Aura Fitness Studio

Just a fun post today, as part of the 30 day reflection series, regarding the things I carry in my bag.


The iPad is used for work (fitness apps, classroom management apps, music), for my morning commute to read books, and to move around Shanghai a bit easier (taxi apps, bus apps-although I've never used the public bus here!).  My wallet I never really needed before I moved to Puxi, but now I have to remember to bring money with me to pay for taxis to the metro station (walking 5 minutes to work was certainly cheaper).  Cell phone I don't really use much because I can't answer my phone while I'm working, and I prefer to talk to people face to face.  However, I use the Note for it's awesome camera/video capacity and the bluetooth sharing (which is an easier/nicer feature that the iPhone/iPad lacks).  I also love watching movies on the Note because the picture quality is terrific.

The leotard, ballet slippers and foot undeez are obviously necessary for teaching dance.  By the way, foot undeez changed my life.  I danced barefoot all through high school and college for modern/contemporary dance, and have some scars/floor burn marks to prove it.  A foot undeez is basically a liner to protect your feet, or the front of a ballet slipper cut to only cover the metatarsal and top of the foot, with a hole to expose the toes. The extra support on the bottom of the foot really helps for turns, especially in the studio at school, since it's so humid and feet tend to stick to the floor.

My favorite face wash is Neutrogena's foaming face cleanser (also a make-up remover), and I definitely prefer Colgate over Crest, especially here in China because there are some strange flavors available in the Crest toothpaste line.  Green tea toothpaste, anyone?  I'm always sweating throughout the day, and I like to drink coffee, so these items are essential to feel refreshed while teaching in front of teens (sometimes a critical audience!).

Earphones are obvious to support all of the above mentioned electronics, and keys to enter my apartment are always helpful!  Although I am super scared I am going to eventually lock myself out of my new apartment, since the door locks right behind me automatically.

So there you have it... my personal equipment I find essential for teaching dance and PE.  Hope your bags are filled with things that improve your day/commute/job productivity.