Working from Home: Why Comfort & Style Are Still Important

Thank you Hanes for sponsoring this post. Click Here to shop your own Hanes Off Duty Style!

As you all know, in my new role, I’m working from home 90% of the time. Transitioning to this new work environment has gone quite well, even though I’ve been working in less than ideal conditions between our temporary housing in Times Square which was loud and our new apartment in Brooklyn which until today, didn’t have a proper desk or table.

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For many, the idea of working from home seems to be intimidating in a way I never imagined. As soon as they hear that I work from home their mind begins to race, their face becomes perplexed and I immediately get one of the below questions:

So do you wear yoga pants or pajamas all day?

How do you force yourself to be productive?

Aren’t you lonely?

Do you find yourself snacking all day since you have access to the kitchen?

They are right to be concerned. If I was wearing my workout clothes or pajamas all day, it would be hard to get in a productive mindset and bring the mentality I need to conduct conference calls, lead strategy work and take myself seriously. If I never interacted with other people during the day, I would definitely be lonely since I loved the camaraderie of an office environment for the past six years. At the same time, I do find myself taking advantage of the work from home situation to dress more comfortably.  Similar to the professional and personal style I’ve had for years, I’ve found that my work from home style is a mix of comfort and style.

I want to dress nice enough that I can do a video conference with a colleague or sporadically head to the coffee shop for the afternoon, but comfortable enough to focus and reduce our dry cleaning bill. 

Luckily, the team at Hanes believe that life should be like this everyday. While they are known for soft, comfortable clothing they also believe that when styled properly, these comfortable classics can take women like me from the work day to date night.

Using a few of the pieces they sent me, I styled two different looks this week which I wore yesterday and today.

The first look, which a few of you saw on Facebook and Instagram earlier today, includes four different Hanes items and will be perfect for those upcoming transitional weeks in September and October when Summer is over but the winter freeze hasn’t arrived. When paired with some simple jewelry, canvas flats and an over-sized tote I was ready to catch up on work emails at Smith Canteen, my new corner coffee shop, before the movers arrived.

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This look includes the oh so comfy but not see-through Hanes cotton legging, a cozy, pastel pink Hanes fleece crew sweatshirt, along with the Hanes ComortFlex fit get cozy seamless wirefree bra and Hanes ComfortFlex® Cotton Stretch Smoothing Underwear underneath. I want to order this soft sweatshirt in every color and style with a vibrant infinity scarf when Fall arrives!  It can easily tie around the waist, get tossed in a tote bag, or be worn on top of a tank to ensure you’re never cold but always cozy! Even though it’s the dog days of Summer, I still haven’t adjusted to American air conditioner and find that I’m cold everywhere, especially on subways and neighborhood coffee shops.

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The second look is a bit more business, perfect for video conference calls or face to face meetings, but includes a pop of Summer color with the classic Hanes cotton leggings. Yesterday I paired the black capri-length Hanes cotton leggings with a pink and white check tunic,  Hanes ComortFlex fit get cozy seamless wirefree bra, tan flats, a messier than usual bun, and iced cold brew for a long day of conference calls and work.  Wearing a crisp, tailored blouse is an easy way to dress up this wardrobe staple.

If you work from home, what’s your style? 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. 

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My Thoughts on ClassPass

When I moved back to New York City last month, the team at ClassPass was kind enough to send me an email welcoming me home with a complimentary two week ClassPass membership. As you guys know, one of the things I missed most while living in Geneva was access to fitness classes. I love the inspiration, motivation and energy of group fitness classes as well as the benefit of learning from the instructors.

ClassPass launched in New York City right before our move and therefore this was my first time experiencing the site and their application. Now it is available in over 30 cities across the United States, Canada and England! You can even upgrade your membership so you can workout in different cities, perfect for someone who travels a lot.

During the two week time period I was able to squeeze in eight classes which allowed me to experience a number of different studios all across Manhattan. In order to help you guys learn more about ClassPass, in case you’ve never tried it, I summed up my thoughts below. As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you have if you leave a comment or send me an email!

Price: In NYC, the monthly membership is $125. Whether this is expensive or a deal is a very personal decision, however many boutique fitness studios in NYC are $25-35 per class. Based on this, if you go to five classes per month on ClassPass or an average of one per week, the membership pays out.  Considering that this cost gives you access to over 500 studios, it is seen by many, including myself, to be a great deal.

Studios: With over 500 studios participating in ClassPass NYC, it is a great way to discover studios which you may not have otherwise visited. Using their app or website, you can easily find classes in your area or sort them based on time,  type of class or even amenities in case you need a shower to use before heading to work.  They are frequently adding new studios to their roster. In fact, during my two week trial I received two separate emails advertising new boutique partnerships.

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Booking: Students are allowed to book at a single studio up to three times within a one month period. This motivations students to try new studios while also helping studio partners manage the number of students. You can book classes one week in advance. However, many of the popular studios or instructors often book as quickly as a Soul Cycle class. Therefore, many participants actually set a calendar invite reminding them to sign up for their favorite classes a week in advance. In fact, this is the only way I was able to get a spot in my favorite Uplift Fitness (Sculpt Fusion) class and Flywheel instructor’s  (Kara B) class. I will say, their app and website are both user-friendly, which makes signing up that much easier!

