I’m going back to the office. How did I workout before work again?!

[joyinsf]

I’m ready to make pre-work working out a part of my routine again, but I’m feeling daunted.

No, not by the early alarm, or motivation, but by bringing e v e r y t h i n g I need.

I’ll go the bus stop in my workout clothes, but between my work bag, lunch/water/shaker bottle, change of clothes/shoes for work, towel (gym charges $.50 per), a large-ish but necessary array of travel-sized toiletries/makeup, and lifters/wraps/chalk depending on the day (commercial gym). I think that about covers it and I’m being mindful about paring down as much as possible.

I shudder to think of winter when my work change of clothes will take up a whole lot more space. And packing away my wet, nasty workout clothes to be bundled up all day?

And all this I need to haul to the bus twice a day. I need help.

Gym does offer locker rentals but I’m not convinced I want to pay for it to hold some toiletries, since a lot I need to bring home.

I could drive there and back to get ready at home but gym is very close to work and drive time traffic volume is only going to increase in the months to come.

How did I do this before lol like everything else, trying to remember and get tips on re-finding this routine.

TLDR; going back to work which is close to gym, which I want to visit in the morning. But I feel like I’m packing A LOT of stuff and it’s a lot to haul around two buses.

How do you pack for the gym-to-work routine? Does it feel like a lot?

 

[dawn16]

@joyinsf When I biked to work I would bring all my work clothes for the week on Monday. I also had rad coworkers and we would drive to the local grocery store on Monday during lunch break and I’d buy my weekly lunch stuff.

 

[suzeh]

@joyinsf Join the workout at night gang I’m never going back.

 

[dawn16]

@joyinsf I got a gym bag that doubles as a laptop bag and it's the best investment. It has a wet clothes compartment and a pretty big inside compartment where I keep my packed lunch, clothes, shoes, and towel. It can get full, but it has shoulder straps and a cross body strap. I bought it back in 2013 and I can't figure out what the brand is. But, there seem to be tons of options now when I search that combo.

 

[alfred3200]

@dawn16 I have 2 different versions of a gym/work bag from Aer and both were honestly worth the investment.

I previously used their tote version, which has the clothes compartment, a shoe compartment, and then the whole laptop/work pocket + a water bottle holder. I started biking in when I went back to (a different) office in a new role and switched to the backpack version. I got a great deal on a barely used one on Poshmark.

I'm seconding the rec I've seen elsewhere for little garment bags and this is how I group my clothes, my underwear, and toiletries into the bag. It's super convenient and makes packing and changing go very quickly.

 

[elissa906]

@joyinsf Is it possible to find a better gym, one that offers chalk and personal lockers?

 

[paul2017]

@joyinsf Kind of random one, but may be of help. Got this from my dad when we went on our first holiday and had to fit 4 days worth of clothes into a small backpack:roll clothes into a sausage shape. Don't fold them. They'll fit much easier and you can place them at the bottom of the bag in layers to save space. Travel bottles for shampoo/conditioner. Keep plastic bags folded up in your main bag for if you ever need to throw anything in an extra bag to spread the weight.
Might be worth buying extras of your makeup and keeping them at work so you can do that stuff there, before you start? Throwing that out there because squeezing liquid foundation into a packed bag can be a dangerous game to play; I lost a few good items of clothing to that...

 

[paul2017]

Also, you mention that it feels like a lot right now, but, realistically, could it just be that you're still getting used to it again? I got so used to walking around with nothing but a jacket with pockets in lockdown that going back to work and having to remember to bring uniform, lunch, gym kit, etc feels like a massive haul- even though I used to bring even more than I am now! I'm getting used to it again, though. But it has taken a while.

 

[chris4god]

@joyinsf I’m stressed enough before work, this is why I workout in the evenings.

 

[pitcreature]

@joyinsf I’m no help especially because I was never WFH, but I commiserate. It’s like the planning and logistics required is a mental workout in and of itself. Throw my ADHD and also my perfectionism in the mix and if I forget any sports bra on Monday, I’m not working out again til Saturday. Following a long hoping others have some good tips.

 

[jpag]

@joyinsf I’ve lately been riding my motorcycle to work, and that outfit is deemed “inappropriate for work”. It also doesn’t have enough pockets anyway, so my boss gets a pass on that rule. I also only work 4 days.

First day of my work week: shove all my lunches in my backpack, and bring my work clothes. Shoes are already there, along with my accessories (headband, doesn’t fit under a helmet).

