5 years ago,  I didn't know how to swim, I was at my highest weight and I was going on holiday to Egypt with Phillip. If you've ever been to Egypt before, you'll be well aware of the soaring temperatures, no matter the time of year.

I was thrown in at the deep end when we went on holiday(not literally). It was scorching hot and the only relief from the heat was to be in the pool. Everyone else was swimming and having fun and I would just cling to the sides of the pool.

I knew I had to learn to swim. With the encouragement of Phillip, I very barely learnt to swim whilst I was on holiday. I was doing a combination of breast stroke arms with front crawl kick and didn't move very far! The only time I really 'swam' as such was on holiday until I made the decision two years to start adult swimming lessons(best decision I've made in a long time and I highly recommend it!). Now - I can swim lengths and legnths with ease, I've done mile swims in an open water lake and I'll be taking on a Triathlon next year!

With that in mind, everyone who swims will have a swim bag. People have different items in their swim bags depending on what they do when they're swimming. If you're hardcore or you are in a club - you may end up having floats, pull buoys or fins but I just have a basic swim kit!

I'm quite a nosey person, I love seeing what people have in the kit bags, I figured it'd be fun to share what I have in my swim bag and some of the pieces I use when I take a trip to the pool!

SO, WHATS IN MY SWIM BAG?
Like I said, I have the basics in my swim kit that most(if not all), swimmers would usually have in their bag - I'll split the items into two sections, Swimming & Post Swim but first lets start with the bag!

Kit Brix Bag* - This is what I use this as my normal swimming bag and my open water swimming bag and it's fantastic!
The bag itself is super robust and the whole of the inside has a waterproof lining, so any wet items you put inside wont leak out anywhere. I typically store my bag in the car - and before I had this bag - my old bag got soaked through with my wetsuit/swim stuff and would soak in my boot or footwell of the car, not the best!

There's pockets on the inside and mesh pockets on the outside for storage of smaller items. When of the other great features(for those who do Triathlons), the bag has a zip on two sides of the bag that runs round the outer edge where you can attach another kit brix bag and use for your transition kit!
Swimming
So, essentials for swimming that I think every swimmer probably have are:

Swim Suit - I've got a Speedo swim suit. They are typically my swimsuit of choice - I have 2 different swim suits I swap between. I have owned an Adidas suit but it went out of shape and started to stretch and I haven't had that problem with Speedo.

I'm currently using the Speedo Endurance Plus Fit Kickback* and the Speedo Enurance Plus. There's nothing too fancy about the Speedo Endurance Plus suit - I just like the colour as it's a lovely all over purple. The Speedo Endurance Plus Fit Kickback has a 360 degree bra support(which is great for bustier women) and core muscle support for better positioning in the pool(I'm not entirely sure if this is making a difference or not or if it's my technique being adjusted in lessons). Either way, they're both flattering swim suits and they're comfortable and easy to move about in - which is important for swimming!

Goggles -  A much needed essential for swimming, unless of course you love getting chlorine in your eyes, which isn't particularly fun! I have two pairs of goggles, a pair for pool swimming and a pair for open water swimming.

I have the Aquasphere Kayenne Clear Lens* goggles - They're great, they fit really well, I've had no fogging or leakage with them and the clear lens is perfect for the pool. I find that tinted goggles can make things seem alittle dark and I don't like that!

For open water - I have the Zoggs Predator Flex Goggles which are also a superb goggle. They've got polarized lens which is perfect for swimming open water and protecting your eyes from the sun. They also fit really well and I've had zero problems with fogging or leaking with them. I'd recommend either of those goggles, both are great brands!
Swimming Hat - Now I suppose not everyone needs this - but ladies(& gents) with longer hair.. please please wear one! Not only will it mean that the hair doesn't get in your face when you're swimming but strands of hair wont end up tangled in other peoples hands either. This is an absolute pet peeve of mine and I hate it!

A basic one is more than sufficient - but I absolutely love mine! I love the colours and makes me pretty unique to spot in the water too. I'm pretty sure it was limited edition though, I don't think it's available anymore!

Water Bottle - Naive little me thought I wouldn't need any water when swimming(duh, I'm in water? ;) ) but you definitely still need to make sure you're hydrating when swimming - you still sweat.. even in the water and I usually get quite parched during a swimming lesson so always have a bottle of water handy. Im using a water bottle from HydrateM8 - A 900ml bottle with timing up the side to remind you when to drink during the day(super helpful!)

POST SWIM
So, now we're on to what I use after swimming! I tend to have the following in my bag:

Microfibre Towel - Most people use a normal towel I think - I decided to get a microfibre towel just because it's SO much more compact to fit inside my swim bag - I have a bunch of things inside my swim bag and usually includes my work stuff as I tend to swim in the morning before work - or I have my clothes ready to change in to.

The towel is super easy to dry with and is really quick drying too! I don't think I'd ever go back to using a regular towel.

Dry Bag* - Basically just a small waterproof bag that I can store my soggy wetsuit inside once I've finished swimming so I dont end up with a pool of water at the bottom of my bag and my other bag contents dont get wet. It's obviously not a necessity but I think it comes in handy.
3/2-IN-1 Shampoo/Conditioner - Not particularly fussed on brand - I'm usually in a rush to get to work in the morning so dont have time for a full shampoo and conditioner ritual but don't want my hair smelling of chlorine either.

Tangle Teezer -  A god send for those who tend to get very tangled hair. I used to brush my wet hair with a normal brush before and used to end up with a ball of hair.. or still very matted hair post swim but I've had no issues using a tangle teezer to de-tangle my hair. I dont know what I'd do if I forgot it one day!

Protein Bar/Protein Shake* - Always take either a protein bar or a protein shake with me for after a swim to help repair the muscles! A protein bar is so much easier - but a protein shaker that has two separate compartments to store water and protein powder that you can then mix together post swim works just as well. Currently using the Herbalife Protein Bars and Protein Powder* in case anyone was interested!


So that's pretty much everything that I take with me swimming! You can buy swimming products from all sorts of places - Either directly from swim brands or from stores/online stores - I did receive a few products from SimplySwim marked with an *, however, I have bought both swimming goggles and swimming costumes from them prior to working with them for a blog post - I highly recommend them as a company - they have loads of different swimming accessories and lots of choices of brands - if you're in need of any swimming kit, I'd definitely give them a look!

Question: Whats in your swim bag? Any must have items you'd  recommend?

---

Disclosure: I received the bag/protein products from Herbalife as part of blog campaign. I also received the 4 items from Simply Swim for this blog post for free. I am not being paid to talk about or advertise any of these products. All opinions are as always, my own and are not affected by items gifted to me. See my policy page HERE for more detail.