a peek inside my gym bag

I think it's fair to say that I am now a fully fledged gym-goer, I've been a regular now for almost 18 months (never thought I'd see the day!) and so I like to think I've become somewhat of an expert when it comes to packing my gym bag.  I have a set of essentials that I always carry with me, and a few extras that come and go as needed, I walk to work so the less I have to carry the better.
And obviously when you become an expert in something it's only fair to pass on that knowledge right? So today I thought I'd bring you the inner workings of my gym bag, prepare to be amazed...ok, maybe not, it's a gym kit, it's not going to be that exciting, but who knows, you might see something in there that's missing from your kit that will make you completely rethink your whole gym going life.  Ok, I'm talking rubbish now, let's get to it...
First things first, let's talk about the bag, now I know it's not your typical rucksack/gym bag but this does the trick for me.  The Mr bought me this a few years ago for my birthday and it's still going strong.  I can fit all my essentials in, it's easy to carry and it's waterproof, so it's a no brainer for sweaty gym clothes and damp towels.  Cath Kidston knows what she's doing when it comes to bag designing.

And then there's the obvious, my actual gym kit.  I have my new (and very loved!) Nike trainers, I actually have a few pairs of trainers which I switch between.  I work out around 5 or 6 times a week, and I've heard that it's good to mix up which ones you wear to give the soles a break and time to bounce back.  But when you've got a pair this pretty, it's hard not to come back to the same ones all the time. 
Sports bra? Check.  Leggings? Check.  Vest? Check.  Sometimes I chuck in a pair of shorts too, weather and workout dependent.  On a Tuesday I do a couple of classes, one of which is hot yoga, the less clothing I can wear the better, so I usually carry a couple of extra pieces of kit so I can mix up my outfit, workout dependent.  

Oh, and socks.  Socks are vital.  I learnt this last night.  Somehow, I'd forgotten to pack a pair (and I try to call myself an expert!) so I went sockless to a circuits class, I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't an enjoyable experience.

Then of course we have the essential female maintenance.  A selection of bobble options, your standard elastic, for high intensity workouts, and then the Invisibobble which I like to use for lunch time workouts so my hair isn't kinked when I go back to the office.  (By the way, I am an invisibobble convert, I love these things, let me know if you'd like a post on them!)
A towel of some sort is essential, for the obvious.  And then a cosmetics bag full of goodies to attempt to make myself look almost normal again if I'm heading back to the office, so I usually keep a deodorant, a body spray (good ol' Impulse, still living in the 90s!) a hair brush, and a few bits of make up to try and hide the red face.

As the majority of my workouts are classes, I'm tied to a time, so if I get held up in a meeting then I'll miss my class. If I've got myself in the mindset that I am going to do some sort of exercise that day, then I get pretty annoyed if I can't make it to the class I'd planned so I always carry my phone holder and ear phones so if the worst comes to the worst, I can go for a run.  Now you all know that's never my first choice, and will always be avoided if possible, but at least having these things with me means I never have an excuse not to get out and do something...yes, I really am that committed, it's almost depressing.
My trusty fitbit goes everywhere with me, I actually wear it all the time so it's  never in my gym bag but as an essential part of my kit, I couldn't leave it out.  If you've been thinking about a fitbit, I would HIGHLY recommend, I use the fitbit charge hr and have had it for just over a year now, it definitely encourages me to move my ass if I'm having a lazy sofa day.

And last, but not least, and the most important in my books, the snacks and supplies!  The majority of my workouts, I do straight after work at around 6pm.  I can't get through a whole day of work, and a workout without something to keep me going, especially if I'm not going to be eating my tea until about 8, so I always carry some goodies so I know I've got something to keep me going, and these square bars are rocking my world right now (I even dedicated a whole post to raving about them!).
 
Of course there's a water bottle in there too, I couldn't manage most of my workouts without this.  I always carry water in my gym kit but this particular bottle is a newbie, it's a Joseph Joseph product and I will be doing a whole blog post on it soon.  It's got a fancy little dot device, which helps you keep tabs on how much you've drank in a day, so keep your eyes peeled for that coming soon. 
So there you have it, this has actually turned into a pretty epic post, so I'm hoping you're still with me and I haven't bored you too much.  If you have made it this far, let me know if you'll be mixing up your gym bag since reading this, or if you think I'm missing anything crucial, but surely with this much stuff, the only thing I'm missing is the kitchen sink, right?