I’m feeling overwhelmed trying to fit the gym into my 9-5 + commuting life. Tips?

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emmafontaine

New member
I have recently started a full time job, which is my first full time job since moving to NYC and I’m having trouble balancing commuting, working, and the gym. Mostly because I feel like there’s SO MUCH I have to carry and I don’t want to haul around a billion things all day.
I want to be a morning gym goer. Sometimes my work starts at 9, sometimes 10, so it’s not too bad to get an early gym start and I’ll try to work it around my 10am start days the most probably.
But between my lunch for work, my deodorant/mini hairbrush/toiletries, my change of clothes, my change of shoes, my lock, a water bottle, etc., I feel like I’m hauling around so much stuff - on top of having to worry about being smelly/sweaty/etc. It’s making me anxious and I don’t know how to fit it all in and carry it all around with me.
I think I will have to do my skincare and put some light makeup on at home before I leave in the morning, because I honestly can’t see myself schlepping around a makeup bag on top of everything else - even a small one. I mostly powerlift and tend to not get crazy sweaty so I don’t think this will be a huge issue.

Neither my gym nor work has any place to leave stuff overnight, so that’s not helpful.
I would appreciate any tips any of you non-car commuting ladies have!
 
@emmafontaine I go to the gym before work, spend half an hour on a bus, and work a 9-5. I haul around my gym stuff + my lunch + a laptop! Here are some things that have worked for me:
- I keep work shoes already at work and wear my sneakers out. This helps unless it's winter/raining.
- I put everything into one big gym bag - I use side pockets for a small selection of makeup items/toiletries. I carry a lunchbag/just my water bottle separate.
- Alternatively: sometimes I'll bring two bags - one small-ish for gym things and then a backpack with my work things + makeup
- My work has a fridge, so it can also help to just meal prep and have food for the week (or at least days where I'm coming from the gym) already there.
 
@emmafontaine one woman at my gym uses what seems to be a mini suitcase as her gym bag (like the kind a business traveler who’s only flying out for the day would use). That should fit most of your stuff and be easy to haul around l
 
@emmafontaine Oh I feel your pain. I bought this monster backpack and haul it on the train on my gym days. It fits my lunchbox, my change of clothes, a pair of shoes, my toiletries, water bottle, and usually I can stuff in an extra something whenever I need. It's not the most beautiful but it gets the job done!

That said, if you do end up schlepping a big pack around on the subway, PLEASE take it off when you're on a crowded train. I always try to, but it's still a near weekly experience where I get suffocated by someone's backpack and it awakens a rage in me I cannot describe. /petpeeve
 
@emmafontaine I lived in NYC for 2 years up until recently and proudly had my gym bag with me everywhere. Subway to the gym in the morning, then subway to work, then subway home. Showered at the gym. Yup carried everything with me - my gym bag had breakfast+lunch, protein shaker bottle, change of clothes, mini hair dryer, small makeup bag (I wear moisturizer with SPF, eyeliner, and eyeshadow, that's it), quick-dry towel to save space (had to pay for a towel from gym otherwise), change of shoes, and flip flops for gym shower. Had no shame schlepping my gym bag + backpack for work on the subway >3 times a day. It honestly wasn't that big of a bag. I did this 4-5 days per working week.

If the subway was crowded, I hugged my gym bag to my chest or let it rest on top of my feet. It's NYC, people always have random crap they're carrying around. So long as you try to be considerate with space I think it's totally fine. I never felt guilty because there were always finance and lawyer bros with massive backpacks who refused to take them off and hold them at their feet when it was crowded. Ugh I hated those guys!

I had gym goals and carrying a second, slightly larger bag wasn't going to stop me from meeting them. Plenty of women have a 2nd bag on the subway so it never felt awkward for me. Good luck!
 
