Getting Back To Work Travel - Here's How I Landed My Wellness Plan

As people start returning to offices, business travel is slowly making a comeback. And with more travel comes the need to find new ways to integrate movement and exercise routines into your day when you’re away from home. Peloton’s own Corporate Wellness team hit the road this fall to travel to HLTH 2021 in Boston, the preeminent health and wellness conference. Katy Romero, head of marketing for Corporate Wellness, shared how she eased back into work travel and how she kept active. 

Katy: Work travel is back and let me just say, I’m out of practice! Like so many others, I’ve spent the past 18+ months at home, living in stretchy pants, juggling between full-time work and full-time childcare, sometimes all in the same Zoom meeting. So, when our team started planning for this conference it was a mixed bag of emotions. Two-thirds excited, one-third - “how does this work, again?” 

Getting to the airport

Living in California and having joined Peloton just a few months ago (shameless plug: check out Peloton Corporate Wellness which I help lead), I've only met my colleagues via video so I was excited to be able to connect with the team in person. But also, I’m a mom to two little girls who have seen me every day for the past two years. Leaving for five days - or five “sleeps” as we say in our house - was an adjustment for the whole family.

Who could leave these smiling faces?

Tuning into one of Peloton’s classes - whether it was yoga, HIIT or indoor cycling - was a habit I developed long before the pandemic, but was certainly amped up in the past year. Scheduling a quick yoga class midday helped me take back my calendar, decompress, and put a little bit of separation between work and home life, even just for a few minutes. When you’re traveling it’s easy to break routine and I was determined to not lose this part of my day, even on a work trip! So while packing some “outside the house” clothes, I also put some thought into what I’d need to keep up with my wellness routine on the road. It didn’t hurt that stretchy pants factor in! 

Before my flight 

I’ve had two back surgeries so sitting for six hours straight on a flight from San Francisco to Boston is never a fun time. I usually look for a quiet area near my gate, or SFO’s yoga room, to get in a few minutes of stretching. While many people think Peloton = Bike, the Peloton App is my favorite because you have access to thousands of classes from your phone or laptop. My flight happened to fall on World Mental Health Day (October 10) so I chose Anna Greenberg’s 20 minute World Mental Health Day yoga class and hopped into the yoga room at the airport. As Anna says, “let yourself land in this moment.” 

Going with the flow

During the conference

Before I book any trip, I like to check Peloton’s Hotel Finder to make sure I’m staying somewhere with access to Peloton Bikes in their gym. I also got really lucky on this work trip because Olivia Amato, who teaches strength and cardio on the Peloton Bike/Tread, led a live strength training class at my hotel as part of Peloton’s presence at HLTH. Despite it being only 20 minutes long I was sore for a day – in a good way. She absolutely lives up to her title of being one of the toughest Instructors we have! 

Lucky to have a Peloton Bike in the hotel fitness center

The trip was a total whirlwind! Between networking, client meetings, and all of the panels at the conference the return to in-person gathering really took it out of me. But I made a promise to myself that I would find just 20 minutes every day to prioritize my own energy. Some days I squeezed in a great workout in the hotel gym. But other nights my colleagues and I met up in the lobby to explore Boston on foot. Such a great way to get to know each other, enjoy a new city after so much time in one place, and get some fresh air. We were also spoiled with beautiful fall weather!

Wrapping up my trip

After five days, I clocked in 14 meetings, 3 networking events, and miles of walking. It was unbelievably exciting to meet my coworkers, reconnect with the incredible community of innovators at HLTH, and explore Boston - but I was ready to head back home to my family. Before taking off, I was able to video chat with my 3-year-old to tell her, “zero sleeps until mama is home.”

Seriously, how did I do five days?!

Right before we landed in San Francisco, I tuned in to a 5-minute calming meditation session with Yoga Instructor Kristin McGee on the Peloton App. It helps me settle myself before getting home and back into mom-mode. What’s even more exciting is that next time I fly Delta Airlines - I’ll be able to do in-flight stretching and meditation classes from my seat.