What is the best underwear for exercise (or yoga) in 2020?

Who knew there was such a thing as “exercise undies”?! Yes, it is a thing, and choosing the right pair of undies for your exercise regime, whether it be the gym or a yoga session, is actually more important (and complicated) than you think. Having the wrong pair can send your lady parts into a little bit of a fluster (i.e. bacterial infections, UTIs and the like) or distract you so much from what you were there to do in the first place – exercise. Life’s too short to think about your undies, so we hope we can make the complex simple, and round up the best, most perfect pair that will tick all your boxes (no pun intended).

• Comfort: This is the number one most important consideration when it comes to exercise underwear (or active undies as we like to call them). You want undies that don’t dig, roll, ride, bunch, wedge... (the list goes on). They need to feel like you aren’t wearing anything at all down there. So, basically they need to be invisible undies.

• The material of your undies: “Bacteria and yeast tend to grow in warm, moist places. I hate to use that word because I don’t like it, but it’s true.” Says Scott Osmun, a board-certified OB-GYN physician at BloomOB-GYN in Washington, D.C. He added, “Any extra moisture in the vaginal area can definitely promote yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis.” That’s why the actual material of your undies and specifically the lining’s material is really important to keep those lady parts healthy. You want underwear that is breathable, moisture-wicking (i.e. they absorb any sweat) and also quick-drying. Materials such as cotton are breathable but don’t dry quickly. Meaning if you sweat, your undies will stay moist and could become a health risk. Spandex and other synthetic materials are quick-drying but often aren’t breathable. You need to get the right combo between the actual underwear and the inner underwear lining to get the best of both worlds. We recommend synthetics for the actual underwear (which also helps with movement. See our next point), but with an ultra-thin cotton lining which is breathable, will absorb moisture, but won’t stay wet for long (example, Yellow Willow Active Undies).

• Undies that move with your body during exercise: Your underwear needs to be designed for movement, working with your body as it stretches, squats, kicks and bends. They need to have adequate stretch and give for comfort, but also stay in place. We recommend underwear that are made from spandex and synthetic materials which will give you the ultimate level of comfort, no matter your shape or position.

• VPL free: Tight leggings call for some seamless, VPL-free undies. Life’s too short to be distracted during your downward dog as to whether the yogi behind you can see your undies. Opt for seamless undies that are invisible for the wearer and to the observer. The right seamless undies should give you a smooth shape that will remain in place, no matter your pose or position.

• Feel good, supportive undies: We all have a pair of those (usually old) flimsy undies that feel like they hang off you. Not usually our favorite pair! Like the right pair of firm, supportive exercise leggings, it’s nice to have undies that feel firm and secure all around. Not only to give you a nice shape but to feel like everything is nicely ‘kept in’ (especially if you have had kids, it’s nice to feel secure in your lady region). The challenge with this is that those undies which make you feel secure (such as cotton undies) often do so via tight materials which often dig into your shape or don’t move with your body during exercise. Take a look at Yellow Willow’s Buddhi Briefs – secure and firm, yet don’t dig in as you move.

• Undies you love to wear: When you exercise, you want to feel good, great in fact. The better you feel, the harder you’ll work out and the more you’ll enjoy it. You want to feel motivated and positive when you exercise. Most of us choose undies to match our day. A quiet night in after a hectic week might call for your comfy granny undies. A night on the town or a hot date might call for something a little more revealing and sexy. For exercise, choose a pair of undies which give you a little hi-five for the day – undies which make you feel good about yourself and your body. Yellow Willow’s undies range are great – they have a little motivational message on each pair (you never know which ones you’ll get!) which will be sure to give you that pep in your step.

Going commando solves many of these problems quite easily, however, experts say that going commando isn’t always great for your lady parts. But if prefer to go commando, according to Osmun, “it’s absolutely safe to not wear underwear when you exercise.” Unsanitary and bacterial infections are “the two main things patients are concerned about with exercise,” so, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when selecting your athleisure. Like your undies, “one of the most important things when someone exercises is to choose material that is better for wicking away moisture,” Osmun said. “Additionally, you want to make sure that what you’re wearing is thick enough so you don’t get any bacteria that’s on a seat at the gym,” as Dr. Raquel Dardik, an OB-GYN at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Greatist in 2015.

So, which undies tick all the boxes? Yellow Willow Invisible Active Undies. The Invisible Active Undies range was designed by Yellow Willow founder, Jess Incledon after she couldn’t find any undies perfect for exercise to meet all the important criteria above. Her cotton undies (although comfy) weren’t moisture-wicking, didn’t move with her body during exercise and gave her a VPL which took away from the exercise experience. Her stretchy undies were made from cheap, synthetic materials that weren’t breathable and didn’t hold their shape – and after a wash or two ended up being a flimsy piece of material. She designed her Active Undies range to be the perfect pair of underwear. Check them out here…