4 Things I Always Have In My Gym Bag

If you’re like me and live your life on-the-go, you need to be prepared for whatever comes your way!

Here are 4 things I always have on hand to make life easier.

1. Makeup Wipes

   Makeup wipes are essential! If you workout at the end of the day, you’ll feel so much better if you wipe the foundation/tinted moisturizer off your face before working out. Not only will you FEEL better, it’s actually better for your skin health. When we exercise, we have elevated heart rates, we’re breathing heavier than usual, and we sweat! When you exercise with makeup on your face, your pores are more likely to become clogged and cause breakouts because makeup acts as a barrier to our skin and its ability to perspire.

   Makeup wipes also come in handy when you just need to freshen up after a workout. A wipe of your face, chest, back, and armpits will make you feel so much fresher! And will hold you over until you can take a real shower.

   Some of my favorite makeup wipes:
   
   Simple Cleansing Face Wipes
   
   Garnier Micellar Makeup Remover Wipes
   
   Pacifica Beauty Underarm Deodorant Wipes <— These are amazing!
   
   Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Cleaning Towelettes
   

2. Snacks

   If you’re someone that lives life on the go, you need to be prepared for when hunger strikes! This means having pre-workout and/or post-workout snacks on hand. Not having anything on hand could be the reason you head home instead of the gym or a workout class after work. Not being prepared may also be the reason you feel starving come lunch time after a workout in the morning. Bars are perfect because you can throw them in your bag without worrying about them rotting, melting, or smelling.
   
   Some of my favorite pre/post workout bars:
   
   That’s It. 100% Natural Real Fruit Bars (100% Fruit) <— Ideal for pre-workout snack
   
   LARABAR (Made from Cashews, Dates, Fruit, and Natural Flavors) <— Ideal for pre or post workout snack
   
   RxBar (Eggwhites, Nuts, Dates, No B.S.) <—Great for post-workout because they pack 10-14g protein per bar!
   
   Perfect Bar <— Also great for post-workout because they pack 14-17g protein per bar. The only on about Perfect Bar is that they must be kept refrigerated.
   
   **All bars listed are gluten-free

3. Deodorant

   Self explanatory right? You should always have deodorant/antiperspirant in your gym bag to stay fresh! The type of deodorant is the tricky part.. You may have heard some conflicting information regarding aluminum containing deodorants and their effects on humans.
   
   In recent years, the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Commission of Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) have all reported no clear link has been made between antiperspirants containing aluminum and breast cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, but because sweating is one of our bodies’ natural detoxifying mechanisms I personally prefer the aluminum-free deodorants!
   
   You will never see me endorsing detox diets, teas, or shakes, but I’m ALL FOR natural detoxification!
   

   —>Note: Aluminum salts have long been used in deodorants for their anti-perspirant effects. Aluminum salts are usually a blend of aluminum chloride or aluminum zirconium. There are 18 different varieties of aluminum approved by the FDA for antiperspirant products. Aluminum salts in antiperspirants work to form insoluble plugs within sweat ducts to temporarily prevent sweat from reaching the surface of the skin.
   Despite the latest reports mentioned above, there are some scientists that believe aluminum containing antiperspirants cause changes in hormones like estrogen, which may also initiate changes in breast tissue. You can read more on this here

   I’ve been using aluminum-free deodorant for years now. My mom and I started off making our own aluminum-free deodorant using coconut oil, corn starch, tea tree oil, and essential oils. The homemade stuff worked great, but it was tough to keep it from turning into a liquid (because of the coconut oil base) therefore, it didn’t work well for a travel deodorant. As long as it was kept in a cool temperature it worked well.
   
   Thankfully, there are a ton of aluminum-free deodorants on the market these days for both women and men! The main difference I’ve found between regular deodorants and aluminum-containing deodorants is that you will sweat more when using an aluminum-free product. This is something that felt weird at first, but sweating is indeed a natural detoxifying mechanism for our bodies.. and I think my body has adapted to the new formulas & hopefully yours will as well!
   

   My favorite brands today are:
   
   Native Never uses aluminum, parabens, or sulfates in their deodorant. Ingredients are vegan & products are cruelty-free.
   The Coconut & Vanilla scent is my favorite
   
   Schmidt’s Products are always free of aluminum, propylene glycol, PEG, parabens, phthalates, artificial fragrance, artificial flavor, artificial colorants, and artificial sweeteners. Also, certified vegan and leaping bunny cruelty-free.
   The Bergamot & Lime scent is my favorite

   
   Tom’s Deodorants, specifically do not contain aluminum, parabens, or artificial fragrances. Products are Cruelty-free.
   The Fresh Apricot scent is my favorite
   
   Tom’s antiperspirants contain recycled aluminum cholorhydrate originally derived from the mineral Bauxite. These formulas are great for the warmer seasons, or on days when you expect to sweat more than usual.
   
   I personally do not use the aluminum-containing antiperspirant, but this may be a good option for you if you’re looking for something that will reduce sweat.
   
   A quote from Tom’s website, “Based on a thorough review of all the literature available, and the recommendations of the American Cancer Society and the Alzheimer’s Association, we believe that the use of our product is safe.”

4. Essential Oils

   This is my pre-workout ‘amp up’ ritual/secret. I’m not a huge fan of pre-workout powders. Even though there are some good ones on the market.. I find that the times I need a boost before a workout are times when I don’t want caffeine or any other stimulants (usually at night or after work).

   Instead, I use essential oils to get my mind right! Peppermint essential oil and Orange essential oil are my staples. Peppermint is known to have mental clarity and focus effects. I used to add peppermint oil to a diffuser while studying and then before I took the exam on the topic I studied, I would add a drop of oil to my sleeve or clothes before taking an exam and I swear… it always helped me get focused and remember the content I studied!

   Orange scent is known for its uplifting, energy increasing effects, which is exactly what I need to boost my mood and get motivated before a workout.

   So this is what I do with the essential oil: I buy a little spray bottle and add 5-10 drops of the oil mixed with distilled water to diffuse it. Then, when I get to the gym or am getting ready to workout, I do a quick spray in the air and walk through it a couple times, allowing the fragrance to get onto my skin, hair, and clothes. And like magic, my mood transforms and I’m ready to go!

   I am not affiliated with any of the brands listed in this post, they are just brands I like and use!
   
   Additional sources:
   https://schmidts.com/the-natural/should-you-still-be-concerned-about-aluminum-in-antiperspirants
   https://www.tomsofmaine.com/our-promise/stewardship-model
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30148119
   —Potential interference of aluminum chlorohydrate with estrogen receptor signaling in breast cancer cells