WHAT’S IN MY GYM BAG!? Beauty, Snacks & Essentials

Well hellloooooo guys! I thought it would be cool to do a “what’s in my gym bag” post. I don’t like carrying purses, but I love me a good gym bag (it’s pretty much my second home). I’m one of those girls who lives in my active wear. I hate dressing up unless I absolutely have to so that prompts me to use my gym bag as my main bag. Idk if that’s sad or good but #FITLIFE.

Jump rope. If I’m not in the mood to get on a cardio machine, which is pretty much almost every time I’m at the gym, I whip this bad boy out and jump for about 10 minutes; long enough to get my muscles warm and get my heart rate up. A good way to mix up a jump rope routine is to do double leg jumps, single leg jumps, and alternating leg jumps. Jump roping is good for your lymphatic system, tones muscles and creates definition, and it builds stamina. You can get a full body workout in just 15 minutes.

Resistance band. I use this in the gym to up my workouts, especially my booty and hamstring workouts. I place the band just above my knees and I’ll do body weight plyometric exercises with it. 

Ankle weights. I also use these to up my workouts. I’ll sometimes put them on while I’m jumping rope to increase the intensity, or I’ll wear them while running on the treadmill, which isn’t very often because I’m a fan of scenic runs. (WARNING: this will make your gym bag a little heavy, user discretion is advised)

Gym gloves. I am a free weights kinda gal. I’m not a huge fan of machines at the gym but I still use them sometimes. If you use free weights too you know how tough they can be on your hands, like leaving calluses from the weight handle rubbing against your skin. Lifting weights with gloves makes lifting SO much easier.

Yoga block. I never know when I’m going to be able to take a yoga class at the gym since I never have a set schedule but I always make sure to have this in my bag just in case there’s one going on while I’m there. You might be asking yourself “why does she need a yoga block?” Well my frens, I am not that flexible yet and sometimes I have to modify the poses. 

Gold’s Gym waist trimmer. NO this is not one of those corset waist shapers that women are beginning to use now. I honestly just use this to raise my core temperature to make sure my core muscles stay engaged throughout the workout. That in turn keeps my stomach slim because it makes me sweat A LOT.

At the gym, I like to keep my beauty regime quick, simple, fresh and easy after a workout. I have a busy schedule so sometimes I have to squeeze my workout into a random part of my day and have to be somewhere soon after it and I can’t allow myself to go anywhere looking dusty. What makes this gym skin care routine so easy for me is the fact that I don’t wear make up, only because I don’t know how to do it though. 

Yes to Miracle Oil Primrose Oil Facial Wipes. I sweat a lot on my face when I workout so I always always always make sure I keep this in my bag. These deep cleaning wipes help to calm and soothe my skin, and leaves it hydrated, smooth and glowing by taking off all the dirt and impurities left behind after a workout.  

Heritage Store rosewater mist. It’s a great skin refresher and it feels good to spray this on my face afterwards. It cools my skin, which is great because I’m always super hot after I workout.

Summer’s Eve aloe love cleansing cloths. These are the perfect way to freshen up post-workout and they’re the perfect pick me up. (I honestly think gym showers are disgusting and I always will wait to shower at home unless it’s just absolutely necessary for me to shower at the gym) *Ladies, these are honestly a necessity in every bag that you own.

Witch Hazel and cotton pads.Sometimes my face needs a little more than a wipe down with the facial wipes. Witch hazel sweeps away dirt and oils so sometimes I’ll use this before the primrose oil facial wipes. I apply the witch hazel onto a cotton pad and wipe my entire face until the cotton pad comes back clear of dirt (using different pads each time of course).

Schmidt’s rose + vanilla natural deodorant. I don’t think I need to explain why you need deodorant lol, y’all know why. But this is my favorite deodorant EVER! I’ll never use another. 

Now for my favorite component, SNACKS! If I’m hungry I can’t go hard in the gym. So just in case I do get hungry I always have some sort of food item in my bag for a pre-workout snack, and most importantly post-workout snacks/beverages.

I’ll always either have:

• An RX bar (12 g protein)
• A starkist tuna pouch (17 g protein) and a ziplock bag full of crackers
• Power crunch protein energy bar (14 g protein)
• Dairy free cookies ‘n crème muscle milk (25 g protein)
• 1 cup almonds (30 g protein)
• Shaker bottle with the protein powder already in it (23 g protein) I use a vegan chocolate protein

MOST IMPORTANT ITEM!

Notebook. I consider myself very old school because I prefer to write everything down in a notebook, such as my meal prep ideas, thoughts, and in this case my workouts. I find that my workouts are more structured and systematic when I have it prewritten versus just showing up at the gym with no plan. It gives me great anxiety to not have this notebook with me, it has all my workouts in it.

Miscellaneous items.

Perfume.

Tissues.

Anti-bacterial wipes. The gym is full of germs so I make sure to always wipe down everything I brought onto the gym floor, especially my phone.

Lotion.

Hair ties.

Headphones.

Extra pair of clothes if I need it that day.

Foam roller. If you know you’re going to go super hard in the gym, bring a foam roller. There is nothing worse than having knots in your muscles, they HURT! It might not fit into your bag though, I carry mine in my arms

Alrighty guys that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this post and that it will serve as a helpful guide for anyone wanting to perfect their gym bag.