We鈥檝e all been there. Your workout is over. Maybe you did some yoga or a HIIT session. But you have an errand or prior commitment that you cannot skip…again. Perhaps you’re so exhausted that you don’t feel like moving, let alone going home, peeling off your sweaty clothes, taking a shower, scrubbing down, washing your hair, and maybe shaving all the things if that’s your vibe. It’s all too much, and dread kicks in.

You don鈥檛 feel great about wearing your sweaty clothes (especially yoga pants or leggings), but how bad can it really be to hang out in sweaty clothes for a few hours? The answer: not great.

3 Icky Things Can Happen

Some of us might feel an underlying sense of unease when we鈥檙e unable to hit the showers immediately after class, certain we鈥檙e just asking for a gynecological or dermatological headache. Others may worry about clogging pores or offending our coworkers. We might even chastise ourselves for feeling lazy.

If you just can鈥檛 be bothered, don鈥檛 beat yourself up. Staying in your sweaty yoga pants, leggings, or bike shorts won鈥檛 create a life-altering imbalance. But it could create some, er, discomfort.

1. Fungal Infections on the Genital Area

Let鈥檚 set the record straight: 鈥淪itting around in sweaty yoga pants is not going to cause a yeast infection,鈥� says , an obstetrician-gynecologist. A yeast infection occurs when the bacteria in your vagina are out of balance. Taking antibiotics, pregnancy, or hormonal disturbances, unmanaged diabetes, or having a weakened immune system all contribute to someone’s possibility of getting a yeast infection.

The issue of lounging around in sweaty undies is more of an external one. 鈥淚f you get a skin rash in the external genital area, that could be a fungal infection (officially called vulvar candidiasis),鈥� explains Messore.

2. Pimples or Rashes on the Butt

Acne on the buttocks is often referred to as . Yep. 鈥淚 often see patients who experience skin issues from wearing sweaty, tight-fitting clothing, like yoga pants, for extended periods,鈥� says , a dermatologist in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida. 鈥淚t creates an environment that can trap sweat, oil, and bacteria against your skin.鈥� And that sweat buildup and friction can cause skin irritations such as rashes, breakouts on the butt, even folliculitis, she explains.

A quick primer on the difference. 鈥淧imples may appear more as blackheads or whiteheads,鈥� says Kopelman. 鈥淔olliculitis usually presents as red, inflamed bumps or pustules around hair follicles and can be itchy or tender. While pimples can sometimes become infected, they aren鈥檛 directly related to the hair follicle itself.鈥�

Folliculitis is when hair follicles become inflamed or infected, often due to bacteria, fungi, or friction from tight clothing, whereas pimples form when oil and dead skin cells clog pores, explains Kopelman. None of which is pleasant.

If you鈥檝e ever experienced an ingrown hair or clogged pore in your pelvic area, you know that it makes settling into Warrior 2 or a squat less than pleasant.

3. Smelling Like Sweat

It鈥檚 common knowledge that sweat is the body鈥檚 way of cooling down. But contrary to popular belief, sweat itself doesn鈥檛 necessarily smell. Only certain types of sweat produced by specific glands that have the potential to stink鈥攁nd even then, it鈥檚 but what鈥檚 in the sweat and how it mixes with bacteria on our skin or clothes. So sweat, on its own, is only one piece of the wet clothes puzzle.

Do This Instead of Sitting Around in Sweaty Clothes

Not surprisingly, the amount of time you sit around without changing after class makes a difference.

鈥淭he longer you sit in sweaty clothes, the worse it can be for your skin,鈥� says Kopelman. 鈥淏eyond just body odor, staying in damp workout gear for extended periods (like three hours versus 30 minutes) increases your risk of skin irritation, folliculitis, and even fungal infections. The moisture, bacteria, and friction from tight clothing can lead to more pronounced skin problems over time.鈥�

Wear Moisture-Wicking, Breathable, or Looser-Fitting Clothing

One solution both doctors recommend is moisture-wicking, cotton, and linen clothing that is lighter and more breathable. , a yoga instructor based in Brooklyn, New York, made the switch to flowing fabrics about eight years ago. 鈥淏oth my yoga practice and my teaching career started in hot yoga rooms, so I wore tight shorts and leggings for years. [Now I wear] flowier fabrics, and it is definitely the way to go.鈥� She opts for joggers over wide-leg or harem pants to avoid the nuisance of not getting tangled up in extra fabric during her practice.

Take Off Your Sweaty Clothes ASAP (Especially Your Underwear)

If you can鈥檛鈥攐r, for whatever reason, don鈥檛鈥攕hower immediately after class, Kopelman says the optimal solution is changing out of your workout clothes as soon as possible. 鈥淓ven though many leggings claim to be sweat-wicking, I still recommend changing out of tight-fitting clothing as soon as possible. This helps prevent the buildup of bacteria and friction.鈥�

Even reaching for a towel and drying your sweat can help.聽At a minimum, change your underwear and slip into a loose-fitting pair of pants. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 sweaty enough after a yoga class, I鈥檓 definitely changing or, in times of need, taking off my underwear and in looser pants,鈥� says Rex.

