Your gym bag looks nice. It’s not bespoke, but it’s cool, branded but discreet. Whenever you have your gym bag strapped to your shoulder, people stop and stare. Yes, your gym back complements your eye-catching style. If you could take your gym bag with you wherever you go, you would. But that’s taking it too far.
Your gym bag’s meant to be used when you go to the gym. If you take it to work, your co-workers might think you’re showing off. If you take it to school, your teachers might think your studies come second to your fitness regimen. Both won’t look good on you. So make sure your gym bag’s strictly for gym purposes. And make sure it has the following essentials at all times.
Headphones
The upside for forgetting to put headphones in your gym bag is you’ll have a reason to chat with other gym-goers. Unless you’re fine with working out while hearing people’s grunts as they do their routines, you’ll have no choice but to borrow spare headphones from any one of the familiar faces around you. This might be the beginning of a friendship.
The downside is you might end up empty-handed because, well, people don’t usually bring spare headphones with them. Even worse, you will be judged for your utter lack of foresight. To add salt to the wound, your time on the treadmill will be soundtracked by random noises that may or may not include fart sounds.
Whey protein
Your muscles are shredded when you engage in strenuous physical activities. Those muscle tissues get ripped. This is the best time to feed them. They’re ready to soak up all the goodness from ready-to-drink milk containing whey protein.
Drinking whey protein immediately after working out will allow your muscles to repair themselves better. That means more growth mass. You’ll be flexing hard like a Greek sculpture.
Quick snack
You will be famished after a workout sesh. You need to nibble on something to last you till your next meal. This is most important if you live with a medical condition like diabetes. You need to keep your sugar levels just right.
Plus, you need to feed those ripped muscle tissues. A simple sandwich packed with protein will suffice. Think cold cuts between big shiny buns slathered with ketchup and mayo.
Grooming essentials
Physical activities make you sweat. Even if you work out in an air-conditioned space, you can’t help but trigger your pores to tears. After completing your routine, find time to relax. Soon as that’s over, head out to the shower room. You want to get rid of the oily film on your body. If there’s a hint of stench, you want to get rid of that, too.
Those won’t happen if you have no grooming essentials with you. A two-in-one body liquid will do. Plus, don’t forget to bring deodorant.
A fresh set of clothes
You showered, and now you’re fresh as a baby. You feel like you’re ready to go on a speed dating session with how nicely you smell and look. And then you rummage in your gym bag for a fresh set of clothes only to find there’s nothing there. You’ll be scratching your head. You’ll hate yourself. You do not want to hate yourself when you ought to be enjoying your post-exercise high.
A calling card
Perhaps you’re single. Or perhaps you’re underemployed in the romance department, and you’re looking to upgrade. Either way, consider the gym as a real-life dating app. You can swap left or right with your eyes. Swap right if you see something nice. Swipe left if it’s a pass. If someone swipes right back at you, you could be in for an action-packed dating experience. You two will be spending most of your time at the gym, spotting each other. That’s why you need a calling card ready in your wallet, which is in, well, your gym bag.
You consider your gym bag as part of your fashion statement. And there’s nothing wrong with that. However, your gym bag ought to stay practical. That means it should contain all the things you need when you go to the gym. You probably noticed that gym clothes or gym shoes are not on this list. That’s because you probably won’t forget about those. If you did, then maybe your trip to the gym is halfhearted. And if that’s the case, perhaps it’s time for you to reassess your motivations. The gym is for keeping you fit. You being seen is a bonus.