12 Gym Essentials | Head To Toe
- Yuenny Lam
- Oct 22, 2017
- 6 min read
I am both an outside runner and indoor gym go-er, but as the weather is getting colder and daylight disappearing earlier, I prefer the comfort and safety of the indoor gym, where everything I need is in one single place. Admittedly, gym memberships are getting pricier and in my opinion, memberships should be tailored for what you need and only pay for those services. Anyway, this post isn't about gym memberships, but to go through from head to toe what my personal essentials are. Hands up, I'm no fashion guru and I don't dress up wearing full face make-up when I go to the gym (although nothing wrong with that). I literally get up, have a coffee and head to the gym, so more often than not, I have out-of-bed hair, dark circles under my eyes and a desperate need of a shower, but the longer I think about the idea of going to the gym, the more I dread it sometimes, so the sooner I'm ready and out the house, the better. So here's what I take with me:
1. Hair Band & Pins
I always have medium to long hair, so having my hair tied up and out of my face is important to me, because it is very distracting when I'm focusing on running a certain distance (and sweating) to have strands of hair flapping on my face and into my eyes - it makes the whole experience annoying. Hair bands (or ties) are essential, together with some bobby pins to keep the fly-aways in place. I always have the problem of slippy hair, where one hair band in one pony tail just ends up sliding off my head within minutes, so I usually need at least two and tie them in two halves (if that makes any sense at all), so one to tie the top half of hair and then the second one to tie all hair into one.
2. Sports Bras
I have always heard about how important a sports bra is and that it prevents sagging skin, especially when running. I have very small boobies and I never used to pay attention to having specific bras for exercising, and to be honest, they can be expensive! BUT... having been running a lot in the past, I have come to the conclusion that a decent high impact sports bra makes a big difference when bouncing up and down. One time when all my sports bras were in the wash, I decided to just wear an ordinary one (just this one time) and my goodness did I feel the difference. Although having small breasts is more bearable than ladies with bigger boobs, the movement in mine were significant enough even in my circumstance. I could feel the skin being stretched in all direction with each step landing on the treadmill. So ladies, it's worth investing in some good padded sports bra and enough to rotate around while some are in the wash or still wet. I have tried less expensive versions and having smaller boobs, they seem to work alright, but only the ones that are padded with a racer back. Different styles will suit different people, so it's worth shopping around a bit and finding the most suitable option.
3. Light Top
If you don't want to invest in exercise tops, then t-shirts or sleeveless tops work well. I personally don't always wear gym/running tops to the gym, but I would stress that the material to be thin and lightweight, and if you opt for a non exercise top, then go for a colour that isn't going to show up sweat stains too much, e.g. black or navy. You know, not exactly a sexy look, unless of course, you are one of those fitness models in adverts who pull off any wet (or sweat) look . Maybe I'll get there one day too.
4. Comfy Pants
The biggest parts on my body are my legs and during exercise they seem to somehow get even bigger, so comfortable pants is a must for me. They need to be tight enough so they stay in place when running (pants that slide down drives me nuts), but stretchy enough on the lower legs so I don't feel like my arteries and blood vessels are being suffocated during certain exercises. If I'm feeling brave then I sometimes wear shorts in the summer. They are so much more comfortable, but bear in mind you might stick to the mat when you go for a stretch after your workout.
5. Fanny Packs/Pockets
Usually I have my gym card and locker keys when I go to the gym, so somewhere to keep those on me is important. Some pants have a small zipped pocket on the back, which is very handy. But not all of them have and I only have one with a genius pocket like that, so all the other times I take a little waist pouch that's small enough to not get in the way when I work out, but big enough to keep small items in, just so I won't end up leaving them lying around. Easily done and it happens all the time. A bum bag or fanny pack would actually be way too big to wear to the gym (I think anyway).
6. Socks
Decent padded socks is also essential when I'm planning to do a lot of running, because your feet rub against the inside of your trainers, even walking does that, so socks that are thin enough to be comfortable but have padded areas around your feet makes a huge difference. Generally they have padding around the back of the foot, the inner front and sometimes around the toes for extra protection.
7. Trainers
Investing in a pair of trainers will prevent injuries. I'm not saying to go out and spend hundreds of pounds on a pair of trainers, but having a pair fitted properly is important. I ended up getting bad knees from wearing trainers that didn't support my arches properly, so I now go to the shop to purchase trainers. Most shops offer free consultation and advise on choosing the most suitable pair for your feet and legs. I also recommend going up a shoe size when buying trainers. I'm normally a size 6, but I buy a size 7 trainers. Reason? Your feet swell and get bigger when running and when I used to buy my normal shoe size, my toes end up getting squashed and I once ended up getting a black toe nail, that eventually (after 6 months) fell off. I know - gross, right!? So if you are serious about doing long distance running then definitely get proper trainers with extra wriggle room.
8. Towel
Most gyms provide paper towels, but I like to help the environment and bring my own small towel. It's also more comfortable using a towel to wipe your face than those hard and dry paper they provide. Also, I feel like when I occasionally use the ones provided by the gym, people look at me and are probably secretly judging me for wasting all these disposable paper.
9. Water
Same as the paper towels, gyms generally provide drinking water, but not all provide cups. I fill my own water bottle from home before I go and if I need to top up I can do so while I am there. I suggest to always bring your own bottle, ideally one that isn't too fiddly to open and close, especially when running - unless you feel the need to pour water over yourself to cool down or something to that effect.
10. Music (and headphones)
This isn't for everyone and I see loads of people at the gym without it, and that is music. Gyms normally play music or have the radio on in the background, so it's never awkwardly quiet, but I prefer bringing my own music and playlist. I'm very particular with songs and if I end up listening to something I don't know or don't like, then I get very agitated. No idea why, but music is really important to me, so I bring my phone and use Spotify to make my workout more enjoyable.
11. Fitness Tracker
This is also not an essential for everyone, but I like to know how many calories I have burnt, because I like to ensure I don't consume (way) more calories than I burn in a day, so I wear my Fitbit Charge 2 to the gym to track my workouts.
12. Bag
Bag-lover or not, I think it is pretty crucial to have one, so you can carry everything with you in one neat bag. I like putting everything I'm not actually taking into the gym into my bag before locking it away. That way I know I won't be leaving anything behind and I can just grab and go when I'm done.
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