@emmafontaine Something that really helps me is leaving my work shoes at work, can you do that? So I have a large laptop bag/purse/tote thing that fits - dry shampoo, deodorant a brush, my small make up bag, my lunch, a water bottle, my work clothes - it all fits! My gym does have plastic bags to put your clothes in after but you could always recycle a grocery bag or something similar. I wake up, get in my gym clothes and sneakers, commute and then gym - shower - work (5 min walk). I don't have to carry toiletries b/c NYSC has them and I always wash and style my hair at night (2-3x a week) so I'm only dry-shampooing and blow drying the sweat, if any. at the gym.

If you can't find a bag that accommodates all, my second suggestion would be to get a gym bag with a shoe compartment and a sweat compartment (mine is Adidas off Amazon but I don't use it anymore since I have this other bag) and I've fit everything in there. Toiletries, shoes for work, sneakers, change of clothes, lunch, curling iron, make up. etc etc. It's not even that large! It can get heavy though. Then, maybe put your personal items in a clutch/wallet that you can just throw in and carry that around if you need to run out, run to get lunch, etc. Hope this helps! I commute from Jersey City to NYC daily with 1.5 mi walks each way and I have had no issues.
 
And also know that 65% of pretty chiffon, dainty blouses will look like crapola after being rolled in a gym bag unless someone here has a magical way of preventing that - so I try to stick with blouses that I know won't wrinkle. I also leave a black blazer at work.
 
@emmafontaine So I work 8-4:30 with an hour commute each way (by car). It was a major pain to get used to, but eventually I just had to make some sacrifices to make it work. The night before I pack my backpack with clothes for the day, shower amenities, etc and leave it by my door. I pack my lunch and have it all ready to go. I'm in bed by 9pm, up at 5am. I go workout, shower at the gym and then off I go! Once you get a few early workouts in, you shouldn't have too much trouble falling to sleep on time.
 
@emmafontaine I would switch gyms to one with showers and lockers. Keep a weeks worth of gym clothes and all your cosmetics in the locker. Work out, shower, get ready for work. On an off work day I would go work out and grab all my clothes and wash them for the next week.

If I don't shower after working out I get acne bad.
 
@dawn16 That’s a brilliant suggestion! I didn’t think about the advantages of being able to bring multiple days worth of stuff! I think I will definitely look into doing this.
 
@emmafontaine Work smarter not harder. Does your current gym have a shower? You may be able to work out a deal with the owner/manager to keep your stuff somewhere in the gym. Supply closet, back room, even under the sink in the bathroom or something.

Most people don't mess with other peoples things, but theres always the possibility that someone will go through your stuff. As long as it's not real expensive I personally wouldn't worry about it.
 
@emmafontaine Can you work out after work? I much prefer to do that so I don't have to lug so much stuff with me each day. I also prefer to shower at home and have much more energy for gym after having more meals.
 
@emmafontaine I got this bag for commuting to work/the gym. It holds so much stuff, including a laptop compartment, and it looks really good. I initially saw the recommendation on this sub to look for a nappy/diaper bag, and now I have my own, I endorse the recommendation too!
 
@emmafontaine I have this problem. I wake up at 6:30, walk up this mountain side (i kid you not) to the gym on top of my campus to workout, carrying my change of clothes and backpack and shit, workout and shower and then descend back down for back to back classes all over campus (goddamn interdisciplinary major) and then after that I go straight to work until 9-10pm! Still gotta study in my short between times when i can. Have no idea how to eat properly because meal prep seems like such an impossible feat and means only more stuff to lug around the city with me. And warmer weather means more sweating while lugging. And then studying, when do i sit down and do that. When do i even have time to eat of there was food right in front of me? What about having some semblance of a social life or acknowledging the fact existence of my boyfriend and spending time with him and friends and colleagues for study groups. What about sleeping? What about dressing like an adult instead of just wearing crap so i’m comfortable while running around.

On the bright side at least I get plenty of steps in and have a constantly elevated heart rate.

I have no answers for you and can only commiserate. When i figure out the best way, i’ll be sure to let you know.
 
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