Gym and Pajama Capsule Updates, Accessories, and Packing Plans

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It’s been a while since I laid out what I have for gym clothes, pajamas, and accessories, and since I’m starting to plan my packing for Germany again, I thought I’d take a look. Here’s my 19-item gym capsule:

Okay. So, the top row is my cold weather running outfit: Under Armour base layer top and leggings, water-resistant hoodie, and RBX top layer joggers. Everything’s lined in fleece and works in really cold conditions. I don’t know if I’ll really need this full outfit for Germany since it tends to be milder there, and we’re back home by the beginning of December. But the hoodie and top are good layering pieces and the leggings and joggers are good on their own. Next are my sports bras and T-shirts: I’ll bring 3 bras for alternate running days, and all the T-shirts since I plan on working out 6 days a week. I’ll be doing the pajama top/gym top mash-up where I wear one shirt to bed and then work out in it the next day- there are 4 of each, so 8 total. Then we have my other leggings and pants: The first pair are definitely good for fall weather since they are really long and cover my ankles. The next pair are too cropped, the Under Armour ones are too thin, and the sweatpants are really only for layering in winter. I don’t think I’ll need anything more than 3 pairs: the cold-weather leggings and joggers and the long navy leggings (I tend to re-wear leggings 2 days in a row since I don’t sweat much on alternate weight-lifting days). And then there’s my fleece which is too bulky to pack, so I’ll just stick with the hoodie instead. The 3/4 sleeve sweatshirt is pretty useless and I’m not sure why I own it. And then, the absolute necessity, my running shoes.

Next up, gym accessories: I don’t think I’ll need the top-layer mittens, but I’ll probably need the rest.

And now onto pajamas- 20 pieces in all:

First off, there are my 4 pajama tops- those will be added to the 4 gym tees and worn for both sleep and working out. The tank tops and shorts can stay home, as well as the slippers. I have 2 sleep hoodies; I might bring the black one since it can be chilly in the apartment in Germany. And I think the grey striped pants and the two navy joggers will be sufficient for bottoms, so I’ll leave the pink pants and the taupe wide-leg pants behind.

And the last category I want to address is accessories. I don’t think anything has changed since I last posted about these, but here’s a recap and my thoughts on what to pack.

First we have scarves and winter accessories:

I think the blush Calvin Klein logo scarf (top left) will be the only one I bring on the trip, although I am toying with the idea of bringing a fancy one for opening night. For hats, I think I’ll just go with the pupley-grey wool one (bottom right).

I’ll be bringing the one men’s black belt (top left) and I’m kind of wondering if I will ever wear the other two. Maybe I’d better wait to see what pants I’m wearing before I remove those options. For handbags, the standard navy purse and my backpack will both be packed (and probably brought as carry-ons).

I think that covers it. Packing really makes it clear what my most-worn pieces are, and it makes me think about downsizing and going a little more minimal. But I feel like I have to wait until my weight settles before I get rid of anything- it’s kind of hard to predict what categories will suddenly start dwindling as things stop fitting. Like my pajama tank tops that are way too big in the arm holes, or my belts that only work with certain kinds of pants, at a certain weight, and have smaller counterparts in storage.

It’s much easier to be a minimalist when you stay the same size all the time. No one really talks about this. The other minimalists usually say to get rid of everything that doesn’t fit right now, but that just doesn’t make sense for me. I mean, I’m getting rid of the bigger clothes as my weight goes down and they no longer fit, but I still have all this perfectly good stuff that I know will work in the future.

Or am I just kidding myself? That stuff is from 2 years ago and I might not even like wearing it anymore. My recent try-on sessions have certainly made me start thinking about this. Can you ever really go back to what you wore before?