Hi All!

Been a hot minute since I wrote about my weight loss journey. Still rocking the gym five to six days a week and though I am all about pizza and bread and wine still, I have employed moderation to maintain my weight, though still want to shed ten more pounds… (Don’t we all?)

Anywho, as someone who now goes to the gym more than she ever thought she would, I have a few observations about gyms and gym etiquette that I would love to share with my readers, so here goes!

7 Observations From A Gym-Goer

1. Sweat, while a natural body activity, is really disgusting when it’s left on shared equipment. Rule #1 – wipe up your sweat! Though most do, there are those who don’t and they give us germaphobes a run for our money.

2. Mirrors are helpful and hurtful. Yes, they help you eye your form and movement but damn if they are not a constant reminder of where you are versus where you want to be. So, I’ve begun to change the way I think of them to use them as motivation rather than a source of depression.

3. After making a gym visit part of my morning routine, it’s become more enjoyable. At first, I would go whenever I fit it in but I noticed that if I didn’t go before noon, chances were I wasn’t going to that day. For me, the gym is something I like, but not loved, and it takes a lot of energy, which I have most of in the morning. My husband, on the other hand, likes to go at the end of his day. It works for him. Point being, once you figure out what works best for you, the gym is less a nuisance in your day and more a part of it, at least from my experience.

4. I can take the grunters. I can take the full faces of makeup and perfume smells. I can even take the machine hoggers. But what I can’t stay quiet about are the gym-goers who watch stuff on their phones with the volume up. Come on! Of course, we all want to do it, but have some respect and either use ear plugs or simply don’t do it. No one should be forced to listen to your news program or children’s videos or the latest episode of the Kardashians (for the love of all that’s holy!)

5. Machines under the air conditioner are coveted and rightly so. They are the gems, at least for me whose body runs at 100 degrees at all times, and once you figure where these machines are, they will be the best thing to get you to stay at the gym and not leave mid-workout. Well, that and discipline, of course ;)

6. Women can be just as strong as men. I get that genetically, males and females have differences making it perhaps easier for men to gain strength, but let no one tell you men are inherently stronger. Just walk into a gym and you will see that is definitely not the case.

7. I am typically the only one wearing flip flops. I know it’s more dangerous but I don’t use free weights so is it really? the crew at my gym let me slide and I feel more comfortable. (For those who don’t know, I wear flip flops 365 days out of the year, whenever and wherever I possibly can. I even bought a “fancy” pair…)

Do you have any of your own gym observations? Please share!

And stay tuned, the holidays are approaching and I’m going to try to do the impossible – continue to lose weight and be healthy…