Already found yourself with skin irritation? If you have more than a few pimples or experience persistent, uncomfortable bumps, Kopelman recommends seeing a dermatologist. 鈥淭hese bumps could indicate folliculitis, fungal infections, or other conditions that may require medical treatment to resolve. If the discomfort persists or worsens, professional evaluation is always a good idea.鈥�

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For my daughter鈥檚 third birthday, my mother gifted her a child-size yoga mat as she was aware that her class had learned some basic yoga for kids, including and . (Actually, my daughter practiced Three-Legged Dog, but who am I to argue with a toddler?)

Although I had little confidence that my boisterous child could ever sit still long enough to practice meditation, I appreciated the thought. After I thanked my mother, I rolled up the mat and placed it next to my own, certain it would become another workout tool collecting dust.

I was wrong. It took a few months, but my daughter began gravitating toward her practice. She鈥檇 roll around on the mat and eagerly show me her focus during a wobbling Tree Pose. Of course, there were also times she鈥檇 turn her mat into a bed for her baby dolls. But hey, it was getting mileage!

Then she began to comply when I asked her to take three deep breaths at the end of a meltdown, something we鈥檇 been unsuccessfully practicing for months. She also began to verbalize when she needed space or had an urgent desire to move her body. Was my daughter learning that yoga isn鈥檛 just how we move into shapes but also how we move through our day?

According to , a longtime yoga teacher and mom to a four-year-old, the answer is a resounding yes.

How to Introduce Mindfulness and Yoga to Kids

鈥淚t鈥檚 never too early to introduce mindfulness and compassion,鈥� explains Ravichander, co-founder of in Morrisville, North Carolina. 鈥淲e count to five and inhale, we count to five and exhale. We imagine a happy light inside us. No matter a child鈥檚 age, you can start teaching the yogic principles of nonviolence and emotional management techniques.鈥�

Born in Chennai, India, Ravichander was introduced to yoga early in life as part of her school curriculum. 鈥淵oga is about community connection. We all need that, especially when we鈥檙e young,鈥� she says.

Ravichander advocates for meeting the younger generation exactly where they are. She stresses the importance of encouraging kids to experiment, such as letting them go upside-down and do fun and funky backbends that adults may have a hard time doing. There is a lot of stillness in yoga, but it鈥檚 okay to match kids at their energy level.聽鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to make them sit and meditate, they鈥檒l probably hate it,鈥� she explains.

It鈥檚 also about introducing children to more than yoga鈥檚 physical postures. If you鈥檙e unsure where to start, here are five easy ideas for introducing your child to the principles of yoga. It might not click for them immediately, but as with most things, it鈥檚 the intention that counts.

1. Yoga Mat + Flash Cards

Dappled with whimsical illustrations, this Mindful & Co ($120) introduces something Ravichander refers to as 鈥測oga play.鈥� Each of the 26 flash cards illustrates poses and explains how to put your body in each shape, allowing the cards to meet each child at their age and awareness level. The mat is hypoallergenic and biodegradable, made with recycled tree rubber for a non-slip grip, and has a soft, microfiber suede surface that comes imprinted with an array of likable characters. (And, like all the best kid-friendly products, the mat is machine washable.)

2. Books, Books, and More Yoga Books

Like flash cards, illustrated children鈥檚 books are an accessible way to expose children to the shapes of yoga while helping them connect the practice to the importance of mindfulness. For younger children, Aparna recommends Yoga Bug: Simple Poses for Little Ones and Older children might benefit from another Mariam Gates鈥� book, written specifically for tweens and teens.

3. Yoga Dice Game

There are few better ways to engage kids than with a game. ($17.99) asks them to roll the posture dice to explore a particular pose and the time dice to see how many repetitions to try. Instruction cards explain each pose so even newbies can play. It鈥檚 versatile enough to play in a group, one-on-one, or solo and offers 1,296 possible combinations of how you could practice with 24 poses and 12 cards. It might even be an opportunity for adults to sneak in some movement because what is parenting if not multitasking?

4. Yoga Tonie Learn + Listen

If you鈥檙e unfamiliar with the Tonie Box, it鈥檚 an audio player that connects to a small trinket called a Tonie and plays a curated list of songs or stories. In my home, we鈥檝e been on a steady rotation of Frozen Tonies (one Elsa, one Anna, of course) and I look forward to the moment when we can move onto something more zen, like the Yoga Tonie ($17.99). Through a series of stories, the Yoga Tonie teaches kids about mindfulness, yoga poses, confidence, and friendship. It鈥檚 a fun, screen-free alternative that keeps children engaged as it introduces them to broader yoga basics. And it鈥檚 less likely to play on a loop in your head than 鈥淟et it Go.鈥�

5. Peloton鈥檚 Kid-Friendly Yoga Classes

Longtime yoga and Pilates instructor Kristin McGee recently left Peloton but her joyful spirit lives on in her . These are easy-to-follow classes that introduce yoga poses and gentle movements to children in a playful, digestible manner. Her Fit Family Flow series includes videos as short as 10 minutes and as long as 30 minutes for tweens. My daughter and I especially appreciate these classes on rainy days when we鈥檝e been cooped up without our usual neighborhood stroll.

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