Gym Etiquette 101

Gym Etiquette is the topic of the day...and you know I am a huge fan of Modern Family, so I couldn't resist posting this clip of Mitchell doing "Troga".



I know I have talked about this scourge before. Here too. But rudeness at the gym continues, and a reader requested a refresher on Do's and Don'ts. So, here are a few friendly (or not so friendly) Grace reminders...

DO:

• Wash your gym clothes regularly. Seriously, there seem to be some people who operate on the theory that "they're going to get sweaty anyway so why bother?". This is patently gross and wholly inconsiderate of the people around you.

• Respect personal space when you are passing fellow gym-goers at work. When people are stretching, lifting, planking, and otherwise contorting their bodies in the quest for lithe and fit muscles, do not walk by them in close proximity. Their pose or hoist may be precarious and if they twitch to avoid you they risk injury to them and you. Give a wide birth to people engrossed in serious (or not) reps.
• Similarly, don't get any closer than is absolutely necessary during exercise. If there's only one treadmill free, and it's immediately adjacent to a fellow jogger, then you must take it; if there is an alternative, choose it. Ditto at Yoga, Spinning, Pilates, Tai Chi, or any other class. No one wants to breathe your sweaty fumes or inhale your exhalation.
• Consider your attire. I don't care if you look like Victoria (or David) Beckham. Your abs are your own business, we don't need to see them no matter how proud they make you.

DON'T

• There's simply no Gracious way to address this, but a reader specifically asked for this one to be mentioned....If your body has a need to emit a malodorous fume, remove yourself to a private space--ideally the loo, but if that is not practical, at least to a less populous zone. Better yet consider a home workout or perhaps an outdoor jog if you seem particularly 'bubbly' on a given day.
• Treat the locker room as your personal valet space. In other words, don't lay out your products from hair gel to foot cream across every surface so that others have no space to prep.
• Hog the equipment. Bully for you if you plan to do supersets with increasingly large dumbbells. But consider the fact that other people want to do reps, too. Do your set, put the weights back, and grab the next increment. I promise, your biceps will still bulge, even if they have to wait 30 seconds between sets. Ditto the cardio or weight machines--remember that lesson you (should have) learned in Kindergarten about taking turns?
  

At this time of year, especially, we're all fighing the battle of the bulge. So be Gracious out there!