For many of us, going to the gym isn’t just something that we do to stay fit: it’s an event in itself. There’s nothing quite like rocking up to your local sports club with a bag full of goodies to help make the experience a little more exciting. Your gym bag doesn’t have to be just a satchel full of essentials: you can make it a veritable Mary Poppin’s style hamper, full of all the latest equipment, clothes, and much more.
So, what’s in your gym bag? Or what should be in it? Let’s take a look.
A Refillable, Auto-Filtering Water Bottle
The days of going to the vending machine and helping yourself to an energy drink in a disposable bottle are over. Modern gymgoers are looking for more sustainable solutions.
The trend today is towards reusable drinks bottles, but not just any old variety. Top-of-the-line models now come with special filters that strain out all of the junk in regular tap water, providing a better flavor. Most filters can remove heavy metals, chlorine, and viruses.
Hearables
When Apple released its wireless Bluetooth earbuds, it created a bit of a sensation in the fitness industry. All of a sudden, people realized that they could go to the gym without wearing headphones with wires attached to the phone in their pocket. Instead, they could get their devices to send signals via Bluetooth directly to their ears, enjoying their music without annoying cords getting in the way of exercise.
Today, the range of hearable products on the market is nothing short of remarkable. Several manufacturers have entered the space and are looking for new ways to create better audio-driven devices, including stuff like health monitoring and gesture control. These should definitely be a part of your ideal gym kit.
A Dirty Packaging Cube
Working out is a messy business. Inevitably, you work up a sweat, which makes your clothes damp and smelly when you put them away in your bag. Fortunately, there’s a solution: use a clean-dirty packaging cube – a device that divides your bag into compartments. All you do is insert the cube, and all of a sudden, you have just what you need to stop moisture from passing from your soaking wet t-shirt to your fresh Hanes Supreme socks.
Hand Sanitizer
When you go to a public gym, you have to touch equipment that dozens of other people have handled since the last time somebody wiped it down. There’s a good chance that a good chunk of them won’t have washed their hands either.
Instead of imbibing all of their bacteria, carry some hand sanitizer with you in your gym bag. Squirt a little on your hands at the end of your workout, killing off any bugs that might have accumulated on your skin during the session.
A Spare Bag Of Toiletries
For many of us, going to the gym is something that we shoehorn into our regular busy schedule. Most of the time, we’re working, but then for an hour or so a day, we have a chance to hit the gym and get some exercise.
The plan usually works out fine until we suddenly realize that we need a shower before that boardroom meeting, and we’ve run out of toiletries. Pro gym-goers, therefore, always carry a spare set of toiletries in their bags at all times. Remember to include things like shower gel, soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, antiperspirant, and any shaving equipment you might need.
Fuel For Your Workout
If you work out, you need to fuel your body in the right way. Many people eat nothing between breakfast and going to the gym, but that’s a recipe for disaster. The body needs fuel to operate at its best.
Fortunately, there are now a plethora of products on the market, designed to give you a quick boost before you hit the weights.
For instance, you can now get “pre-workouts,” which contain all of the nutrients and energy that your body needs to hit the weights hard. You can also get energy gels and other snacks that you can easily store in your gym bag, creating a minimal mess.
Sweat Bands
While sweatbands had their heyday in the 1990s, there’s no reason why you can’t bring them back. After all, they’re a handy piece of kit to have in your bag.
Sweatbands are at their most useful when you’re doing intense aerobic exercise. If you’re at a spin class, it’s your perfect weapon to fight beads of sweat running down your face, which can cause your makeup to run.
Flip Flops
Many seasoned gymgoers now pack a pair of flip flops in their gym bag to wear in the shower. Despite the efforts of gym cleaning staff, shower floors aren’t always the cleanest, so wearing a pair of flip flops puts a barrier between you and the potentially harmful bacteria lurking on the floor.
A Dehumidifying Agent
The chances are that you’ll be putting a lot of damp clothing in your gym bag. While you can get away with it a couple of times, eventually mold and fungi will move in, and your satchel will forever have an unpleasant funk that you can’t shake.
Fortunately, there’s a solution – silica packs. The food industry has been using these in its packaging for many years. They suck up the moisture from the surrounding atmosphere, keeping the contents of your bag smelling fresh, even if you store sweaty gym clothes in it overnight.
Foot Spray
Like it or not, your sneakers will begin to smell over time if you wear them every day for the gym. The good news, however, is that there is something you can do about it: buy foot spray. Just spray the insides of your trainers when you take them off to prevent any nasty, smelling bacteria from taking hold.
No doubt, there is much more stuff that you could put in your gym bag. These were just some helpful ideas to get you started. Have fun in the gym!