What’s in My Gym Bag: Runners Edition

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What’s in your gym bag can be a personal question! Almost like asking whats in a women’s purse. Actually, her purse may be in her gym back. Talk about a double whammy. Lucky for you, I have no shame and love to overshare. (Seriously, ask my husband or watch my IG stories)

It’s fun to know what others consider important enough to carry with them when they break a sweat. It’s also interesting to see what the needs are of those into different workouts. CrossFit fanatics are going to carry items way different than a yoga lover. And since I do a lot of running mine will vary a little from a typical gym goers.

My gym bag

Before I “bare all” and expose my contents to the world, I’ll say in full disclosure, I like to be over-prepared. Years of carrying around a diaper bag probably has something to do with this. You never know when someone will spill their juice and require a change, or spill their pre-workout or protein shake. Yes, I’m as accident prone as my children. Bring extra of everything is my motto! You should see my luggage when I pack for a weekend getaway. It’s embarrassingly large. Anywho! Here we go!

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I’ve gotta have a quality gym bag with lots of pockets to fit all my many, many necessities. Plus, I’m kinda an organizational freak, (okay not kinda, totally an organizational freak) and keeping the same items in the same pockets helps me to grab things quickly. The Adidas Defender III Medium Duffel is perfect. It’s large enough to fit everything and comfortable enough to carry around easily.

Keeping clean

I run a lot in state parks and along public paved trails and often there isn’t much more than a few public restrooms. Believe you me, I try to avoid those ripe babies as much as possible. Hence the diaper wipes and antibacterial. I’d rather clean up in the back of my car after a hard run than in those stinky restrooms. I also like changing out of my running shoes and into something comfortable before heading home. This is where the extra bags come in handy. Perfect for throwing stinky shoes in or a sweaty shirt.

I’m also cold a lot of the time after working out so having a light jacket in my bag is a must. I use it all the time.

Running essentials

My running water bottle is always in my bag ready to go, and I usually keep a 24 pack of water in my trunk at all times. This means I can fill my water bottles wherever. I also have several types of running fuel in my bag since I never know what I’ll be in the mood for when I hit the trail.  Typically I carry SPF chapstick and use it on my lips and cheeks as needed. I also have extra socks and deodorant to help freshen up after getting the miles in. A small first aid kit is also wise, I made my own but you can find them on amazon for cheap!

Vital snacks

I love to have a high-protein snack on my ride home, as well as some BCAA’s. I put a scoop of BCAA powder in a empty water-bottle and keep in my bag. When I’m finished with a workout I simply add some water to it, shake, and enjoy.

Those are my essentials! Thanks for getting personal and looking through my stuff together. I feel like we’re connected on a deeper level now. 😉

Is there something you think I should add to my stash? I’m all ears! What are your must have items? Drop them in the comments or leave them on this instagram post!

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