Are You Irritating People At the Gym?
Posted February 1st, 2012 at 4:51 pm
As moms we hear a lot of about ways to keep our sanity. We kind of sort of know that we should be eating balanced meals, taking our women’s essential vitamins, finding healthy ways to unwind and taking time for ourselves blah blah blah. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be doing all that but just thinking about all the things I should be doing for me stresses me out! Honestly, I could use a break from “taking care of myself.”
The thing I find that helps me the most is to prioritize what is the most important to my mental and physical health. I know I am just not myself unless I can have a little bad TV (Bachelor, American Idol or any of the Real Housewives do the trick) at the end of the night coupled with a pomegranate for antioxidants. Followed closely behind TV for me is the gym. I feel so much better if I’m getting regular workouts. I like to spend thirty minutes on the Precor machine, do some arm weight nautilus machines (I’m not sure if they’re still called nautilus or not but I’m too lazy to Google it –I may be stuck in the 80’s –although I’m not wearing a fucia neon sweatband on my head or any legwarmers) and then do as many sit-ups on the ab bench as my energy level will allow.
The only problem with the gym is that you are forced to engage in what I feel should be a private activity among a lot of people. And a lot of those people have no manners. So here now is a list I’ve compiled of good gym etiquette in the hopes that it might inspire people to be aware that they may be ruining someone’s workout.
I truly believe if we could all follow some of these tips we might actually feel relaxed and refreshed when we leave the gym hence leaving our evenings open to engage in some REALITY TV.
Cheers!
Thank you to Brita for sponsoring this series of posts. Good water (and workouts) really are keys to health.
Back to: Stefanie Wilder Taylor
6 Comments
Suebob commented on Feb 01 12 at 6:03 pmAlso?
1. Do not take a big mouthful of pool water and then spit it back into the pool.
2. Do not exit the sauna with your sweaty self and jump into the pool. Rinse off in the convenient poolside shower FIRST, Mr. Sweaty Man who always does this.
3. Do not sit on a weight machine while you yap endlessly on the phone. You’re not “resting.” You’re being a jerk.
4. YEAH LA FITNESS HOW ABOUT SOME PAPER TOWELS? And more than 1 bottle of sanitizer in the whole weight room area so maybe someone could wipe down a machine every once in a while? And have the janitors clean the bathrooms more than once a week, too. (I would just tell LA Fitness this directly but no one there has a voice mail OR email address because apparently LA Fitness lives in 1987),
Kara commented on Feb 09 12 at 9:38 pmThe worst thing is when the gym doesn’t stay on top of maintenance on the equipment. So when you’re doing your hour long cardio workout on the one machine that actually works the way its supposed to, the rest of us are shooting daggers at you while we’re wondering how long your half-assed workout is going to take. I say half assed because the ones that take up the most time on a machine are usually the ones who waft through their workout (on their phone), while others (like myself) like to power out 20min. sets on different machines to mix it up. Respect the power of time. No one wants to be at the gym longer than they have to.
Annie P. commented on Feb 12 12 at 9:20 pmCracking me up!! I agree with all these tips. I hate the cell-phone users; rude!! Most importantly..just get your ass to the gym, right?
-Annie P.
Orion Antares commented on Feb 14 12 at 9:22 pm“5. Please try not to make loud grunting noises when you are doing your reps. If you have to sound like a gorilla being strangled by a vine, mayhaps your weight is too heavy.”
People that think like this are on the same level as those that go to the gym and chat on their phones. If you’re in the weight room for any reason other than some form of muscle building, then you’re wasting your money and you’re wasting space. Go find an aerobics class, a pool to swim laps, a track or your block to run around, or go run/bike a trail. All would be a better use of your time and will get you out of the way of the people actually trying to do muscle strengthening, which depending on the type of strengthening may involve some loud exhalation of breath. If you’re going to be there, accept the fact there are going to be people there that are actually trying to build muscle, which means pushing yourself beyond what their “energy level will allow”.
Megan commented on Feb 19 12 at 2:47 pmYeah, people do make noises at the gym when they are exerting themselves. Now theses noises don’t have to be hugely as loud and as obnoxious as sometimes are, but even as a woman, I’ve occasionally found myself grunting on the last rep or two of a heavy set. Not loudly, but I still do it. Of course if I was on Precor the entire time I was at the gym, I wouldn’t make a peep. Then again, I go to the gym to work out. I bust a sweat and I exert myself, and I enjoy it.
Marianne commented on May 07 12 at 10:13 pmI think some music and a pair of headphones will solve atleast half of these issues
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