyed. Earlier than that second, I by no means thought-about anybody would put on underwear to work out. To me, that's the gross idea. Like, doesn’t it get all sweaty? All bunched up? No thanks, I’ll go.
However I used to be alone on an island of commando exercisers. For analysis, I made a decision to ballot the workplace anonymously to attempt to get everybody’s habits and tackle the topic. The outcomes, to me, have been beautiful.
Each single different particular person gave a convincing sure. They wore underwear to work out and have been horrified on the suggestion that they wouldn’t.
“I've tried not wearing underwear, but the sweat stain on my leggings was truly egregious,” wrote one among my colleagues, with one other one saying, “I can't imagine not.” One in every of my (few) male colleagues identified that he thinks he “would be arrested if I didn’t,” which, honest. “I don't think you necessarily need to wear underwear, but I like to feel a barrier so I will usually wear something,” identified one other. One succinctly wrote: “Um, ew.”
“I feel like I get sweatier without it!!!” wrote one other colleague.
The lone one that was considerably on my group mentioned that they solely do “sometimes.” “If I'm already wearing underwear from the day, then I'll wear it to the gym,” they mentioned. “But if it's the first thing I do in the morning, then probably not because I don't want to waste a clean pair just to take a shower after the gym.”
How may I be so within the minority right here? For me, placing on a pair of exercise shorts or leggings is identical as underwear. I modify them as soon as I bathe, so why would I would like underwear? And don’t you simply wash them each time, anyway? Plus, my principal train of selection is operating, and plenty of operating shorts have little briefs in-built (which may be once I received into the commando behavior). So that you’re telling me I ought to put on underwear below underwear? That’s simply foolish.
However I'm a journalist in any case, so I made a decision to achieve out to an skilled to weigh in. Am I by some means harming my vaginal well being by not carrying underwear to work out? Or are my colleagues?
I consulted Dr. Melanie Bone, an OBGYN and the US Medical Director on the gynecological well being firm Daye, and requested her to please give us the reply because it pertains to ladies’s well being. And folk, learn ‘em and weep.
“In general, I recommend not wearing underwear during workouts if possible,” Bone tells me over email. I’ve by no means felt extra vindicated in my life!
Right here’s why, in keeping with Bone: Our vaginal space comprises a fragile steadiness of micro organism, and this steadiness will be disrupted when it turns into heat and moist (ew) throughout a exercise. In case you’re carrying underwear, that may make it even worse.