That's Fit

With the warm weather here, you may already have made the decision to unfetter your workout from the confines of the gym. Rocky trails and windy roads have replaced treadmills; push-ups, pull-ups and other bodyweight exercises have been subbed in for weight machines; and the scenery has suddenly become a whole lot better than some painted-over concrete walls, dirty mirrors and outdated fitness posters. You're outside, and you're very happy to be there. Buuuuut ... then it rains. Or the heat becomes too much to bear, just as it did here in the northeast last week. Looks like a sojourn back to the ol' gym may be in your future.

To ready yourself, make sure you have what you need. Your gym back has been sitting idly in your closet for over a month, so you may need to restock it a bit. To help you along, here is a quick checklist of some gym bag essentials.

1. iPod. For whatever reason, gyms are notorious for playing some of the worst music known to man. So, it's incumbent upon you to be your own personal D.J. if you want to hear some halfway decent tunes during your workout.

2. Water Bottle. Depending on where you live, the water coming out of your gym water fountain may or may not be palatable. Therefore, you may either want to fill-up a large water bottle at home or buy a bottled water on the way to the gym. Either way, make sure it ends up in your gym bag and then by your side during your workout.

3. Training Journal. As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail. Who they are is beyond me, but they seem like bright people. A training log will help you to keep the guesswork out of your workout; you'll know how much weight you used during your recent workouts, how many reps you performed, various settings on machines, etc., which will enable you to quickly assess what you need to do in order to kick your current workout up a notch.

4. Personal Hygiene Items. Soap, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, razor and shaving cream, and the oft-forgotten (at least by me) towel. Oh yeah, and flip-flops to stave off athlete's foot. Of course, if you're more of a workout-at -the-gym-only person, you can skip these items and just shower and what-not when you get home.

5. Jump Rope. Look, working out is supposed to be hard. Walking on a treadmill for ten minutes while chatting on your cell phone just isn't going to cut it, I'm sorry. You need to push yourself if you want results. One of the best ways to do this is to always stay active, which is where a jump rope comes in very handy. If you're in between resistance training sets, don't just sit around -- jump around. Instead of reading US Weekly on the (very) stationary bike, spin that rope. And if you are waiting for someone to finish on a machine, don't pace back and forth like a shooting gallery duck -- keep your workout moving with the rope while you wait.

Depending on your particular workout, there may be some other items that are must-haves for your gym bag. But for the most part, these five are a pretty good start. If there are any others that you simply can't leave home without during your trips to the gym, please feel free to add them below.