|
Aerobics
Session Times, |
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
Gym Rage on the increase! |
 |
||
| Woe
unto Ponytail Girl, the young woman at the health club who not only
hogged a stationary bike and commandeered a set (a set!) of fans, but
also, and even more obnoxiously, bobbed her head non-stop in rhythm with
the music from her headphones while she pedalled.
Fortunately, in that long-ago, pre-iPod era, no one knew from gym rage. And so no one even thought to toss Ponytail Girl off her stationary bike. Instead, we made use of the time-honoured tactic of passive aggression: We glared in her direction and rolled our eyes And when life or rising gym membership rates took her elsewhere, we were greatly relieved. Today, a word to the wise: In an intolerant age, it's not a good idea to behave in an annoying or oblivious manner at the health club, at least if you prefer to avoid becoming the target of anger or even violence. Grunters and yellers and equipment hogs, you've been warned. Your fellow health club members think you're really, really rude. Gym rage could result. People who fail to wipe their sweat off the exercise machines: Were you really raised that badly? Or do you simply think the rest of us are here to clean up after you? No one wants to pick up your used towels or (ewww) tissues, either. Also, please do not occupy the weight machines while smacking gum and reading a magazine rather than exercising. And under no circumstances -- none! -- should you blather away on your cell phone. P.S.: Fellow gym-goers rarely think guys are strong and macho when they make a point of clanking their weights together as they work out. We just think you're trying to show off but don't know proper weight room etiquette. And you know what? When people come in late to step aerobics class and slam their step down in front of someone who's already there, they're likely to be told off. By me. And I'm not shy about it. Back off, sister, and squeeze into the back of the class where you belong. And in the future, show up on time. See? People can get very, very testy when they're working out. Two women reportedly ended up fighting on the gym floor in a dispute over which way a fan should be pointed. "They were screaming and shouting, then the next thing we knew they were pushing and shoving each other," a fellow aerobics studio member told the Birmingham Evening Mail. "They ended up rolling on the floor, pulling each other's hair and scratching each other's faces." At last, we know the answer to the plaintive question, "Can't we all just get along?" No, not at the gym, and not even in Great Britain. When a misdirected floor fan can spark a physical showdown, you know we're living in an extraordinarily confrontational and tense time. Too many people, it seems, are itching for a battle, and there's enough rudeness in the world to provide it.
|
||||
|
|
||||
