Eleven Must-Have Health and Beauty Items for Your Workout Bag

Most of us have extremely busy lives these days and making exercise a priority requires organization and careful planning. Often times, fitting in a class at a studio or gym or going for a run might be in between, before or after appointments, work meetings, running errands or picking up your kids from school or other activities. Therefore, having some essential health and beauty products in your workout bag can make your life a lot easier. You may or may not have time to shower immediately after your workout, but even if you won’t be able to until later in the day or evening, having the following items can help you power on with the rest of your day and feel like a boss after you get that workout in. 😉 Here are some of my must-haves that I keep in my bag:

1. Sunblock – this one is essential for me because I live in California and it’s sunny out most months out of the year. I love to have it on-hand if I need it for an outdoor workout, when I’m on the go or when I’m outside on the soccer or baseball field, watching my kids’ sports. I wear sunblock on my face year-round, but I especially like to have a higher SPF version for my body during the warmer months of the year, which is basically March through October in California. It’s also nice to have sunblock in my workout bag so I can reapply it on my kids before their sports practices or swim lessons. I use Neutrogena Beach Defense SPF 70.

2. Facial cleansing cloths – these are nice to have after sweating through a workout or class so my face feels fresh and clean before I reapply sunblock. Many times, I’m headed somewhere immediately after my workout, so I may not have the chance to wash my face with regular cleanser and water until later that day, so these cloths can hold me over until I can. They remove dirt, oil, make-up and sweat, which just makes me feel better overall. I like the Neutrogena fragrance-free make-up remover and cleansing cloths.

3. Wide-tooth comb – my hair gets very messy and tangled after working out, so I like to have a nice wide-tooth comb with me so I can get the tangles out and look somewhat presentable after teaching my classes or working out myself. They’re light and easy to just throw in a workout bag and I’m always glad when I have one with me.

4. Ponytail holders and headbands – I love having these in both my workout bag and purse. You never know when you might need to throw your hair into a ponytail or bun or put on a headband to keep your hair in place during a workout, windy day or just a bad hair day in general! These are lifesavers for me and I don’t go anywhere without them.

5. Dry shampoo – in my opinion, this is such a critical item to have in your bag until your next wash, especially after a sweaty workout or hot day when you want your hair to be as clean and fresh as possible in the moment. I love the Oribe Gold Lust brand, which I purchase at my blow dry bar I like to go to. It smells amazing and is part of a great hair product line in general.

6. Deodorant – I don’t think I even need to explain this one. 🙂 This is another item I have with me everywhere (I like Secret Powder Fresh) because let’s face it, no one likes body odor, especially after a long and sweaty workout!

7. Shower shoes – I keep these in my bag for times when I’m at the gym, have a change of clothes and have time to shower or absolutely must shower before my next appointment, meeting or event. I get really grossed out around bacteria in gyms and locker rooms, so I always make sure I have shower shoes with me so I don’t have to walk around barefoot.

8. Hand sanitizer – okay, I admit it…I’m kind of a germaphobe…and being a mom makes it worse! Like many moms, I keep hand sanitizer in my purse and I like to have it in my workout bag as well if I’m sweating, stretching on the gym floor or using public gym equipment. Purell or any brand will do. I like the alcohol-free ones and those that have aloe vera built in so they’re not too rough on my or my kids’ hands. Other times when I’m especially glad I have hand sanitizer, are when my kids have dirty hands after playing sports or playing outside and start touching everything around them, eating with their hands, or touching something in the grossest place of all…a public restroom…yuck! Enough said on that one. 😉

9. Lip gloss – I’m a girly-girl and I like to have lip gloss or lipstick on-hand at all times in my purse and workout bag. I think I look tired if I don’t have a little bit of color on my lips, so these are great items to have as a little pick-me-up…especially after a long and grueling workout. I like Clinique, MAC, Sephora or Revlon brands and my favorite colors are in the berry, plum or mauve categories.

10. Extra tank top – having an extra tank top after a workout is another great item I like to have in my workout bag. Sometimes, you just need to change clothes so you’ll feel better until you can take a shower. Also, if you’re doing an intense workout outside and you get grass or mud stains on your clothes, it really comes in handy.

11. Water – this is a really important one to have on-hand. Losing water through sweat and risking dehydration by not replenishing your body with water just isn’t worth it. I like to have a few water bottles in my car, workout bag and purse for myself, my kids and my husband if we’re out and about, especially on an active, hot and sunny day. It’s just good common sense.

So there you have it….my eleven must-have items. What do you guys like to keep in your workout bags? Feel free to share as I’d love to hear from you. That’s it for today, Passion Fit Crew. I’ll be back with another blog post soon!

XOXO,
Reena