Recently, I started working out two mornings at a week. When 4:30am hits, I consistently want to hit snooze but the benefits of getting my workout done for the day before 6am motivates me to crawl out of bed.
However, morning workouts mean getting ready for the day at the gym, something that is new to me. I have almost perfected my routine and all the essentials to pack in my bag. Here is my Top 10 list of gym bag essentials.
1) Dry shampoo – There are two types of women in this world: those who love dry shampoo and those who are confused and maybe even put off by it. I love it and encourage everyone to get their hair accustomed to not washing it daily. Dry shampoo will speed up your routine by not washing it and will help also make it look like you didn’t just spent the last hour sweating.
2) Shower Cap – This actually speeds up my routine in the shower because I am not being overly cautious trying to keep my hair out of the water.
3) BB cream – I am always rushing to get out the door and head to work so I can’t spend time with extra beauty steps. I recently discovered that BB cream (a tinted moisturizer) is 3-steps in one. My favorite is the Neutrogena Visibly Even.
4) Flip Flops – You don’t necessarily know who was stepping on that shower floor before you.
5) Large lingerie bag – I got mine at the Dollar Store! It’s perfect because all your sweaty clothes can go straight into the washing machine. No more pulling gross clothes from a plastic bag each evening.
6) Towels – Not all gyms provide towels. I bring a bath sized and then use my workout towel to then step on as I am getting ready and to then wrap up my flip flops in so they don’t go into my bag wet.
7) Extra emergency clothing items – You do not want to be getting ready and realize you don’t have underwear. I keep two extra pairs of socks/underwear and even a bra (just one I was going to toss otherwise) for those mornings where you realize you were not as organized as you thought. Bonus- keep a pair of shoes in your car just in case you forget to pack that. Have you ever seen someone in a professional outfit with running shoes? My guess is they are a morning workout person that forget shoes.
8) Odor balls – I got these on Amazon and they are a life saver. I stick one in each shoe and one in my gym bag. I no longer dread opening up my gym bag every evening when I get home.
9) Gym cosmetic bag – Just like I keep extras of things like socks, I also have double of my cosmetics that always stay in the gym bag. It was way too time consuming unpacking and re-packing it all, and I found myself often forgetting essentials like mascara. Any time I get a sample of makeup or something I like but don’t love, that goes into my gym cosmetic bag.
10) Lock – Lock up your stuff. Enough said.
11) Headphones (yes, this is 11 and not 10) – I cannot work out without music. Essential.
Here is Stephanie showing you exactly what she’s got in her bag:
What are your gym bag essentials?
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