No-No's at the Gym

Now that I've been getting up at the crack of dawn and joining all of the other crazy early morning folks at the gym, I've developed some observations.

If you're a newbie or have been going for sometime and fallen into some bad habits, here's a few tips to consider as you workout.

When you sweat half your ass off on a machine (of any sort, treadmill, elliptical, weights), please grab a towel, some cleaning spray, and take 30 seconds to wipe it down.  It's just nasty to start your workout seeing the remnants of someone else's.

It's weird to hold hands walking around the track with your significant other.  The gym is a time to exercise.  It's cool to be together.  But no need to jam up the flow of other runners/walkers while you make googly eyes at each other with a hand chain.  Work up a sweat and then get a room.

Take a peak at what you're wearing before you walk out the door.  No one needs to spend hundreds of dollars on workout gear.  Although, if you want to, check out www.lululemon.com   But just make sure that your ass is not hanging out, nor are your sisters, and that relatively speaking, you can show up maintaining a little modesty and still get the job done.

No hacking, blowing your nose, or tooting in public areas.  That's what the locker room is for.  Really enough said on that.

And finally, the gym isn't a place to hang out and talk, at least not at the expense of someone else needing to use your machine or stretch area.  Do the catch up, "chatty Cathy" deal in a less trafficked area so that you're not keeping someone from getting their workout in.

It's really not hard.  Just be considerate.  Exercise a little Golden Rule action.  And enjoy.  Sweating your ass or your beer/burger/weekend indulge off is a good thing.  Be intense.  Have fun.  Just do so with others in mind.  And no, Prairie Life is not paying me.