Did you do any shopping in the Black Friday sales? I have to admit I bought a few pieces from ASOS using their 20% off code, both fitness gear and ‘normal’ clothes, plus I’ve been really tempted by the House of Fraser Lorna Jane discounts and Next’s fitness gear sale.
With a few new purchases and some amazing new kit to test for January, my wardrobe is starting to burst at the seams and my shoe drawer is overflowing with trainers (yet I have no sensible ‘smart’ shoes!) I need to make some swaps in my wardrobe. When it comes to trainers I’ve given myself a ‘one in, one out’ rule- whenever I buy a new pair or am sent a pair, I have to get rid of an old pair.
This got me thinking about what to do with my kit, some of which has been worn to death, some of which has only been worn a few times.
What to do with your old fitness kit
- Be a good friend – I give my friends first dibs of my old kit, especially bras (I’m always given small bras which have no hope of fitting!). I love when I turn up to do a class with a friend and they’re in my kit! Not many of my friends are as obsessed about fitness and workout wear as I am, so encouraging them to exercise with me even if I do bribe them with kit is worth it. Do you recognise the top my friend Anna is wearing below from my Puma campaign a few months ago?
- Sell it. Have you ever bought a piece of kit online or in a shop and just not loved it as much when you got home, or worn it once and found it uncomfortable. I’m terrible at returning things in time, especially with places like Fabletics where it’s a mission to send things back, so have started selling some of my kit that I’ve never worn or worn once on Ebay. It doesn’t make much but it all adds up. Leah sold lots of kit before she left the UK last year and used the proceeds to pay for races!
- Donate it. Whether you drop off a bag at your local charity shop, clothing drive or to a charity such as A Mile in Her Shoes, who help women get back on their feet through running and aim to provide kit for all their run club members, they are looking for shoes and clothing in decent condition- especially in larger sizes. Smalls for All accept gently worn bras that they send to women in Africa, along with new knickers – love that they are saying ‘pants to poverty’!
- Get Recycling. If your kit is very well worn and probably isn’t in any condition for someone else to wear then the best bet is to recycle it so that it can be made into something else! There are banks all over London and the UK – use this Recycle locator in the UK, for those in the USA try this one UsAgain.
What do you do with your old clothing/workout gear?
I generally charity shop mine or give stuff that I didn’t get on with to friends and family. My drawers are still bursting at the seams though, and I don’t even get sent anything!
I love the idea of sharing with friends! I’ve changed sizes a lot over the last few years so it would be nice to trade where I need to!
I am very very bad at returning stuff. So if something doesn’t fit, it will stay in my wardrobe until I prepare a bag for charity. Thanks for all the links, I never knew what to do with the bras.
I have far too much kit, and need to have a clear out so will definitely be using some of these ideas! 🙂
I love the idea of donating it – I have quite a few pieces that I would love if someone could get some use out of!
I have way too much kit at the moment and will be donating alot to a program called Girls on the Run here in the USA. The school age girls train for a 5k and many of them can’t afford running clothing.
I’m awful at returning things. It always seems like too much faff. Most of my clothes go to charity. When I lived in our old flat, we never got charity bags through the door, but now we live in a house, we regularly get bags through which is great.