The Perils of Gym Etiquette

At the gym

It's surprisingly difficult to be a nice person. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you just can't avoid being a prick.

I was at the gym the other day, participating in a company-wide "log 30 mins of exercise a day and we'll measure it with an unnecessarily elaborate world map graphic" month.

I would like to consider myself a good gym citizen. I don't hog the machines, I don't leave gum on the cardio theatre screens and most importantly, I wipe my sweat off the cross trainer when I'm done. Usually, I leave my water bottle in the drinks holder while I go get some paper towels, as an indicator that I've just popped off for a minute. God forbid anyone tried to use the machine before I'd cleaned it!

On this particular occasion, the signal wasn't entirely clear, and I returned with my cleaning materials to find a woman clambering onto the machine I had pegged for sanitation.

I had two options here. I could leave her to it and about face for the changing rooms. Or I could inform her of her mistake so I could fulfil my gymly duties. I chose the latter.

"Sorry, " I paused, carefully considering my words, before mumbling, "I just have to clean this one."

She huffed "OK", in the manner of someone who didn't think it was, and moved on to the next machine.

I think I might have made the wrong choice here. On the one hand, I could have left her be and I'd be a prick who didn't clean the cross trainer, and more noticably left an empty water bottle on it. I would, however, have been an anonymous prick. In avoiding those faux pas, I'm now the prick who chucked her off the machine of her choice. And worse than that, I'm a prick with a face.