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

@joyinsf I feel your pain. I decided to switch gyms. My work gym is amazing and cheaper but I work from home 1-2 days a week and it is a massive PITA to carry all my shit. So now I'm a member at a 24/7 gym close to my home. I much prefer going with just my wallet, keys, water bottle, phone (which all fit in my yoga pant pockets). And coming home and taking a shower. Or being able to work out on weekends and holidays when I actually have more time and motivation. Or being able to get home, rest and workout later. It's just made my day feel less stressed.

I still really miss my work gym and it would be nice to have the mid-workday workout option, so if I'm really feeling it I'll probably pay the $5 fee for a one time workout, but I can't carry all my things everyday. I think having options is good, if it keeps you committed.

Edit - something you could try is having a checklist and having duplicates of stuff at home and in your gym bag. My stress comes from "what if I forget". Another thing is to invest in a good gym bag - I don't drive to work so lugging everything around on public transport needs to be comfortable.
 
@joyinsf I also ride the bus first thing in the morning. I wear my workout clothes on the ride there, and bring my day clothes in my work bag (a backpack with a laptop pocket). I rent a locker so I can keep wraps, toiletries, my gym headphones, etc. there so I don’t have to carry all that with me everyday. I also keep an extra pair of shoes at work in case I don’t want to wear my sneakers all day. I think I’m the winter I’ll bring a few days worth of clothes on Monday and leave them in my locker or in my desk at work (I’m in Minnesota so I definitely want to make the winter bus trips as easy as I can!)
 
@dawn16 Our showers are still closed due to covid (but also we're all back full time? Okay) so I rely on baby wipes and dry shampoo. But I'm not a super sweaty person fortunately. I'm sure this wouldn't work for everyone.
 
@joyinsf I second the locker rental. I caved and finally did this at my former gym and bought "doubles" of everything to keep there, including toiletries (side note buy dry shampoo!), hair brush, tooth brush, hair dryer, towel & shower flip flops (bonus you can hang them to air dry for next day use and not lug it back and forth) -- it was a life changer. I went the extra mile and bought double cosmetics but that's totally not necessary. Initial cost up front but it made it almost impossible to miss a workout!

If you really don't want to do the locker rental, I would encourage you to use travel toiletries (I using mini hair and tooth brushes), and wear your work outfit onto the bus with your workout clothes packed instead. That way you aren't wrinkling work clothes, your winter outfits aren't taking up all the space in your commuter bag, and you'll be warmer traveling! Your commuter bag will be way lighter.
 
@starlight541 Seconded! The fittest I have ever been in my life was when I was in undergrad and the gym allowed us to rent lockers by the semester. I did the above, and it made it so absurdly easy to go to the gym that the habit stuck extremely well!
 
@joyinsf I KNOW. I'm getting back into it and I've been SO anxious about it for the last couple months, knowing that we'd be going back to full time at the office. I had a whole routine worked out over the last 15 months, and it's so annoying to have to create a new one all over again.

So full disclosure - I do not go to the gym, I go trail running. But that means I'm left with a pile of super sweaty, dirty dusty clothes and shoes. I also have the luxury of a shower at work, as my company moved from a shitty dinky little office into a cute house over the last six months. And...my boss is super fancy and keeps nice shampoo and body wash in the shower.

I make sure to pack up everything the evening before, and have my stuff separated by work things in a backpack, and change of clothes/shoes and toiletry bag in a tote. After my workout, I have to drive 45 minutes to the office, so I sit in my gross clothes until I arrive. But once I get to my office and shower and stuff, I have some hooks behind my office door where I hang up the sweaty clothes to dry out. By the end of the day, they're good to go. I also bring a plastic bag in which to put my running shoes so they don't get dirt all over everything.

It's a good deal of extra preparation and traveling that I haven't missed, but after a couple weeks, I'm getting used to it. I absolutely love having my workout done by 7:30!
 
@joyinsf I doubled up on my shower stuff and makeup and leave them at work. I'm lucky my work has a locker room with a shower available for use, so I go to the gym, go to work, and then shower and get ready at work. I also keep a pair of shoes that would go with most outfits I wear at my desk. Heck I keep a whole spare outfit at my desk, since you forget to pack a bra once and realize how your sports bra doesn't exactly go with your sweater. I use a backpack to carry my work stuff (breakfast, lunch, clothes for the day, shoes) and then a separate bag for my gym stuff (lifters, notebook, waterbottle). This is all for when I am commuting by bike.

For your situation, I'd totally look into more about the locker rental there. If it were reasonable, then I'd leave a second set of all my shower stuff there. Since you mention your gym is very close to work, could you leave your used workout clothes there during the day and stop by on the way home to pick them up?

