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Workout Gear: Trendy, but Not Always Healthy
People prefer tight clothes for plenty of different reasons.
You might enjoy following the latest fashion trends, or maybe you just favor tight clothing over loose-fitting garments. It’s also pretty common to prefer tight clothes while working out — they don’t get in the way, so they provide greater ease of movement.
There’s nothing wrong with wearing tight clothes, of course — no matter what body shape you have. But while clothes that hug your body can look and feel great, too-tight clothing can have some negative health effects.
Read on to learn more about the health effects linked to tight clothes, plus a few tips to help you recognize when your favorite fashion picks may be just a little too tight.
How tight is too tight?
Clothes can hug the body and still feel comfortable. But when they start to cause physical discomfort, you’ve likely reached the realm of “too tight.”
In other words, “too tight” is pretty subjective. What feels tight to someone else may feel completely fine to you.
Still, a few key signs of too-tight clothing might include:
- red marks on your skin
- pressure marks
- skin irritation
- numbness or tingling
- difficulty breathing
- restricted movement
Any garment that’s too tight can lead to discomfort and potential health effects.
Some common culprits include:
- tight pants or jeans, including workout leggings or skinny jeans
- belts
- bras, both regular and sport styles
- shapewear, tights, and pantyhose
- corset-style tops
Can tight clothes cause any specific health issues?
Common issues that crop up when wearing overly tight clothing include irritation and pain. You might also notice marks where clothing constricts and squeezes your skin.
But can tight clothes cause other health issues and problems? In some cases, they might.
Gastrointestinal trouble
Registered dietician Michelle Rauch points out that tight clothing, including neckties, can worsen gastrointestinal disorders, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
“Tight-fitting clothes have the capacity, when ‘too tight,’ to put additional stress on the stomach and intestines,” Rauch says.
This can worsen symptoms, like acid reflux and heartburn.
Over the long term, she adds, repeated acid reflux can lead to more serious conditions, like esophagitis, which can make swallowing painful and difficult.
And if you have a condition that causes bloating, like IBS, tight clothing may negatively impact your digestion and make symptoms worse, Rauch warns.
Yeast infections
Wearing tight pants, pantyhose, or shapewear can also lead to yeast infections in people with vulvas.
Tight clothing often has little breathability, for one. The risk for infection increases if you sweat in your clothing or don’t change moist workout gear or swimwear promptly.
Nerve entrapment
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Workout performance
According to a 2020 study from the University of Toronto, tight, revealing workout gear may hamper athletic performance in women.
It’s important to note that the study assumes all women are less comfortable in tight, revealing clothing, which certainly isn’t true. Plus, researchers gave participants cognitive tasks to perform, not athletic ones.
The researchers ultimately concluded that, while there’s nothing wrong with tight workout gear, it might not boost your performance like brands say it will.
That said, if you feel most comfortable working out in tight workout clothes, go for it. After all, in specific settings, like yoga classes, loose clothing might actually interfere with your workout.
Breast cancer
A 2016 study suggested there’s a link between wearing a tight bra for many hours a day and greater risk of breast cancer.
But correlation *doesn’t* mean causation. In other words, there’s no evidence to suggest tight bras actually cause cancer.
In fact, the official stance of the
Of course, it’s always best to wear a bra that fits properly, since too-tight bras can lead to:
- chafing
- irritation
- neck, shoulder, and chest pain
A bra that fits will feel comfortable, and it won’t dig into your skin or poke at you.
Occasionally wearing tight clothes likely won’t lead to significant health problems. If you like a fitted look, you don’t have to give it up.
That said, if you repeatedly wear clothing that restricts blood flow and digestion or compresses your nerves, you may end up facing more lasting effects.
The bottom line
Body-hugging clothing can boost your confidence, create a sleeker appearance, and help you move more freely during exercise.
Keep in mind, though, that while tight clothes can highlight your body’s natural shape, they can’t change your body. In some cases, constricting clothing can lead to nerve damage or worsen existing medical problems, like reflux.
Do a mental body scan from time to time to check for discomfort and other signs of too-tight clothing. If you’re unable to draw a full breath, for example, it may be time to consider swapping outfits.
Credit: Healthline