Gym Bag Weight Loss

A friend of mine recently joined an inexpensive, no frills gym in the city. No frills means exactly that – no free products in the locker rooms here! In fact, there aren’t even towels available in the locker rooms. Finding herself stuck for ideas on how to pack her gym bag without breaking her back AND without missing anything she would need for her workout, she asked me for advice. Happily, there are lots of options for packing light and smart without having to sacrifice your routine. Let’s take a look at some simple ideas for slimming down your gym bag!

Good Things come in Small Packages

Start off with a gym bag that is lightweight and compact. The more space you have, the more inclined you’ll be to fill it with stuff you don’t need for your workout. I like the bags below because they are lightweight, small and super functional, with smartly-designed features meant to maximize use without increasing size.

Top: Columbia Barrelhead Duffel, $79. Folds down into a small toiletries kit as well!
Bottom: Rei Balance Gym Bag, $60. Specially sized to fit in gym lockers & the front flap can hold a yoga mat.

Left: Gaiam Everything Fits Gym Bag, $60. Lightweight & small, holds everything thanks to clever details.
Right: adidas by Stella McCartney Yoga Duffel, $70. Handles can be used to hold a mat, or can be cinched in tight.

Sweaty Betty Run Backpack, $110. Light, but expands to fit your gear, fits close to body & can hold a camel bak too!

Doing a Double Take

You can cut down on toiletries space by choosing multifunctional 2-in-1 products. The first and most obvious is a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. Pantene Pro V Nature Fusion 2 in1 Shampoo and Conditioner is a good bet, since their products tend to be high quality but inexpensive. The bottle is 25 oz for $7 on drugstore.com, so it would be a good choice if you’re planning on transferring to a smaller container.

If you have to have a separate conditioner, give Paul Mitchell The Conditioner a try. It triples as a conditioner, body moisturizer and shaving gel. You can get the 10 oz size for $12 on amazon.com.

Image courtesy Dr. Jart+

BB creams are relatively new on the US market (they originated for beauty use in Korea – previously these creams were used to protect patients’ skin after surgery) and will shrink your makeup and toiletries bags considerably. Don’t mistake a regular tinted foundation as a BB cream. This Dr. Jart+ BB Cream is one of the original Korean brands and acts as a moisturizer, brightening serum, sunscreen, primer and lightweight foundation. It’s $34 for 1.7 oz, so it’s a splurge, but think about how much each separate product would cost you. Besides, the reviews make it sound life-changing.

To trim your makeup bag to the bare minimum, check out NARS The Multiple, for $39. It’s a solid stick in a ton of different shades (‘Orgasm’ is the shade supposed to be flattering on everyone) to be used for color or highlighting on your cheeks, eyelids, lips, or body.

Of course, if you are running short on time as well as space, you could always skip the shower altogether if your workout wasn’t a drenched-in-sweat fest. (I won’t tell, promise!) Use dry shampoo before you head to the gym, and pack baby wipes for a quick clean up before heading home.

Travel Light to the Gym

Trial size is your gym bag’s best friend. Don’t throw out those sample pouches of body lotion or face cream you get in magazines or as a free gift when you buy beauty products. Throw them in your toiletries case instead.

Image courtesy The Container Store

If you think you can make a trip to The Container Store without buying a cart-full of stuff, they have a great selection of travel and toiletries cases and bottles, which you can fill with your favorite regular products from home. They even have clever, compact products like this fold-up hairbrush/mirror combo.

You can also just head to your local drugstore – they always have a wall of travel size products, from deodorant and toothpaste to moisturizer and hairspray. Or, take a look at this cool website, which only offers 3 oz products of high end brands, specifically targeting travelers faced with TSA restrictions.

Throw in the Towel without Wiping out Space

If a gym doesn’t offer complimentary towels, then bringing your own usually means a bulky addition to your gym bag. There are some great gym towels on the market which solve this problem for you.

First up, check out the Towelmate Workout Towel with Germ Shield. For $25, this towel has everything you didn’t know you needed in a gym towel. (For all of you Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fans, *this* would be the towel of Ford Prefect’s dreams). It has one large sweat-proof storage compartment; smaller compartments for your phone or ipod and wallet; has germ shield built in; each side is labeled either GYM or SKIN so you’re not wiping your face with someone else’s sweat; and best of all, it has a strap built in so you can tie it on to your gym bag, saving even more space.

For easy drying off post-shower without a huge, fluffy towel, try the Speedo Chamois towel, $16 on the speedo.com website. Swimmers love using chamois towels because they’re so absorbent, dry incredibly quickly and take up next to no space.

If you want the absorbency of a chamois with the luxury of a self-cooling device while you’re working out, try the Chilly Pad Frogg Togg, for $15. It feels dry even when it’s wet and cool to the touch. It is just as compact as the chamois towel. This would be a great choice for cardio junkies.

If you’re going to shower, I’d choose the Speedo chamois for drying off, as well as the Towelmate towel, since you can strap it to the outside of your bag if you don’t have enough space for it.

So next time you’re heading to the gym, even if you’re a member of a gym with slightly more amenities than…um…nothing, try a few of these products or ideas on slimming down your gym bag! What are your gym bag essentials? What do you do to save space?