Anyone who has undertaken a fitness regime that involves showering outside the home knows just how fraught an experience it can be.
Take the first morning of The National Fitness Challenge at Haddins in January, for example. It had been a while since I’d prepared a workout bag with everything I would need for a day at the office.
Although I was sure I’d nailed it the night before, on the ground – that is, wrapped in a towel looking for my clothes – I realised that things had gone horribly, horribly awry.
See more: Key items to pack into your gym bag
In the bright light of day, the new tights and flowing black top I’d brought to wear – ones I’d only ever tried on in a store – were clearly see-through. I forgot deodorant, which is basically item one. And there was no lip gloss of any variety to be found in my purse. Luckily my home was not far away and I was able to swing by and dress in something a little more likely to pass security. I was reminded just what an exact science it is to pack the perfect workout bag. So here are my top tips:
No fancy outfits
When I see people coming to the gym with suits on hangers, I am always glad I have the kind of job that lets me wear soft fabrics that can be folded without wrinkling. A gym-straight-to-work morning is not the day for a fussy ensemble with a lot of different parts and any ironing at all. If you can keep it to a dress, hose and shoes, all the better.
Double-pack your smalls and other essentials
Extra socks and such will save you down the line and don’t take up very much space, while not having them can be fatal to a workday. Make sure you’ve got two of everything in the bag.
Have a special, downsized toiletry bag
Don’t try to carry everything that’s in your shower. I take medium-sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner – the mini hotel varieties deplete too quickly, although their moisturisers work well. Shampoo can double as body wash. A small bottle of avocado oil can double as moisturiser for the face and hair. Tinted moisturiser is the way to go here, as is the simplest of make-up. Just make sure your bag has concealer, mascara, lip gloss and some blusher – although you’ll likely be so flushed from the workout you won’t really need it.
Dry shampoo is your best friend
Some women wash and blow-dry their hair daily, but I’ve never been one of them. And if you are very pressed for time, the best thing to do is skip the wash and spritz your post-workout hair with a drugstore salt spray. A quick blow-dry and a couple of turns with a round brush, and not only will your hair have great body and texture, but you’ll also be on your way that much faster.
Check and double-check for essentials
Going from work to the gym is less tricky, especially if you’re going home right after. But nothing can scupper plans for a post-work exercise session like a pair of missing trainers or sports bra, just as a day without deodorant or socks is not going to be pleasant for anyone.
Don’t get too fancy with the bag
I gave away a complex purple Nike bag I picked up a couple of years ago after growing frustrated with zipping and unzipping all the compartments to make sure I had everything. I still have a Nike workout bag, but this one is in sleeker black and much more basic, with just four interior side pockets and a separate space for shoes on either end.
amcqueen@thenational.ae
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Torque: 390Nm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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The years Ramadan fell in May
THREE
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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