8 Tips To Make Glasses Work For Your Workouts

Whether you’re juggling the demands of family, work, or study amongst everything else going on in your life, we know there are already enough reasons to skip a workout or feel unmotivated from time to time. We’re only human! Fitness feels different for everyone, and the last thing you need is another obstacle to working out, and for many people, wearing glasses can be exactly that. 

The hassle of having your glasses bounce, slip down, fog up, be smeared with sweat, or fall off completely is definitely not a recipe for a good workout, but ditching your glasses altogether can be a real health and safety hazard that will put your eyes under a lot of strain. 

For all the women in the Sweat Community who wear glasses, this one’s for you. Here are some handy tips to make your glasses work for your workouts. 

Invest in a glasses strap or band

This is an easy, affordable and effective solution. Say goodbye to interrupting your workout to fix your glasses every few minutes! There are a range of cords and straps available, and it can help to have one that you can adjust and tighten behind your head to prevent your glasses from moving or falling off. 

The perfect fit

Besides a strap, it can also help to visit your optometrist or eyewear shop and ask for your frames to be refitted. Sometimes, a little tweak is all you need to hold them in place.

Add extra grip!

Another option is adding adjustable ear or nose grips to your glasses or even special wax to your skin if the main issue is your glasses slipping down. If you tend to sweat a lot, a strap may be the better option to hold your glasses in place. 

Try contact lenses

If wearing glasses during your workouts is a real inconvenience or source of frustration, you could consider contact lenses. This will instantly get rid of all the slipping, fogging and adjusting issues, but contacts aren’t for everyone. See what works best for you! 

Some people aren’t comfortable putting contacts in, find them hard to wear or keep in, experience a lot of eye sensitivity or dryness, or forget to take them to the gym. If you have sensitive or dry eyes, keep some contact-safe eye moisturising drops with you, especially when you’re exercising outdoors or inside with fans or air conditioning.

Keep a cloth at the ready

Having a cleaning cloth with you is your best bet for those steamy, sweaty moments when you just can’t see a thing! Remember to keep your cleaning cloth in a pouch or container and replace or wash them regularly - you want to minimise the bacteria going near your eyes and face.

A second sporty set

Many athletes have a pair of glasses specifically for exercising and you can do the same! Pop into your optometrist or eyewear shop and ask about what glasses they have that are designed for sports, running and workouts. 

These types of glasses often have lightweight frames to reduce bouncing and slippage, specific types of glazed lenses that are more durable, or gaps around the temples to allow better air circulation and reduced fogging. 

If you love swimming or cycling, a specialty set is definitely worth considering - you can even buy swimming goggles glazed with your exact prescription!

Care for your specs

After any workout, wash your hands and give your glasses a good clean to remove any sweat or bacteria that may have transferred from your gym equipment, home equipment or hands. Try to be gentle with the arms as well to prevent them from bending out of shape.

Be selective about your workouts

Nothing making a difference? As a last resort, it may help to experiment with different training styles and see which one works best for you. For example, focusing on low-impact workouts such as Low Impact with Kayla Itsines or Low Impact Strength with Kelsey Wells, slower heavy lifting like BUILD, or even Pilates with Sara might mean your glasses bounce and slip much less.

Enjoy your workouts without having to spend half your Sweat session adjusting your specs or worrying about them falling off and getting damaged. You’ve got this!