Using the right exercise equipment

My clip shoes, asthma inhaler, water bottle and towel are all necessities for me for a good spin class.

Having the right equipment makes all the difference.
When I got to the gym this morning I realized I forgot my clip shoes. Ah, bummer. I probably had time to go home and get them. But I decided to just deal with regular shoes.
I had to use my regular tennies on the spin bike a couple of months ago when I had a broken clip and couldn’t get my shoe into the pedal.
It is such a different feeling in regular tennis shoes than clip shoes. I can feel the pedal under my feet, my control is different, I get foot cramps more often, my feet sometimes fall asleep, I don’t feel as sturdy.
I also feel that way the my newer yoga mat. For years I used a Gaiam yoga mat I got at Target. It got the job done.
But as I started practicing yoga more and going to a studio regularly I knew I needed a better mat. The Gaiam mat is quite slippery. And my hands never stuck very well the to “sticky” mat.
So I invested in a nice Jade yoga mat. Yes, it is expensive. But it is sturdy and high quality. My hands still slip a little, but not anywhere as much. All in all it is just a better yoga mat to practice on.
Having the right equipment makes all the difference to have a better yoga practice or workout experience.