Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I used to love it when I could do it but if I wanted to change my clothes and walk to the gym that was like 15-20 minutes because I was so far from the gym. I would sometimes take 30 minutes leave or stay late to make it a full hour break so I could exercise 30-45 minutes. But my work was generally too busy to do it regularly. I most frequently walk around campus for 30 minutes then eat at my desk. Then I don’t waste time changing or get sweaty but it’s not a real workout. But better than nothing.

Now I’m only in the office 1-2 days per pay period the days I’m in person are extra crazy. So I don’t try

Same for me. I’d recommend at least bringing shoes and leaving them and swapping socks out. Then look at weightlifting. That was my go to for getting less sweaty. I’d do something. It will feel better.

My office has a gym - this is what I do. I do the stairmaster for 6-7 min just to warm up and then lift weights. That doesn't get me super sweaty so I don't need to shower afterwards. I use a few wet wipes & deodorant to freshen up and bring a change of underwear. I have a pair of sneakers I leave at work. However the gyms been temporarily closed for renovations for the past few months so I've been taking long walks at lunch time instead.

^^ The caveat to this is this is usually my 2nd work out of the day. I do my cardio (either 4-5 mile run or home HIIT workout) before work.

I do it a lot. You have to be low-maintenance enough to know that you're not going to look all polished in the afternoon. I don't do it if I have an afternoon meeting. If I'm expecting a quiet day, I go for a 30-minute run and wipe down with a soapy washcloth.

This is a little change that really helped me when I was in the office and found that I was not moving enough. I made sure that I went to the bathroom and/or refilled my water bottle at least 4 times a day. AND I never did so on the floor I worked on. I forced myself to take the stairs and go up or down a few floors.

It was and easy change that actually made a difference. After a month I also added never taking an elevator down. Always take the stairs.

I keep wipes at work for sweat.

I keep a pair of sneakers and a small bag of things I need to shower and redo myself (body wash, lotion, make up, brush, deodorant, and hair bands for when working out). I then pack workout clothes in a gym bag and when I get to the office, I put the sneakers and bag of stuff into the gym bag. That way I can grab it all quickly.

After working out, I take the sneakers and bag of stuff out of the gym bag. Take gym bag home.

For me the key is I do not tend to wear a lot of jewelry, I do not need to rewash my hair (my hair is good at bouncing back) and I tend to wear lower maintenance clothes (do not wrinkle easily when folded, not a lot of work to get off and on).

I did for years. I left a pair of shoes at work but that’s it.

Sometimes I had to go at lunch, but my preference was to beat traffic by commuting early in my gym clothes and getting dressed for work after a shower at the gym.

I would love to do this but can't imagine how to change, get in a decent workout, AND shower. My work has no gym but is located at one end of a popular 3 mile running/biking/walking loop; i run about a 10 minute mile; i have a 30 minute lunch.

I do it at the end of the day so I don’t have to shower and do my hair etc again.
I know people who come in and do it first thing (so don’t get dressed for work at home, they do it in the office).

I'm also a peloton person. I work out at my office gym a couple times per week. I do strength classes using the app.

I LOVE working out at the office. We have a gym at our building that no one ever uses, so it’s like my own personal space.

I generally do a 45 minute peloton strength training class, and I shower afterwards. Definitely find it beneficial! I leave a pair of sneakers at the office and just bring my clothes and AirPods. It’s easier to fit it in when I’m not at home with 100 chores to try and finish in my lunch hour.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I used to love it when I could do it but if I wanted to change my clothes and walk to the gym that was like 15-20 minutes because I was so far from the gym. I would sometimes take 30 minutes leave or stay late to make it a full hour break so I could exercise 30-45 minutes. But my work was generally too busy to do it regularly. I most frequently walk around campus for 30 minutes then eat at my desk. Then I don’t waste time changing or get sweaty but it’s not a real workout. But better than nothing.

Now I’m only in the office 1-2 days per pay period the days I’m in person are extra crazy. So I don’t try

Same for me. I’d recommend at least bringing shoes and leaving them and swapping socks out. Then look at weightlifting. That was my go to for getting less sweaty. I’d do something. It will feel better.

My office has a gym - this is what I do. I do the stairmaster for 6-7 min just to warm up and then lift weights. That doesn't get me super sweaty so I don't need to shower afterwards. I use a few wet wipes & deodorant to freshen up and bring a change of underwear. I have a pair of sneakers I leave at work. However the gyms been temporarily closed for renovations for the past few months so I've been taking long walks at lunch time instead.

Anonymous wrote:So I used to love it when I could do it but if I wanted to change my clothes and walk to the gym that was like 15-20 minutes because I was so far from the gym. I would sometimes take 30 minutes leave or stay late to make it a full hour break so I could exercise 30-45 minutes. But my work was generally too busy to do it regularly. I most frequently walk around campus for 30 minutes then eat at my desk. Then I don’t waste time changing or get sweaty but it’s not a real workout. But better than nothing.

Now I’m only in the office 1-2 days per pay period the days I’m in person are extra crazy. So I don’t try

Same for me. I’d recommend at least bringing shoes and leaving them and swapping socks out. Then look at weightlifting. That was my go to for getting less sweaty. I’d do something. It will feel better.

So I used to love it when I could do it but if I wanted to change my clothes and walk to the gym that was like 15-20 minutes because I was so far from the gym. I would sometimes take 30 minutes leave or stay late to make it a full hour break so I could exercise 30-45 minutes. But my work was generally too busy to do it regularly. I most frequently walk around campus for 30 minutes then eat at my desk. Then I don’t waste time changing or get sweaty but it’s not a real workout. But better than nothing.

Now I’m only in the office 1-2 days per pay period the days I’m in person are extra crazy. So I don’t try

Yes, very beneficial. Even if it's a short 30 minute power walk or whatever, that movement makes a huge difference in terms of how I feel. I can also be more productive from the activity break.

Pre-pandemic, our office had a treadmill desk room that people could book time on. I made sure to do that every day I was in the office, as it was a great time for reading or answering emails or whatever. People will differ, but I could walk ~3mph and still get work done. Maybe another thing to advocate for - for me, the more movement, the better.

I am an avid Pelotoner and bc of kids schedules and life, I'm more of an evening work out person and occasionally will lift in the am before work, but usually get the cardio in after everyone is settled and I'm done dealing with the day.
Now that I am back in the office 3 days a week (ugh) I am toying with the idea of hitting our work gym (which is a pretty nice gym--in a newer federal building) maybe on Mondays to get some extra activity in during the daytime and to take a 30 min tread walk or maybe lift some weights--these are two activities where I'm less likely to get super gross and sweaty. I just can't stand sitting all day and my workplace does not have a lot of places to walk nearby, so I'm sort of stuck within the building, plus I'm less likely to walk with intention or power walk when I'm just strolling around outside the building. When I'm home, I have the option to go on my tread if I want to or I'm more likely to walk around my neighborhood, so I'm moving more. When I'm in the office, I'm just sitting and I hate it.

My question is if you're someone who works out during the workday at a work gym, a) do you find it beneficial and b) do you leave any extra things at work like an extra pair of sneakers (I don't want to bring mine back and forth), etc.? Basically, do you find it worth it to hit the gym during the workday?