What's in my gym bag? {Literally and Figuratively}

Hello All,

A couple of weeks I wrote a post talking about what's been going on currently in my life (Check it out here). In that post I mentioned that I've been working out a lot recently. I know that I've talked about it multiple times on here and then "fell of the wagon" so to speak. But a few weeks a go while I was at the gym I thought about all the things I would tell a friend if they told me they wanted to start going to the gym but had never been. And then I was like I could share it on my blog and maybe it'll help someone. 

With this post I wanted to tell you guys not only the physical things I bring to the gym, or use right after the gym. But I also wanted to tell you guys about the mental and figurative things that I think about before, during and after the gym. 

1. Good sneakers

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This probably seems super obvious. But what some people don't realize is how many different types of sneakers there are out there. When I was getting my shoes about a month and half ago I knew I wanted running sneakers so focused on finding the running styles. But there are other types so think about what your work outs are going to consist of before shopping for sneakers. Personally I am a huge fan of the Nike Brand, I feel like my Nike sneakers last a long time and are great quality. But I highly recommend find the brand and the shoes that work for you and your style. 

2. Comfy gym clothes

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Again this one is pretty obvious. Since starting at the gym I've seen so many different styles and people feeling comfortable in different styles. For me personally I I like wearing shorts and tank tops. I like shorts because I feel like they fit me better then work out leggins (I don't have a butt to keep them up, lol) and I don't have to adjust them as much. As for tank tops I like that there's nothing on my arms but I also feel like I look cutest in them, which gives my confidence, which I feel like makes my workouts better because I feel like "I'm yup I got this." Also when I pick out my tank tops I like them to have motivating sayings on them because every time I look in the mirror it motivates me. For the most part I've bought most of my workout clothes at Target, their Champion brand. 

Before we move on I just wanted to share a tip that I've learned at big breasted women. I've learned that by layering a typical everyday bra over a sports bra I feel like I gain more support. :) 

3. Headphone and music player

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This is another one that is probably pretty obvious but music has been my life saver at the gym. Especially when I'm running. Instead of focusing on the fact that I'm running or that my joints are sore or whatever makes running hard I focus on the words from the music. My playlist is pretty varied to, it goes from Iggy Azalea's Fancy to Britney Spear's Work It B*tch to even some old Disney Channel because the beat is awesome. Basically my rules for my work out playlist is that it needs to have a good beat, I need to know the words and fun. I especially like the ones about pushing yourself or working harder to better yourself. I recommend finding out if your gym has wifi so you can create gym playlists on Spotify so you don't have to pay for the songs.

4. Water Bottle

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Another obvious is water because you need to stay hydrated. I drink a lot of water when I work out and on the car ride home. I love using reusable water bottles because they are easy to refill, cheaper then constantly buying bottles at the grocery store and easy to add ice to. I also like ones that are insulated so that they don't sweat and get condensation everywhere.   And aren't those water bottles above adorable.

5. Face wash and/or make-up wipes

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In case you didn't know working out with make-up on is a really bad habit and horrible for you skin. It causes more make-up to get into pores which could cause acne. I highly recommend at least wiping your make-up off with a wipe before starting your work. I also love to wash my face with face soap as soon as possible after I work out. My personal favorite face wash is the Clean and Clear brand.

6. A plan

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One of my work out goals is to be able to run a 5k! So, I found the couch to 5k plan (shown above) as a way to start working towards that goal. For the first few weeks I changed the plan up a little to work better for me but as I get deeper into the plan I'm realizing that I have to follow it more to the T. I also like to plan out what work out I'm going to do each day. I spilt my workouts by days, i.e. arms, legs and abs. At the beginning of each week I chose what days I will be going to the gym and write down in my planner which day its going to be. Coming from some who is planner I like to know what day I'm working on.

7. A place to record your progress

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I'm one of those people who like to see how things have changed. So, I use to things to track my progress. The first one is the app, My Fitness Pal, which has the ability to track what foods your eating, some of the exercises you do (I'll be honest I have a hard time finding some the exercises I do on there but I do track my cardio) and weight loss. I mainly use the app to track my weight lose. Each week I weigh myself and add it into the app so I can see the progress. One of my favorite feature is it has the option of adding in a picture next to your weight lose so you can see the progress. I personally like to add a picture every five pounds. The other way I track my progress using my notes on my phone. I keep track of what I'm lifting during each session at the gym. That way I'm consistent with my workouts and I can make notes of when I want to add weight to what I'm lifting.

8. Flexibility

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Like I said above I'm planner but I also need to know when to go with the flow. My goal is to go to the gym 5 days a week but I also know that sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes I change what day of the week I'm going to the gym or add it to a different day. Sometimes my workouts don't always go as a plan. I find is espcially hard to run when it's humid out. So, although I go in everyday thinking I'm going to run a little better then the time before it doesn't always work that way when it's humid so I have to change it up and maybe run a little less.

9. Positive Attitude

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Working out is hard! There's no doubt about it. And although it doesn't ever get easier you do get more practice and a better understanding about what your body can do. Because it can be hard sometimes I highly recommend going in with a positive attitude. If you think its going to be a bad workout then your aren't going to be as motivated. But if you go in thinking "I can do anything" then you can. Also I love the quote above, I think that every time I'm disappointed with my time or distance.

10. A goal

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I feel like when your first starting out if you don't have a goal your aren't going to be motivated to keep going to the gym. It doesn't have to a goal that is completely set in stone. You don't have to say I'm going to lift x amount of pounds or have an exact weight in mind but maybe you have something small in mind. For me my goals are to get to the gym 5 days a week, get to a healthier weight and run a 5k. And those 3 items get me the gym every time.

And that's what I what has motivated me to go to the gym and pushes me each time. If you're a gym goer what are things that help motivate you? Let me know in the comments below.

*This is NOT a sponsored post, All opinions are my own and products mentioned are ones I truly use and believe in***