What’s in your gym bag?
Fitness fiends at two Austin, Texas, gyms were recently ambushed and their gym bags searched. Most of the discoveries were pretty ordinary: towels, hairbrushes, shampoo, swim goggles, running shorts, screwdriver, wire cutter …
Wait. Screwdriver? Wire cutter? In a gym bag?
And tools were only the beginning. Folks had toothpaste but no toothbrush, shoes they hadn’t worn in months, hair bands for hair now too short to be ponytailed, books, toys, videotapes, fiber caplets and toilet seat covers.
Sabrena Newton, a personal trainer in Kansas City, Kan., and a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise, says it’s important to be prepared for the gym.
“If you forget your socks and work out anyway, your workout most likely will suffer because your mind is on the blisters forming on your feet or the fact you’re not as comfortable as you could be,” Newton said. “If you’re serious about your workout, it’s a time you’re asking your body to perform.”
But do you really need that water ski tow rope handle in the bag? Probably not.
Newton doesn’t head to the gym without her iPod, which she says takes some of the boredom out of trotting on a treadmill or elliptical trainer. Also high on her must-have list? Proper shoes. Deodorant. Water. Her ID card. A lock to protect valuables.
It’s time to purge your pack, dump the detritus, unload the unusable. Gym bags are for things you actually use while working out.
The right stuff
Everyone has different gym bag needs, but here are some suggestions on what to pack.–COX NEWS SERVICE.
– Small towel
– Shampoo/conditioner
– Makeup or toiletry kit
– Blow dryer, hairbrush and comb
– Exercise clothes
– Sport-specific gear (swim cap, fins for swimmer; weightlifting gloves and belt)
– Energy bar
– Flip-flops or running shoes
– Deodorant
– Water bottle or sports drink
– Compact radio or music player
– Training diary/pen
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Edited by Curt Wagner (cwwagner@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
