Things I Carry

On my way into the gym yesterday, I thought, “Man, my gym bag feels heavy.”

So after I coached a class and had a moment to myself, I decided to empty out my bag and see exactly what was weighing down my Walmart duffle.

Once I took inventory, I couldn’t help but snap a photo, thinking the whole thing was rather funny. (Especially if you’ve been around long enough to remember this post from 2014. Baby Ashleyne was so cute.)

And so, I decided to share this inventory list with you. (And yes, there is a point to this – I promise I’ll get there.)

Here’s the list:

• 1 decorative bag of Dove chocolates
• 1 bookmark
• 3 rolls of workout tape (surprisingly, they all do different things)
• 1 roll of medical tape (absolutely not sanitary at this point)
• 1 empty deodorant container
• 1 Burts Bees lip balm cap (no tube, cool)
• 18 band-aids of various sizes
• 1 tube of Neosporin
• 1 bottle of iBuprofen
• 1 fake leather studded bracelet (I recently dressed as a KISS groupie for a competition)
• 1 Home Depot receipt
• 1 R2-D2 towel
• 2 hair ties (remind me I need to restock)
• 5 hairpins
• 1 set of car and house keys
• 1 empty coffee mug (why is the coffee always gone?!)
• 1 bottle of rubbing alcohol
• 1 half-empty container of chewing gum
• 1 pen
• 1 hair dryer (actually in the bag to remove tape residue, not dry my hair)
• 3 pairs of clean socks
• 1 pair of dirty socks (this is unusual and disgusting)
• 2 pairs of clean leggings
• 1 clean tank top
• 1 dirty t-shirt
• 2 pairs of clean underwear (not pictured, you’re welcome)
• 1 clean sports bra
• 1 pair of hand-me-down lifting shoes
• 1 charger for a WHOOP fitness device
• 7 tampons of various sizes
• 1 empty baby food pouch (yes, I eat baby food. it’s high in nutrients. sue me.)
• 1 empty container meant to hold protein powder (forgot to refill it and was sad)
• 1 Star Wars shaker bottle
• 1 dried-out pack of baby wipes
• 1 half-full pack of fresh baby wipes
• 1/4 of a leftover breakfast burrito (not pictured – i put it in the fridge but i promise it was there)
• 1 set of wrist wraps
• 1 set of gymnastics grips
• 1 set of wristbands
• 1 wallet (containing the usual wallet items)
• 1 lacrosse ball (covered in chalk, welcome to CrossFit)
• 1 jump rope
• 1 weight-lifting belt
• 3 mardi-gras-style black necklaces (you really never know when you’ll need these again)
• 1 empty grocery bag

And truly, every single item in there was needed at the gym at some point. Even just glancing down the list, you can tell – I live out of my gym bag. I was feeling a touch ashamed of my ridiculous collection when I had this thought: “I wonder if everyone has one space like this?”

I know some people seem to live out of their cars. Some out of their purses. Maybe you live out of your closet, collecting all the items you might possibly need, down to a quick snack for emergencies. Because as the Boy Scouts taught us, it’s best to always be prepared.

And I think it’s interesting that the things I take to the gym have changed so much over time – an indication of how my life has changed.

What about you? Do you have a space or container like this in your life? Has that space changed over the years?

Tell me I’m normal.