What's in your (gym) bag?

Whoever said, "all you need to get fit is a pair of running shoes," is a liar.  Sure, you can start there, but if you're going to get serious, get ready to spend a little money.

My fitness regime currently includes running, Zumba, BodyPump, BodyJam, and occasionally yoga (really missing these classes since I moved).  Clearly, I love cardio.  Honestly, if it wasn't for BodyPump, I'd never do any strength workouts.

With all of these activities comes a lot of gear.  I thought I'd share a few of my staples.

Let's start with the lower left corner.  It's the most important thing -- a good sports bra.  My favorite is the Champion 360 Max Support Bra.  I got two of them on sale a few years ago, and they are in constant rotation.

Moving clockwise, we have my running shoes (although I also wear them for BodyPump).  Nike Structure 15s.  I've only been running for a few years, but I've stuck with Nike so far.  Mostly because they work with the Nike+ on my iPod nano.  I'll be in the market for new shoes (and maybe a Garmin FR10) once I'm employed.

In the upper right are my Zumba shoes.  When I first started doing Zumba, I wore running shoes, but I found I couldn't do some of the turns very easily and had some hip pain.  I consulted a friend who is a Zumba instructor in the Oklahoma City area, and she gave me some great suggestions.  I settled on the Ryka Transitions. They're lightweight and the soles are perfect for pivoting and all the other fun dance moves.  They are one of my favorite investments.

Finally, I have to have tunes.  I use my iPod nano and have three or four running playlists on it at any given time.  I use over-the-ear headphones, but even those don't stay put.  I'll be shopping for an upgrade, again, when I have a job.

These days, I go to the gym from home and back again, so I don't really take a bag.  But when I was working, my gym bag usually also held hair ties, deodorant and an extra pair of socks.

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If you want to share your fitness staples, be sure to link up with Ari at The Pace of It All.