Clean Workout Clothes
Aim for clothing that keeps you cool and lets you move freely, but still keeps your torso covered. That way, you’re less likely to get intimately familiar with the puddle of sweat somebody else may have left on a weight bench or machine. If you generate your own puddle of sweat when you work out, extract the sweaty, used clothes from your gym bag as quickly as possible and replace them with a fresh set, so you’re ready to go the next day. Even if you plan on wearing your workout clothes to and from the gym, consider packing a clean set of underwear for emergency backup.
Toiletries
Stress and routine changes can affect a woman’s menstrual cycle. Having some tampons or sanitary pads in your gym bag, or at least a few quarters if your gym sells them in a restroom vending machine, is a prudent practice. Wet wipes are good for removing makeup from a sweaty face, and either men or women can use them to quickly freshen up if they don’t want to shower at the gym. Finally, bring deodorant with you so you can reapply as needed, both before and after working out.
Towels
Gyms usually provide small towels, but with no standardization for how the linens are washed or rinsed; thus, bringing your own is the only way to know they are completely sanitary. That way you can also have two towels – one to use as a barrier between you and sweaty equipment and the other to use on your own body – with zero guilt and no worries about whether the gym will be out of fresh towels when you arrive.