Good Manners

Ros Natasha and I have been hittin the weights over at good ole Joyfit since March for our GetRight 2007 Plan. With the exception of the moaning and groaning, everything had been going really well and it gives me an opportunity to catch up with the girls 3times a week. So, a while back… me and Ros were resting in between sets. I mean, afterall, unlike the other women in there straining to lift their 1kg weights (which in my opinion they would get more of a workout if they lifted THEIR SHOE) weeeeee on the other hand are actually breaking a sweat. So needless to say, after our set we NEED a 2 or 3 minutes break to catch our breath and rest our muscles. Well, this lady staffer (who was in need of a workout herself, might I add) came over and told Ros off for talking. I HAVE NEVER in my life heard of no talking in the gym! Now, there were plenty of other people talking but maybe our foreign words perked up ears and some found it annoying. I find the man who breathes REALLY heavy in and out, grunts and groans, drips sweat all over the machine, and looks like a chipmunk to be annoying, but do I go over and ask him to stop? NO! OH..and we were in the LADIES ZONE which means that we have priority over the males, only 3 of which lift more than we do. And besides that, I pay my damned membership dues EVERY month so I’m going to talk as much as I damn well please! …especially because it was Ros who was told off and NOT ME ;).

Besides the dirty look every now and then, this lady has kept her distance. Well last week the “ladies zone” was gone and there was a MANNER CHECK sign up! Manner Check in ENGLISH! ANNNNND since no one else in that whole gym can speak English, I can’t help but to think that the sign was a little passive aggressive stab at us token foreigners. Added to the rules: no sitting on benches to rest, no leaving weights on benches, no taking breaks for more than 30secs. I think I’m going to make a bright yellow MANNER check of my own.

It’s going to say:

If you are lifting less than 2kgs,
do us all a favor and do it at home so you aren’t taking up mat space.
If you are over 40 and male,
do NOT wear spandex that suck onto your lil willie; thus revealing the fact that it really is little…leave something to the imagination PLEASE!
If you look like the girl whose head spins around from the exorcist,
please refrain from looking directly at me. You creep me out and give me nightmares at night.
If you wear baggy sweats, a hat tilted to the side and make-up to the gym,
you will be removed from the area, YOU ARE NOT DRESSED “hip hop” chic.
If you are convulsing/spazzing and falling on your ass on the stretch mat,
this is not break dancing and it is really distracting.
If you are an employee at a gym,
take advantage of the opportunity and work out yourself every now and then. No one wants a fat trainer telling them to lose weight or to do one more set!
If you are the HOT trainer that leads the kick boxing class,
lose the shirt.

These are my “MANNER CHECKS” let’s compromise. You give a little and Ill do the same and we will all ENJOY our JoyFit experience just a little more.