Etiquette School of Ohio

Be Courteous in the Gym

I was the only person exercising in the fitness center early this morning when a married couple walked in.  Without asking, they turned the lights off, changed the television station, and sprayed a disinfectant on the machines nearby creating a floating cloud of mist I almost choked on when inhaling.

I don’t expect to have the fitness center to myself.  I’m more than happy to share, but it would have been nice if this couple at least said hello or good morning.  It would have been even nicer if they asked me if I minded if they turned the lights out, changed the television station, or sprayed their disinfectant.  The lights and the TV really didn’t bother me.  The disinfectant did.  How did they know I wouldn’t have an allergic reaction to it?

When sharing the gym or fitness center with others, please be courteous and ask other people who are exercising if they mind if you make a change they will all be effected by. This is especially important if someone was there before you.

The actions of this couple today are no different than a child coming into a room to play and taking the toys away from the other children.  Which they also did by jumping on the weight machines I was using in between my reps.  It’s not like it was crowded or there were no other machines.  They insisted on using the machines I was using at the time.

I came home to finish my workout.  I hope they have a good one.

Locker Room Etiquette

I didn’t ask to see it. I didn’t want to see it. I hope I never see it again.

A woman was going about her business in the locker room completely disrobed. Yes, there are times when we are all disrobed in the locker room, but not for an entire 30 minutes and not throughout the entire locker room.

I believe the towel was invented to help prevent this from happening. For the fashion conscious, there are designer towels in designer colors to meet your needs. Hey, I would have been thrilled to have seen one of the white generic models used in my unwanted experience.

Here are a few basic guidelines to keep the locker room experience a positive one:

1. Please minimize the amount of time you must be disrobed. After showering, wrap yourself in a towel as you return to your locker, dry your hair, apply make-up, or shave.

2. Do not use the wall mounted hand driers to dry body parts other than your hands.

3. Learn to share the bench in front of your locker. I’ve seen individuals spread all of their belongings out across the entire bench.

4. If you must stretch, please do so fully clothed. In fact there are areas in the gymnasium set up just for this activity.  Check it out.

5. Keep conversation to a minimum. If you must converse, remember eye to eye contact. Be aware most people are in a hurry to return to work or home and don’t have time for idle chit chat.

6. If you are applying body powder, do so while standing on a towel, then pick the towel up when you are finished. This keeps the floor clean and slip free.

7. Dress quickly with your back to others. You may also find you can get dressed in stages, top then bottoms, to avoid complete nakedness.

8. Do not stare. Do not solicit attention to yourself. We’ve seen it already.

Exercise Etiquette - Clean the Equipment

After using an exercise machine, please wipe the piece of equipment off with a towel. Many fitness centers provide members with spray bottles of cleaning solution to use when wiping down the machine as well.

If you’re sitting on a machine, you may want to place a towel beneath you to help absorb sweat.

While walking on a treadmill, place a towel on the handrail to keep your hands dry.

Failure to clean the equipment contributes to the spreading of germs. Most of all, it’s just disgusting.