You live an active lifestyle, and you want to make sure your wedding ring and other jewelry can keep up. You want to keep yourself in the best shape possible, but the same goes for your ring and special jewelry! Maybe you’ve seen other people wear jewelry at the gym, but you want to make sure you’re making the ideal choice for your lifestyle.
What to Consider Beforehand
What Type of Workout Are You Doing?
This is going to be a big one. Some workouts lend themselves much more to wearing jewelry than others. If you’re just doing low-impact, steady-state cardio, it’s probably not a big deal to wear a durable tungsten wedding band while working out. If, on the other hand, you’re doing some intensive powerlifting or CrossFit, different rules will apply.
Is It Really Important Enough to Leave Your Jewelry on at All Times?
Look, if you want to wear a wedding ring to try to mitigate weirdos coming up to you and trying to hit on you at the gym, fair enough. If that’s the case, well, do what you gotta do. Other than that, though, do you really need to wear your jewelry while working out? We can’t answer that one for you, so consider it for yourself before moving forward.
Is It Okay to Wear Jewelry While Working Out?
If you just want the short answer, it’s pretty simple. Technically, you can, but it’s really just not a good idea. Gold pieces can be worn while working out, but gold is a soft metal, so do you really want to do that? Most people sure won’t. Really tough metals can also be worn, but again, do you really want to?
Here are a few reasons if you’re curious to know why you should leave your jewelry at home.
Long-Term Wear and Tear
Look, it should come as no surprise that routinely wearing your jewelry to the gym will have adverse effects on its long-term health. The build-up of sweat and small scratches or chips is going to shorten its useful lifespan.
It’s not just long-term wear and tear you have to worry about, either. You can accidentally do short-term damage to your jewelry and end up giving it a large scratch or even breaking it. Sure, that’s likely the exception, not the rule, but it’s really worth keeping in mind.
Increased Cleaning Frequency
If cleaning your jewelry is sort of a Zen experience for you, then so be it. Other than that, though, it’s just going to be one more chore to add to the list. While you can do a pretty simple DIY home cleaning regimen, it’s just another thing to do. While you could get your ring cleaned professionally or buy a ready-to-use ring cleaning kit, the expenses can add up.
You Might Just Lose It
Seriously, if nothing else, you could lose your jewelry if you have it with you at the gym. While it’s unlikely you’ll lose it mid-workout, it’s possible to lose it in the locker room or leave it on the counter in the bathroom. Really any number of concerns come to the forefront of mind. Unfortunately, it also could be stolen in any of these scenarios as well, so it may not be worth wearing your jewelry to work out.
Certain Jewelry Can Be a Safety Hazard
This one is mostly mitigated by common sense, but not completely. Dangly jewelry that doesn’t fit close to the body can be a genuine hazard to your health while working out. Any jewelry that isn’t close-fitting can get caught on a barbell or snag on a machine handle. The options are really limitless.
Those concerns don’t just go for dangly jewelry, though. While that’s a much bigger hazard, it’s not impossible for your ring to get caught on something. It’s quite unlikely, yes, but not impossible. Metal rings weren’t made to break, and some of the most durable rings out there are next to impossible to break. Again, this is a low-likelihood scenario, but it’s just not completely out of the question.
Still Want to Wear Jewelry While Working Out?
If it’s that important to you, you can. Just keep these considerations in mind before committing to the idea.
Your Jewelry Is More Susceptible to Long-Term Damage
It’s not a question of whether it will or won’t. It will. In fact, that’s a guarantee. Of course, it’s a question of how much damage, and the answer may be “very minimal.” That being said, any damage that can be avoided is obviously better for your jewelry’s overall lifespan.
For those doing more intensive workouts, the long-term damage is going to be greater and more compounded. If you like the idea of your jewelry having some scratches that tell the story of your fitness journey, or something along those lines, then have at it. If that’s not your romantic ideal, maybe leave the jewelry at home.
It Can Be a Safety Risk
We said it before, but it’s worth saying again. There’s just an added risk anytime you wear jewelry to the gym. Yes, that risk depends on the jewelry and the type of workout you’re doing, but it’s important that you know the risks and are aware of how to mitigate them.
How About a Silicone Ring?
Silicone rings are the best of both worlds: equal parts public declaration of love and safe jewelry to work out in. A silicone ring is inexpensive while still coming in a variety of stylish colors. Best of all, the ring can break easily if something goes wrong and keep your hand safe.
Silicone rings don’t solve the problem of wearing a necklace or bracelet to work out, but we really suggest you skip those anyway.
At the end of the day, you have to make an informed decision for yourself. Even if you’re used to wearing your everyday jewelry, well, every day, it’s just rarely a good decision to wear it while working out.
