What's in Your Gym Bag: Colleen

Shortly after moving to the Fort Bragg area, I joined my local CrossFit gym, CrossFit Raeford. I have always been an active individual and was looking for a structured training program to help keep in shape.

As the retail manager at R. Riveter, I had the perfect gym bag made for my lifestyle. Using an Army duffle bag, I had my lovely coworkers at R. Riveter fabricate a sturdy and functional gym bag for my everyday use. Each morning I pack my bag with what I will need for that day. I usually head straight to the gym after work so my gym bag is more of like a day pack for my daily necessities.

Here are some of my gym bag requirements:

 

1. Inov8 F-lite 215
   Although most Crossfitters are wearing the Reebok Nanos, I really enjoy my Inov8 shoes. They are durable, functional, and comfortable and are suitable for almost any functional fitness movement. Whether it is box jumps, wall walks, rope climbs or burpees these shoes are a lightweight and resilient option for daily workouts.
2. WODies
   A lot of people would agree that CrossFit is the sport of ugly hands. Between all of the barbell movements and pull-ups, your hands tend to get a little beat up. WODies by Jerkfit offer full palm protection and wrist support. Just add chalk and they are good to go! As they advertise: "Less Rips, More Reps!"
3. R. Riveter: Mini Dopp Kit 
   The Mini Dopp Kit is where I keep all of my toiletries and beauty products. I never need this for the gym but have it in there as more of just a safety net for me to have at work in case I need to do some last minute modeling for a product shoot or social media post. It is perfect because it is made of a sturdy canvas material and lined with a cleanable Gortex.
4. R. Riveter Zipper Pouch
   Since my bag is so roomy for all of my goodies, it is good to have little pouches to keep the small stuff from getting lost. This cute little pouch is perfect for cash, change, lip balm, and headphones. I have found that my favorite pre- workout snack, an RXBar, fits in here perfectly.
5. Notebook & Pen 
   What is the fun in working hard if you cannot record your results? I always keep this cute little notebook that I found at T.J. Maxx to keep my latest workout results written down. It is awesome to look back and see all of my improvements since I started CrossFit a year ago.
6. iPhone 5s 
   No surprise here—my iPhone is a must have for the gym. If I am doing my own workout during open gym I use apps such as Tabata Timer to keep track of the time. And, although I unenthusiastically admit this, I am guilty of having to pull out my iPhone to calculate percentages when doing strength work.
7. Camelbak Water Bottle 
   Hydration is very important no matter what type of physical activity you are doing. My Camelbak water bottle with a built in filter allows me to hydrate throughout the workday and into my evening workouts. Camelbak also has an awesome Hydration Calculator on their website where it allows you to input characteristics such as height, weight and type of exercise to calculate how much water you should be drinking throughout the day.