I meal prep, and just eat the same meal at work everyday. As I eat them I take home the dirty containers. Less stuff back and forth everyday.

I wear a lot of the same clothes for work. Pants, and a work logo t-shirt. I rotate between 2 pairs of pants and 4 shirts. Makes it easier to just leave them at the office. The used shirt for the day goes home that night.

I use a Jansport backpack with 2 large pockets. And it fits everything. 4 lunches, 4 bubly cans, 2 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, deodorant, sunscreen, and a 26 oz water bottle.

Instead of bringing your work clothes to the gym, could you bring something easy and light to pack? Like a dress? It’s another outfit change, but less to transport back and forth. Or simplify your work outfit so it’s less to haul?

 

[jon97]

@joyinsf

Gym does offer locker rentals but I’m not convinced I want to pay for it to hold some toiletries, since a lot I need to bring home.

Why don't you leave your wraps/chalk/other small equipment and shoes in your locker (provided the locker is big enough) and double up on the toiletries as another poster said? That might make it more worth it to get a locker and cut down on what you have to cart back and forth.

For me, it was always my toiletries and shoes taking up the most space and making it the most cumbersome to take the bus.

 

[wilaywaly]

@joyinsf Omg get a locker and double up on toiletries. (Pare makeup down even more.) Just bring workout clothes and socks, leave shoes and everything else in the locker. Pay the 50 cents for the towel rental. The hassle without a locker isn’t worth it if you take transit.

 

[das_grosse_schwein]

@joyinsf I would recommend you to have a microfiber towel that dries quickly and doesn't take too much space. Fibers that dry quickly in your fitness clothes are a good idea too. Shoes, they are made lighter every day. You can have a collapsable bottle, and your toiletteries as minimal as you can (bottles for a week refill or so) Everything that you can down-size, reshape or leave in your work or locker would be nice.

 

[fromnorway]

@joyinsf I have to go back to the office part time (60% office, 40% home) starting in September. I’m dreading it as well, and it’s hard to imagine I used to do this everyday. I literally feel like I have to pack a suitcase just to go to the office…. My purse, laptop bag, food the day, coffee/drinks, gym bag. On top of all the things I have to pack and bring with me, I have to wake up earlier to get ready and commute to work. I plan on keeping a lot of duplicate things at the office, maybe keeping a stock of food in the office fridge (might get in trouble for that )

 

[shh]

@joyinsf Lots of good advice in this thread, but I just want to say: fuck going back into the office. I don't miss it and I'm not going back until they make me. I love having real freedom to my schedule and being able to plan a day that makes sense for me rather than an arbitrary 8-5 day.

Signed, someone who's been working on her laptop while putting her kid down to sleep a lot lately, but also getting hella fit over lunch. It's SO NICE

 

[youniquestar]

@shh Yep- my advice is to try that for a week, realize it's bullshit, find a remote job and then quit.

 

[satexsun]

@joyinsf The game changer for me was putting little bags inside my gym bag. The gym bag contains shoes, chalk/tape/etc, travel size toiletries and makeup inside a little travel makeup kit bag, towel, and change of clothes. The clothes are inside another little bag, rather than loose in the gym bag. Same deal on the towel. I got some little mesh bags with a drawstring on top that work for me. Putting all the little bags inside my bigger bag means that in the moment, I just need to check that I have “clothes bag” and “makeup bag” instead of, like, socks, bra, mascara, shampoo, where I will 100% forget to bring underwear somehow like once a week. I repack the clothes bag every night, or line up a weeks worth on the weekend, and refill toiletries every couple of weekends.

I also separate out my gym bag vs work bag, just because to me it feels less chaotic. I only really need, like, 4 things for the gym and maybe 4 things for work. I can keep track of 4 things. I cannot keep 8 things in my head at once.

 

[bradk]

@joyinsf If I recall, I had a quick drying towel which I would keep in the small closet where I hang my coat - rather than bringing a new one every day. I would bring it home to wash at the end of the week, or whenever I felt like it.

 

[ashley314]

@joyinsf I use a backpack to hold all my workout clothes and stuff and water bottles on each side (a day hiking backpack). Then I use the 20L hydroflask tote to hold all my food stuff for the day. You can use a stuff sack to put your dirty laundry in so it doesn't make the rest of the backpack all sweaty and get little bottles to put put some shampoo/conditioner/etc in so you don't have to carry big bottles with you. Those are some suggestions at least.