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But what happens if my schedule changes? The good news is that ClassPass allows you to cancel your class up to 12 hours in advance. If you cancel within the 12-hour window you will be charged $15 and that will count as a visit to the studio. If you don’t cancel, you’re charged $20.

So what about places like FlyWheel which has multiple locations? The 3 class limit is for the entire brand, not each location. Therefore you can’t go to each FlyWheel location (Lincoln, Flatiron, etc) 3 times in a month. Instead you’re allowed to go to a total of 3 FlyWheel classes in a month, regardless the locations you choose.

More than just classes! In New York City and Boston, you can now register for local running races on ClassPass! It’s a great way to discover new, local races that you may otherwise miss.

It’s even more fun with friends! One of my favorite things about ClassPass is that it enables you to easily work out with friends. Whereas many gyms, such as Equinox, make it nearly impossible for you to bring guests into the gym to join in a workout class, ClassPass makes it easy to workout with friends. You can save money and book classes through ClassPass while your friends can meet you at the same studio or also register via ClassPass.

But it’s not all unicorns and rainbows. What didn’t you like? Honestly, I found it pretty hard to find things I didn’t like about ClassPass.  The biggest thing that annoyed me with ClassPass is that popular studios fill up VERY quickly AND studios don’t necessarily offer their full schedule or all their locations. For example, there was a class during a peak time at one of my favorite studios which wasn’t offered via ClassPass and Fhitting Room, which Bo and I both love, only has one of their studios on ClassPass. Unfortunately, the studio that is on ClassPass, their Upper East location, isn’t convenient for us.

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Where did I work out during the two week trial? Uplift (2 times), Y7 Yoga (2 times), Overthrow Underground Boxing (1 time), SkyTing Yoga (1 time), FlyWheel (2 times)

Did I join? As of now, I haven’t joined ClassPass due to our move. This month we have so much going on that I don’t have times to take a lot of classes. Whereas last month I was taking 2-3 classes per week on top of my running, this month I have averaged one strength class and one yoga class per week. Since Bo and I love Fhitting Room Flatiron’s location so much, we bought a package to the studio since we can split the package. Honestly, if I found out tomorrow that Fhitting Room Flatiron joined ClassPass there is a great chance I’d take the leap. (Updated: As of September 23rd, 2015, I have joined ClassPass!)

How about you? Have you tried ClassPass? Did you love it? 

*I am a ClassPass affiliate and thereefore this post includes ClassPass affiliate links. However, as always, all thoughts and views are my own! 

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We Need A Weekend to Recover from Our Weekend

It’s official! As of 2pm on Saturday we have the keys to our Brooklyn apartment! It was a jam-packed weekend including a lot of new apartment adventures, fun with friends and a perfect long run.

Our weekend started with a Saturday morning long run with Theodora. We spent four miles together, running down Summer Streets and over the Brooklyn Bridge before parting ways. She headed back towards home while Bo and I explored Brooklyn Bridge Park and finished our run near our new apartment.

Summer Streets with Theodora

Brooklyn Bridge Park

We refueled with a sesame bagel and lox while driving to Randolph, New Jersey. The wine portion of our sea shipment was separated from our furniture due to FDA rules and customs. We figured we’d pick it up to ensure it wasn’t sitting in the heat.

Bagel and lox

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As soon as we finished that adventure we made record time back to Brooklyn to meet our landlord for the key exchange. Oh yes, I’m still in my long run clothing 5 hours later.

New apartment keys

We spent the afternoon in our back yard with paint samples and taking lots of before pictures of the apartment.

Saturday evening a few friends came by for beers and a preview of our place before the work of moving in begins.

New Living Room

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We spent the rest of the evening sipping wine from our friend’s rooftop and dining on a delicious Summer meal including a corn Chorizo dish as well as grilled Branzino.

 

 

Rooftop

Branzino Dinner

Instead of heading back to Manhattan we opted to sleep in our new apartment using a friend’s air mattress. If you need an air mattress, Bo and I are amazed at how wonderful this mattress worked!

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After grabbing an iced coffee from our corner coffee shop, we found ourselves in line at Ikea 10 minutes before it opened, hoping to get in and out as quickly as possible. We had one goal – design and buy an Ikea Pax system for our office area. We had great success due to the very helpful staff and early hour.

Around 11:30 I left Bo, Russell and Meg with the mountain of Ikea boxes as Theodora and I headed out to New Jersey to shower Gia with love and laughter. I am so glad that I was able to see her and celebrate their good news. The party was perfect from the delicious food, super fun photo booth using the app Simple Booth Event Addition and hanging out with fellow NYC runner friends Meggie and Jocelyn. I’m also thankful that Theodora and Taylor Swift kept me company for the drive out to New Jersey.

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The rest of the afternoon was spent laughing our way through new apartment adventures. We were a bit over-eager in thinking that we’d grill dinner only to realize minute by minute we were lacking key tools such as oven mits, tongs, matches, olive oil and just about anything else.

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Multiple beers later we went to bed at the early hour of 9pm.

While the weekend was just a preview of the adventures we’ll have this entire week as we move into a new home, it felt amazing to go to bed smiling and knowing that we picked the right neighborhood and that we are surrounded by such wonderful friends and family members who are always willing to help!

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