10 Must-Have Items You Should be Taking to the Gym
Having the right clothes can affect your workout. That’s right: wearing the right kinds of fabrics and picking out the right pair of shoes can impact your physical performance and well-being. However, clothes aren’t the only thing that can make working out more efficient and more enjoyable. Packing your gym bag with all of the right items can make fitness more fun (and functional).
Not quite sure what to bring to the gym? Keep reading for 10 must-have items that you’ll never leave at home again.
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Moisture-Wicking Clothing
This is one of the biggest reasons why the right kind of athletic wear is so important for high-quality workouts.
Moisture-wicking clothing aids in top performance by allowing the fabric to wick away sweat. While it’s necessary to sweat in order to regulate your body temperature, you need to wick away the moisture to prevent overheating.
When you’re wearing the right kind of wicking material and it provides you with the right kind of compression, you’ll feel better while exercising.
Extra Clothing
Maybe you don’t take a shower after every workout. That’s okay. 73% of people report that they don’t shower after the gym.
If you don’t plan on showering after you exercise, then you’ll at least need to change a few items of clothing.
It’s best to pack extra socks and underwear in your gym bag. These should be one of your most important gym bag essentials. Leaving sweaty socks and underwear on for an extended period of time can lead to infections and bacterial growth.
The Right Shoes
You never want to pack your gym bag without remembering to pack the right kind of athletic shoes. Having the right kind of support for your workout can entirely change how you perform and how you feel.
If you’re training for medium to high-impact, then you’ll want to look for athletic shoes that have a thin, flat sole and a wide toe box.
If you are going to focus more on cardio, then look for running shoes. If you’re going to do more strength training, then ask for shoes that provide you with more stability and grip.
Proper arch support is also crucial for any kind of training, but especially for high-impact exercise.
Face Wipes
Again, if you don’t plan on showering after the gym, that’s fine. However, it’s a good idea to clean your face after sweating just to clear away any impurities Leaving sweat on your face can lead to clogged pores, which leads to acne.
Experts recommend using a gentle cleansing wipe to clear away dirt and bacteria.
Any type of wipe with antibacterial properties is best, but if you would rather use something like facewash, then look for a cooling gel-based face wash or a milky one that contains calming ingredients like chamomile or lavender.
Toiletries
The best gym accessories are the ones that you can easily slip into your gym bag for on-the-go use. This means that packing a tiny toiletry bag is always a great idea.
Consider including the essentials that you might need, such as:
- Deodorant
- Hair ties
- Bandages
- Anti-chafing balm
- Travel Size Shampoo and body wash
The items you pack will really depend on the type of working out you’re doing as well as whether or not you plan to shower at the gym.
Towel
Say goodbye to leaving a pool of sweat on the ground after your Crossfit workouts.
Cooling towels are all the rage, and they’re smaller than traditional towels. A simple search on Amazon will yield tons of results for cooling workout towels.
These make the best workout accessories as they are water or sweat-activated and can help wick away sweat while cooling your body down.
Towels like this can stay cool for up to 2 hours, which makes them great for outdoor gym workouts or long runs as well. All you have to do is re-wet the towel to keep it cool for longer.
Headphones
The best fitness accessories? A great pair of headphones, of course!
Achieving optimum fitness sometimes requires laser focus. If this is true for you, then you’ll want to invest in a pair of headphones that you can use to cancel out noise and play motivational music.
Because you’re likely to get them little sweaty, cheap headphones work just fine here. They’re likely to get tangled up in your gym bag with everything else, anyway.
A cheap pair of Bluetooth headphones will allow you to wirelessly play your music without fear of damaging them.
Supplements
Pre-workout, protein, and oils, oh my! There are many different types of supplements to choose from when it comes to fitness.
Finding the right supplement for you will depend on your body and your fitness goals. Regardless of what you need, we recommend bringing it with you to the gym as you’ll be more likely to take it rather than when you get home.
If you like to apply topical oils when you’re working out, or you’re prone to injury, it’s a good idea to have something like CBD oil on hand for any pain. This isolate source provides a great variety of different oils to use when exercising.
Foam Roller
No gym bag is truly complete until it’s got a foam roller. These handy little cylindrical-shaped gym accessories can help do many things such as:
- Promote blood flow
- Break down scar tissue
- Maintain muscle strength
- Reduce pain and soreness
- Aid in recovery
With all of those benefits, why wouldn’t you put one in your gym bag?
Fitness Apps
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your gym time, it’s good to track your workouts.
Whether you want to download specific fitness apps on your phone for this or simply track them in a notes app, it’s up to you.
However, due to the wide variety of fitness apps available, it makes sense to download one that will store all of your stats for this. This can help you ensure you’re making progress.
Finding More Gym Inspiration
Has all this talk about gym accessories got you excited to renew your gym membership or head to your local fitness club? Great!
Be sure to pack your gym bag full of all of the items you need to engage in a safe, comfortable, and efficient workout routine.
If you’re still looking for a little more inspiration, take a look at our article on how to find the right motivation.
