Fitting Wellness into your Work Day
How to Fit Wellness In
The simplest way to fit wellness into a busy working day is to use the time you already have: the commute, the lunch break, the school run, time with friends and the hours around work trips. Plan for these moments, keep your kit with you, and exercise becomes part of your day rather than something extra to schedule.
We talk a lot about ‘routines’ as though they happen in isolation, outside normal life. The lives (or rather the curated, small moments in those lives) we see portrayed on social media often back this up.
Whether it’s the hour of yoga followed by 20 minutes of meditation at 5am or the 10k run at lunch, for most of us, life doesn’t work that way. Work, meetings, commutes, school runs and multiple other commitments fill our days before we even get to think about movement.
One of La Pochette’s core philosophies is that wellness doesn’t exist separately; it should fit into, and work with, your daily rhythm. Rather than finding extra time, it’s about recognising the pockets of time which are already there and working out how to use them.
Look at What You’re Already Doing
Rather than thinking about adding to your day, examine what’s already part of your routine, particularly the transitions you already make.
Your commute
If you travel to an office, that journey bookends your day.
Could you fit in a class before work (and enjoy a quieter train or less traffic)? The journey back could include a detour to a class near your office or a pool along the route.
The thing that most often gets in the way is the kit itself. If going straight from the office means carrying a separate gym bag on a packed train, it’s easy to talk yourself out of it.
Our Sweat Bagslips inside your everyday tote, so your kit comes with you without a second bag. Or pop a Wet Bag into your bag, and go for a swim or sauna on the way home.
Your lunch break
Most working days include a pause in the middle and if yours doesn’t, this should be one of the first things you address. Research into short work breaks has found that even pauses of ten minutes or less leave people feeling more energised and less fatigued.
You may have a solid hour or it might be more fragmented, but either way, it could work as the perfect window in your day to fit in a 30-minute spin class or short Pilates class.
The practical side matters as much as the timing. Pack the night before and keep your kit in your work bag. Our Sweat Bags are antimicrobial, which means everything else in your bag stays fresh.
Drop-offs and pick-ups
If you drop off and pick up at childcare or school, can wellness fit into the space that is already carved out for these? You could walk there in your gear and run a longer route home, for example.
Your social plans
Some of the easiest time to reclaim is time you’re already spending with other people. Instead of meeting a colleague for coffee, meet them for a walk and take the coffee with you. Instead of drinks after work, why not book a class together and then go for a drink or dinner? Or simply book a sauna with friends. You still get the catch-up, and you leave feeling better than when you arrived.
Work trips and travel days
Hotel rooms, airport time and evenings in unfamiliar cities create unusual gaps in your routine. Sometimes a solo coffee or half an hour to read a book is exactly what you need, but often you feel as though you’re just killing time. Could you enjoy a morning swim before your flight or an evening yoga session in your hotel room?
Packing for movement makes it far more likely to happen. Pack your swimwear in a Wet Bag, or take a set of resistance bands or an inflatable Pilates ball. They take up barely any space in an overnight bag, and with an online class you can do a full workout in your hotel bedroom.
Start With One Pocket of Time
You don’t need to overhaul your routine. Pick one of these moments this week, pack for it the night before and see how it fits. Once it becomes part of the rhythm of your day, it stops feeling like something extra.
