7 items you MUST have in your gym bag | [Win $100 Rebel Sport Voucher]

Have you ever been to the gym and later realised that you were just not prepared for some reason or another? If you’re anything like me you would have rocked up to the gym only to discover you didn’t have a drink bottle, hair tie, or even your socks at least one time in your life.

It’s for times like these that I thought I would put together my list of the 7 Items you MUST have in your gym bag! Just leave them in your gym bag and you’ll never again need to worry about one of those tricky situations like getting to the gym and realising ‘that time of the month’ came a little earlier than expected, or that you forgot your ipod and now have to listen to the grunters in your gym grunt (I’m sure you all have at least one of them!).

I haven’t included things like a towel and bodywash as I personally don’t shower at the gym, if this is something you do regularly then obviously these should be staples in your gym bag as well. Don’t forget to read to the end to be in to WIN!

7 Items you MUST have in your gym bag

// Water Bottle
Past readers of the blog should not be surprised at my inclusion of a drink bottle as I always bang on about how important it is to keep yourself hydrated. For new readers I always talk about how important water is because our bodies are made up of over 60% water, which is huge! It is also an area where many people either forget to drink water to hydrate themselves or they hype themselves up on coffee or energy drinks which make you dehydrated rather than drinking water to hydrate you. Leave an empty drink bottle in your gym bag, whether it’s a plastic bottle or a proper drink bottle is completely up to you. Any gym I’ve ever been in always has at least one drinking fountain which you can fill up at the start of your workout.

// Hair Ties
I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to tighten my pony tail up at the gym only to see my hair tie fly off in a different direction as I have broken it! I have on more than one occasion gone to the gym desk to ask if they have any hair ties by any chance as I can’t handle having my hair down while I am working out. They take up no space and weigh next to nothing so you won’t notice it when throwing a couple of them into the bottom of your gym bag but you will be super happy with yourself that you have the forethought to include a couple of hair ties in your gym bag next time you either forget to bring one with you or you end up breaking one.

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// Dry Shampoo
I never really understood why on earth anyone would want dry shampoo until I started regularly exercising. Especially if you have long hair like myself you will find that you hair seems to get greasy quickly when working out. While this won’t be too much of an issue if you are heading home after you have finished your workout, if you are working out during the day or are planning to go out afterwards you will appreciate having some dry shampoo in your bag. It negates the need for a full shower including hair wash but it makes your hair look nice and fresh.

// I pod
I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand it when I forget my own music for the gym and have to listen to the other people around me. I also often find that other people try to talk to me a lot when I don’t have my headphones on. Some people will like this but I am at the gym to workout and not have conversations so for me this is a bit of a pain. I don’t mind chatting at the end of a workout but not while I’m trying to do my thing. I also find I push myself a lot harder when I have my own music on and can really get into my own little world and get a great workout in.

// Spare Socks
If you’ve ever turned up to a gym class, gym or a sports game only to discover that you forgot your socks and home is too far away or there is not enough time before the game to source some more you will really appreciate this item. I’ve done it a couple of times before and it really isn’t a nice feeling not wearing any socks, and not having socks is not a big enough excuse to not do your workout. A pair of ankle socks take up hardly any room and don’t really weigh anything but having them in your bag will be the best feeling ever on the day you realise you forgot to pack socks!

// Deodorant
Whether you’re a roll on type person or a spray person it doesn’t matter but it is always nice to freshen up a little bit before or after your workout depending on what you have been doing beforehand. I generally workout in the evenings so sometimes find that I like to freshen up a bit before I go to the gym just to make sure I don’t smell too bad around other people. It’s also great to have on hand for those occasions when you are heading somewhere else after the gym.

**** WIN WIN WIN ****

To be in to Win a $100 Rebel Sport Voucher, leave a comment below and let me know what your top three must have’s are for YOUR gym bag! (Closes 8pm 18th October) – Competition Closed – The winner chosen by random number generator was comment 16 which was Amanda 🙂 (You have been e-mailed, ps. Nice Name!)

This post was brought to you by U by Kotex®, all content and opinions are my own. Don’t forget to get your free sample of the new U by Kotex® Sport Ultrathins here!