Gym Bag Hacks
Ever feel like you haul around the contents of your bathroom sink in your gym bag? Yeah, me too (see my prior post about shoulder pain caused by gigantic gym and work bags). So, I started over. Like dumped out my entire gym back contents and only added in the essentials - which ended up being 5 things. Here is my easy cheat sheet of what you should always have stashed in your gym bag. It'll save you during those rough early mornings when you only have a minute to pull it together.
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1. Face Wipes - Give your face a good swipe before and after you sweat to help fight breakouts and make sure you’re not dribbling mascara down your cheeks during a spinning class. Face wipes are beyond simple to DIY, plus you skip the preservatives and harsh ingredients found in conventional wipes - check out my easy recipe HERE.
2. Natural Deodorant - Nobody likes to feel stinky, even when you are sweating during a workout. Of course, we think of deodorant as our saving grace here, ....except most conventional deodorants are full of questionable ingredients - definitely not something you want in contact with your skin. Save your skin and DIY a natural deodorant that works - check out my recipe HERE (PS- if you aren't really into DIY, I've put some together for you HERE)
3. Natural Dry Shampoo - No shower at your gym? Not enough time to wash and style your hair? No problem - dry shampoo and a chic top knot will fix all. Again, most conventional dry shampoo has a long list of scary-sounding ingredients. Why not make your own?
4. Muscle Recovery Liniment - Nothing says you worked hard at the gym like sore muscles...until you can barely get out of bed the next morning. This is where muscle recovery liniments come into play - used traditionally by martial artists for centuries, muscle recovery liniments help boost circulation and relieve inflammation so you can have a good workout again tomorrow. Check out my white tiger liniment HERE - made with over 80 herbs, this is the traditional formula developed by the Shaolin monks.
5. Coconut Oil - Coconut oil is the multi-tasker of multi-taskers. You can use it for body moisturizer, to smooth any flyaways after you style your hair, to brush your teeth, to put on any hotspots or blister-prone areas,... you can even put some in your hair before a heated class as the heat will help it penetrate and give you a deep-conditioning treatment while you exercise. If you already have coconut oil in your pantry, just scoop some into a travel-friendly jar and stow in your gym bag. Keep in mind that the oil will liquify in warm temperatures, so be careful when opening near your gym bag and clothes.
