In my bag, Part 2

A little over a year ago, I posted the contents of my pole bag. It was actually a lot of fun to go through my stuff and share with you stuff I schlep around all the time, and it was hilarious to read some of the comments to hear what other people carry.

Well, while I was carrying a huge bag with everything but the kitchen sink in it for a while, things have changed around here! Now I’ve gone into lazy mode and figured out a couple ways to minimize the stuff that I lug.

For one, I leave a pair of shoes at the studio. I also now put all my pole paraphernalia into a small mesh bag so that I can easily change bags just by moving the mesh baggie around instead of grabbing for a ton of different things and realizing that oops, I forgot something. Most of the time nowadays, especially since it’s warm and I don’t need to bring warmups with me, I leave my big, floppy heavy LuluLemon bag at home and squeeze my sportsbra and bootyshorts into my purse, along with my mesh baggie.

For a sports bra, I’m still completely loyal to LuluLemon because for little boobs, you would be hard pressed to find a brand that is more flattering. I’ve tried. Every time they release a new style, I used to race to buy at least a couple of that model if it looked good on me, since they don’t often repeat styles. It got to the point of insanity (this is what an addiction looks like) especially because I would only wear the cute new ones, and leave the old ones in the drawer… so I’m currently on a LuLuLemon sportsbra ban. They’re a little bit on the pricey side (hence, the ban) but it’s all about the lift and separate! For booty shorts, I’m still completely all about Bad Kitty’s Brazil shorts, because hey. If they make your butt look good, then the cheekage totally awesome. And, they come in hot pink. Which I’m really into right now, for some reason. I never owned any pink until I turned 30, but now that I am, and I do, I keep buying more… and more… and more.

So at any rate, here’s what I’m carrying! And you’ll notice… the labels… are in hot pink. The picking of the pink was without me even realizing it. I don’t know how that happened. My finger navigated on my mousepad without any conscious thought!

So, DA BAG! is from Ricky’s, which is a makeup chain store in NYC sort of like Ulta or Sephora. It’s a silver colored really rugged nylon mesh bag (I think the same bag is on sale here) which is nice because I can see through it to see exactly what’s inside, and if I stick something damp in there it’ll still be able to air dry (like a damp wristband, eeew). I’ve pulled out a few things in this pic and will go through the rest in the next one.

1. The trusty iPod touch. Can’t, won’t, leave home without it. This guy basically stays in my pole bag and never leaves. It has my entire iTunes library squeezed into 64 gigs somehow… hopefully Apple makes a bigger Touch soon because it’s getting tough! I go through every once in a while and delete some songs that I know I never, ever, ever would play in class and sometimes as I delete them I wonder what the heck I was ever thinking.
2. My trusty GorillaPod Tripod for videoing stuff with my camera. All the legs are adjustable so you can set it up all tilted and crazy and it’s still stable.
3. Nuun tablets. I wrote about them here, and I’ve been really loving the convenience of using them. I am a big coconut water fan, but it can get tough to find the brands that I like and it can honestly just get annoying carrying bottles of drinks around all day. These tabs fizz and dissolve into a bottle of water, and they have flavor and electrolytes without being sweet and gross. I also carry these onto planes with me and bring them on trips when I know I’m going to have nights out on the town, because it’s easier (and not such a chore) to really rehydrate with them, they make water yummy!
4. Orgain protein shakes. I’m a huge convert. I had tried a lot of the protein shakes that were readily available, and my stomach did NOT like them. Marlo turned me on to these, and they actually taste AMAZING– not chalky, not gross. My favorite is the Mocha flavor and my boyfriend is a huge fan of the vanilla. Each has 16 grams of whey protein and I can chug one in about 2 seconds because they’re so good. I have a case at home, and a case at work, and so no matter where I’m coming from to teach or take a class, I can grab one and stick it in my bag as I run out the door. I take one down after just about anything active that I do, and then have a nutritious meal when I get home. I also like the convenience of having them around so that I can have one before a workout if my day got hectic and I didn’t have time to really eat right.

And the rest of the stuffs in my little mesh bag:

1. Advil, a bandaid, and a mini nail file. Because, emergencies happen.
2. Strength wraps! I absolutely don’t leave home without one now. They give my wrist support and they ALSO make me more conscious of keeping it in neutral. I do strengthening at home with a DynaFlex, so that I’m not just relying on a “crutch”.
3. Wisps (single use mini toothbrushes) and mini Altoids to keep the breath fresh. Because… as a teacher… you never know when you’re going to have to get up close and personal on a student… and yeah.
4. Neutrogena cleansing wipes (they’re no longer available as single wipes, but you can buy them in a larger packet here). It’s summer, and it’s sticky, and I don’t like to go for too long without getting the sweat off after a workout. These deep clean to keep you from breaking out, especially on your back or face.
5. A little sample pack of moisturizer! Sometimes my skin gets beat up (or my feet are all dry and yucky) and a little lotion packet is needed.
6. Extra hair elastics and bobby pins. For me, for students, for anyone who happens to forget one day. They come in handy!!
7. I transferred all my grip aids into airplane travel-friendly little containers a while back, and it’s really lightened my load! This little guy is iTac, which works well for some of my students (if you’re curious about which grip aids might work for you, check this blog).
8. This one is Tite Grip…
9. and Dry Hands…
10. and Dew Point!
11. Just in case I forget my protein shakes, or I’m around someone with super low blood sugar, I keep a Clif bar in my bag. I went through a phase not too long ago when I was running from work to class without thinking so much about food, or keeping myself properly fueled, and I must have been eating at least 4 of these a week. So now, I’m a little bit at the point where I can’t really stomach the idea of eating one voluntarily, but if I’m starving then it’s a good option to have.

Monday’s post: Giveaway!…

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