This post is sponsored by Bodyarmor in conjunction with Mom It Forward. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Yoga was my go-to last workout last year. I became a regular at the studio and felt at home there.

It was a great way to ease back into workouts when I’d been majorly slacking for a long time. It helped me build up my strength, endurance, and flexibility. I even lost around 20 pounds last year from doing yoga on a regular basis. But for the new year, I want to step it up and do more cardio along with some weight training.

That means stepping out of the yoga studio and heading back to the gym.

I’m packing up my Gym Bag to give me one less excuse to actually get there.

Here are my gym bag essentials:

Water bottle: stay hydrated during classes or on the equipment

Earbuds: there’s no way I’m staying on the treadmill for very long if I don’t have music to entertain me(which is why my phone is always in my gym bag, though I try to avoid using it for other things- I don’t want to get distracted and fall off the equipment- yoga didn’t make me all that much more graceful)

Hair tie/bobby pins: I always wear my hair pulled up or back when I’m working out and a hair tie breaking could mean that I’d cut my workout short

Small towel: to dry off or to clean equipment

Yoga mat spray: the studio I go to provides their own, but if I take a mat class at the gym, I want to clean off my mat when I’m done. 

Body wipes: maybe I won’t need these, but maybe I will. And if I’m heading somewhere besides home right after the gym, these are a must unless I want to take the time to shower at the gym

Deodorant: a must no matter what

Face wash, moisturizer, and lip gloss: I might skip all of these if I’m heading directly home, but if I’m heading out into town, it’s nice to have these in my bag

BODYARMOR LYTE: a sports drink that provides superior hydration, perfect for post-workout. This way, I’m not tempted by the smoothies my gym offers on the way out of the door, which have more calories than I tend to burn in the workout I just did. BODYARMOR LYTE is naturally sweetened and has only 20 calories per serving (2 servings per 16 oz bottle).

BODYARMOR SuperDrink is a premium, sports drink that provides superior hydration. It is packed with electrolytes, coconut water and vitamins and is low in sodium and high in potassium.
BODYARMOR contains natural flavors and sweeteners and no colors from artificial sources. My kids drink it after their races. I actually really enjoy the taste of it, which I cannot say about other sports drinks. In 2017, BODYARMOR launched two new products: BODYARMOR LYTE and BODYARMOR Water. BODYARMOR LYTE still Contains coconut water, electrolytes and vitamins but is only 20 calories per serving.

You can find it a Publix, Winn Dixie, Kroger, and Target, among other places. Use this BODYARMOR coupon to save.

Tell me: what gym bag essential did I miss? What should I add to my bag?