Most men don’t understand, but a woman’s handbag is her secret weapon to always look her best.
As women are becoming more and more active, their gym bag has now gained the same priority (if not beginning to overtake…)
Proven by the appearance of more and more Sweaty Betty, Lulu Lemon, Nike bags next to the more classical Prada, Chanel and Gucci on the High Street.
The key to staying on track with your active aspirations is being prepared, and having a carefully curated gym bag is one way you can OWN your active life.
Yes, in my gym bag there is EVERYTHING; since on a normal day I leave home pretty early in the morning and come back relatively late in the evening after a full day of group classes, private sessions and blog posts writing, you could think of it more like my “portable-office”.
So knowing how important is leaving the house prepared and organized, I made a list of my very own gym bag essentials, which I’d never leave without.
First of all you will need a bag: my Sweaty Betty gym bag is large enough to hold my 13” computer, everything on this list, and more. You can also carry a Yoga mat on the bottom and it will still look cool and trendy.
- Active Wear: Well, there’s no workout without workout clothes, or a change of active wear (in my case maybe even more than 1). You will need your leggings, tops, tanks, fitness gloves and of course your training shoes. When it comes to active wear I always recommend to choose something that makes you feel comfortable with your figure, as well as fashionable. Why would you choose to feel confident and feminine only while sitting at your desk?
- Healthy snacks:Chances are that after/before the workout you will feel hungry. Leave the house prepared with some healthy, refuelling snacks, so you won’t fall in naughty temptation on your way back to the office.
Hydrate: Water bottle is definitely an essential of my gym bag. Most of fitness places overcharge
for a bottle of water and let’s be honest: drinking directly from the water fountain is neither convenient or elegant. Since a session at Psycle makes me sweat a lot, afterwards I dissolve a tablet of electrolytes in my water bottle to replenish my body with the lost salts and minerals. Therefore my NUUN tub is definitely another essential of my gym bag (cherry flavour…and caffeine enhanced of course!).
- Smell Fresh Essentials: Deodorant. I personally use Soft&Gentle, smells lovely and doesn’t leave that annoying white mark after application. Gums or Mints are another must-have in my gym bag, to keep that breath smelling minty fresh!
- Music: If I train alone good tunes help motivate me and push a little harder. So I’d make sure inthe bag there are always my Beats Headphones and my Sweaty Betty iPhone holder.If you need some playlist inspiration follow my profile on Spotify: 4fitnessake.
- Portable Smartphone Charger: We all know that the smartphone battery life is anything but long-lasting, so to avoid disappointment and being
unable to play my favourite music (or record mini video of my exercise routine) I always carry a portable charger. For very fun and colourful looks, I really recommend Mimoco power tubes (the Conran Shop).
- All things Hair Management: If there’s something that really annoys me is having my hair down, or coming down, in front of my face all wet and sweaty during an intense exercise routine. To prevent this to happen I’d always make sure to have my hair ties, clips, bands and sometimes my cap.
- Beauty Essentials: My Rimmel waterproof mascara of course, is on the top of the list. I am not a huge fan of make up, but I could never leave home without mascara. EOS Lip Balm is closed second: consider yourself warned! with their cute colours selection and the different flavours will get you addicted in no time!
- The After-Workout Essentials: The Sweaty Betty bag has a very useful waterproof pouch, where to put your dirty smelly clothes after use. If your bag doesn’t have that feature, I’d very likely bring a waterproof bag for my laundry. I always make sure I bring my travel-size CW Shampoo and Conditioner and my Mio Skincare Hydrating oil for after showering. After all that sweat the skin needs to be re-hydrated too. To manage my crazy hair I use the Tangle Teezer Brush, practical and very useful to detangle the matted mess under the first layer of hair.
- Recovery: You could leave it for later and soak in a magnesium bath when you will get home, but to be really fair… if you come home late and you had your shower and your hair done already, why should you get wet AGAIN? That’s when Magnesium Spray becomes convenient into your gym bag.You can apply it on your muscles straight after shower and it will help recovery, making you feel not-too-sore the day after.
Did I miss any of your workout essentials in my list? Use the section below to leave a comment.
