Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

How to Beat Your Summer Commute

I hate carrying things. I see all these young people on the train and subway with nothing in their hands expect their phone and I get jealous. Pan to the left and there I am. A heavy backpack on my back, my camera bag in one hand, and my gym bag in the other. Last week I was walking towards the subway turnstile, and in a frenzy to make the Uptown 5 I dropped my wallet, and all of its contents, onto the station floor. I had tried to pull out my subway card with my left hand, which evidently was also holding onto my gym bag. Thankfully it wasn’t rush hour, and as you can imagine I was anything but thrilled.

The following day I left my gym bag at home. I was not about to lug it from my car to the train station, then onto the train and through Grand Central as I walked to the subway, not to mention that summer months on the subway are the equivalent of signing yourself up for 20 minutes of standing in sardine hell. When 5pm rolled around, yes my commute had been much easier, but I didn’t have my gym clothes with me, which posed a problem.

You see, I have to workout everyday. Working out keeps me, and I’m sure a lot of other people, centered. It’s a great way to release energy, de-stress from the day, and spend some alone time with yourself (and everyone else running with headphones on the West Side highway).

There should be no excuse for not being able to work out nowadays. And if you can think of one, I’m sure Routinely.co can solve it. Founded by two guys in February of this year, Routinely is a premium rental workout company, meaning that if you forgot your gym clothes or simply didn’t want to carry a bag around, Routinely has got your back!

Lucky for me, I intern here, so I never have to drag my running shoes and clothes to and from work again. All I do is place an order online for $10, almost half of what a salad at Sweet Green would cost me for lunch. In return I get a sports bra, leggings, a shirt, fresh socks, and NIKE shoes. Women can expect their kits to be of Lululemon, Outdoor Voices, Nike, or Under Armour merchandise, whilst men can look forward to wearing Nike, Outdoor Voices and Rhone clothing. Select your size and delivery address, and your kit is on its way!

Think of the whole thing as “Seamless meets Rent the Runway.” Use your kit to go on a run after work, participate in a workout class, or take part in Yoga in the Park in Bryant Park. Once your done with the kit, just drop it off ta UPS or FedEx in our pre stamped mailing bags. Then you’re on your way to the evenings plans, whether that’s happy hour with friends, or back to the apartment to binge watch your favorite show.