5 Gym Bag Essentials
Hi my beautiful BFFs, hope you are all having a wonderful day. This blog post is for all of you going to the gym or considering going to the gym on a regular basis. Yes peeps, I might not be ultra muscular, but I do consider myself a gym rat. During a good week, you can find me in the gym on at least four days. I mix up cardio and weights and try to challenge myself each time. Often, when I leave the gym, I look like I've just stepped out of the shower because of my sweat-drenched hair and body. I'm not one of those girls who thinks the gym is for socializing. When going to the gym, I check my hair, makeup and all that other girlie stuff at the door. I'm all about business! My gym bag becomes my lifeline and holds everything I need in the gym. If you're thinking of starting a regular workout routine, knowing which essentials you should always have in your gym bag will come in handy. As a newbie, you might be forgetting some important things, but hopefully my list of gym bag essentials can help prevent that.
1. Towels
Always pack several towels in your gym bag. One is not enough! You need a towel to wipe off the machines before and after using them and another towel to wipe sweat from your face and body. Never use the same towel for both purposes, because the germs from the machine will have a field day on your skin. (You don't want to break out or get an infection). Mark one towel with an X so you know that's your 'machine towel'.
2. Water
It's essential to drink water before, during and after exercising. Dehydration can seriously effect your workout. According to WebMD, dehydration can make you lethargic, dizzy and trigger muscle cramps just to name a few. They recommend drinking up to 20 ounces of water about two hours before your workout, about 10 ounces of water 15 minutes before exercising and 8 ounces of aqua after every 15 minutes of exercise. Of course it can differ depending on the intensity of your workout, but the message here is listen to your body and "drink your water!" (I avoid using gym water fountains)
3. Gloves
I used to lift weights without wearing workout gloves. Then one day, I discovered hard, rough skin developing on my hands. Now my workout gloves are a staple in my gym bag. Not only do they protect your hands, they also give you a secure grip on the weight so it doesn't slip. No worries girls, gloves are not masculine and as you can see in the pic, they even have cute pink ones.
4. Music
If I don't have my music with me in the gym, I might as well stay home. Music helps to put me in the right mood and distracts me so I forget about the exertion and just go with the flow. When doing cardio, an upbeat tune can really motivate me to give my all. You can all too often find me in the gym lip syncing to my music or bobbing my head to the beat. I just use my phone with my music playlist on it and a headset.
5. Hand Sanitizer
Most gyms have hand sanitizing stations on the walls. However, sometimes the sanitizer dispenser might be empty. This is why you should always carry some hand sanitizer in your gym bag. Don't let gym germs get the better of you. Also, regularly wash your hands with warm water and soap.
There are many more gym bag essentials, but the ones mentioned above are the most common ones that everyone should use whether male or female. Do you have any gym bag essentials that you can't do without? Sharing is caring....Sound off in the comments below. xo