My Gym Bag Essentials ♥

*This is a collaborative post, however, as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own.

I've been going to the gym for almost a year now - I honestly can't believe it's been that long really, so I thought I'd share the essentials that I always pack in my workout bag.

Right now I only do workouts in the gym, but next month I hope to start going swimming too - I think it's important to start mixing up my exercises and workouts this year. I'm on the lookout for some new swimwear and have been looking for a swimming costume that makes me feel less self-conscious going into the pool. I've found some fab tankini styles from speedo on the Simply Swim website, so I'll update this list to include what I take for swimming once I start it up.

Here's are my current workout bag essentials -

1. A bottle of flavoured water. I always find it hard to drink lots of normal water, so having a bit of flavour to it helps me to get my daily water intake and it's easier to get down during a workout. I have a reusable bottle that I take with me each time.

2. A towel. This is an absolute must for me in the gym because those cardio workouts really leave me sweating!

3. A coin for the locker. The amount of times I've gone to the gym and forgotten a coin for the locker... I've always got one stashed away in the front pocket of my workout bag now because I hate leaving my stuff unattended.

4. Supplements. I take supplements to help my performance in the gym and I always have them in my workout bag so I can take one before I go for a workout. I've shared before that I use Grilla Fitness burn bullets and find they work best for me, giving me energy and making me sweat more through a workout.

5. Hairspray. Nothing annoys me more than having wisps of hair in my face when I'm working out, so I always make sure to have a can of hairspray in my workout bag. I simply spray it on my fringe and the front of my hair before a workout and it helps to keep the hair off my face.

6. Antiperspirant spray. I always give myself a spray of this before hitting the gym. I know we're all sweating in there, but one one wants to smell bad when working out!

7. A sports bra. I always keep a sports bra in my gym bag in case I'm going to the gym straight from somewhere else and don't have the right attire on! The best sports bra I've found so far has been the Marks & Spencer Extra High Impact Non Padded Sports Bra, which comes in sizes A-G. It's currently on sale for €22 too so I might have to get some more!

8. Weight lifting gloves. I got mine in Penneys and they're perfect for keeping a grip on the weight machines - especially after a sweaty cardio workout!

9. Protein for after workout. The shaker in my picture above has a compartment on the bottom for storing protein powder, so I fill it with water and then pop the protein powder in after a workout for a fresh post-workout shake. I'm currently taking the Holland & Barrett Precision Engineered Whey Protein in Birthday Cake flavour but it isn't that nice tasting to be honest. I'll be using it up and then going back to my Grilla Fitness one or my MaxiNutrition one which are much easier to stomach!

I live five minutes from the gym so I don't bring any shower stuff - I go straight home and shower after each gym session.

So those are my gym bag essentials. Is there anything else you bring to the gym that you'd recommend for me to add in my bag?

If you're interested in reading more about my weight loss, how I lost 30lbs and my healthy living efforts click here.