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my pre-training schedule just so happens to coincide with the coldest days in chicago. so, i renewed my gym membership and have taken to the treadmill and indoor track to complete my workouts. therefore, this week's friday five theme, what's in your gym bag, comes at the perfect time, because i just started using a gym bag again! thanks mar, courtney, and cynthia for hosting this linkup!
now i keep a lot of stuff in my little adidas bag, but i figure a lot of it, everyone has in their bag: hair ties/headbands, water bottle, socks, running shoes, etc. so i'm listing five things in my gym bag that everyone might not have, but i find super useful.
1.) tissues
i don't know what it is about the gym (and running in general) but my nose runs like crazy. maybe because i'm using the gym now in the dead of winter, so going from cold to warm messes things up, but it's like a little faucet the whole time i'm there. so i've taken to stashing little packets of tissues in my bag.
2.) chapstick
similarly to my nose always running when i run, my lips dry out like crazy. i swear by burt's bees nowadays; always gotta have some!
3.) dry shampoo
since i mostly run at night, i rarely use this. but, every once in awhile, i have to do a workout before going to a meeting or class, and so i use dry shampoo after the gym in these situations.
4.) ugly sweats
oh my glorious ugly, baggy, gray sweats. i got a pair one day at sports authority on sale in the men's section, and it is honestly one of the best purchases i've ever made. i can wear my running shorts underneath and then just put my sweats on over and be warm on my walk to the gym, despite the sub-zero temperatures. even better is after the workout, when i don't have to deal with wriggling my sweaty legs in to leggings.
5.) snacks
it's hit or miss whether or not i'm hungry after a workout, but the last thing i want is to be starving or feeling like i need to refuel right away and not have anything to eat. so, i like to keep a variety of bars in my bag. larabars are my current favorite, though i'll never turn down a carrot cake luna bar!