I also often eat similar meals every day when working in the office. In the past I've also stopped by off hours and dropped off my bag of groceries at my desk/the office fridge so I don't have to bring lunch every day. I don't take up a lot of room in the fridge (don't want to be that guy), and have enough shelf stable things that can live at my desk, that it makes packing daily much easier.
 
@joyinsf I feel you! I hated morning workout logistics so now I work out at home. I know that’s not an option for everyone, but it’s been such a better option for me! When I worked out a gym, I would skip washing my hair and just do it at night, so that way I could save time not having to blow dry. I also put my gym clothes in a wet bag so they wouldn’t stink. All of my toiletries, hair stuff, etc. were in a bag that I could grab and go.
 
@joyinsf If you meal prep your breakfast and lunch you can bring 5 days worth of meals in on Monday so you're not carrying as much for the rest of the week. Just an idea! I am still working from home and I'm not looking forward to schlepping all of my stuff from home to the gym to the office. It is a little easier with a car though.
 
@joyinsf Could you store your makeup at work and put it on there? Just thinking that might save a step, and protect your cosmetics from temp changes etc. plus you would not risk messing it up on your commute.

If you wear extra layers at work, maybe store those at office and refresh weekly or biweekly? I work in law and know many attorneys who keep a few dress shoes and suits at work, rather than commute in them.

one of those small quickdrying travel towels might be useful. If you must have a bigger towel, maybe get waffle weave since it is less bulky and dries faster. Workout shoes and towel could go in that rental locker if you get one.

re lunches: if possible, store some items at work and refresh weekly or as needed, then you can commute with less. I put a stash of frozen food in the office freezer and heat at lunchtime, then bring fresh fruit or etc. to supplement.

For packing: think units! Get some packing cubes, netting sacks, and/or zippered pouches and designate one for each "group" of things you need. (I mooched some from my mom, who buys a lot of travel gear and a lot of makeup that comes with cute freebie pouches) Helps if each bag is a different color.

One toiletries bag, one lifting bag, one bag for work clothes, etc. Then you only need to make sure each unit is in the bag when you go. I did this with my "personal care" items a long time ago so I have what I need in my purse and tiny things don't get lost. Any time I switch purses I just move the personal care bag to the new purse.

I'd suggest getting a good backpack or rolling suitcase that is large enough to hold everything so you're not juggling multiple bags. Yes I have seen people rolling suitcases to the office, no joke. It's not dumb if it works.
 
@rsdar
one of those small quickdrying travel towels might be useful. If you must have a bigger towel, maybe get waffle weave since it is less bulky and dries faster. Workout shoes and towel could go in that rental locker if you get one.
Click to expand...

DUDE. Microfiber quick-dry towels are amazing. I bought one before traveling to SE Asia a couple years ago, and I still use it almost daily. They don't get yucky nearly as fast as terrycloth and dry 3x faster.

These are super affordable. Highly recommend!
 
@joyinsf Are there things you can leave in the office?

It's common in offices I've worked in for women to leave shoes there where they are walking/running/cycling to work. I also have a cardigan or a shawl there year round. Those are a couple of bulky things. Also a quick dry towel will take up much less space than a regular one (it's also not unusual to see someone drying their towel in the office but its not as socially accepted).
 
@joyinsf Do you have your own office, desk, or storage area?

If so, here’s what I’ve done in the past:
  • On Monday (or a day of your choosing), bring a week’s worth of workout clothes to work and leave them in your desk or locker there. I used to change at work (because if I didn’t I wouldn’t go to the gym lol) and bring all my work clothes home on Fridays.
  • Prep your toiletries like you would for a flight. Use those tiny bottles and travel sizes (which shouldn’t be too much hassle to carry back and forth daily). You can refill them as you need to.
  • Commute in your gym sneakers. Leave your heels or flats at work and change them when you get into the office.
  • Winter is tough because I need to wear boots for my commute, but you can tie your sneakers to the outside of your commute bag using the shoelaces.
  • Wear a sports bra in place of a regular bra whenever the outfit allows it. Just one less step.
  • Have a backup outfit + shoes that live at work. Never rely on this outfit as one that you’ll be using. It’s for emergencies and accidents only or “oops I forgot” scenarios.
  • If this would be weird at your job, talk to your boss or coworkers to see how they manage or if they have any ideas.
 
@eddie17 Especially a backup bra and underwear. These were the items that I would just forget on occasion. Keeping spares at work were a lifesaver. In the winter, I was a big fan of wearing a dress with tights, boots (that I kept at work) and a heavy sweater (that I also kept at work).
 
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