The beauty of beta testing a site like this is that since there are so few readers and followers (…go ahead, send the link to your friends & family) that I can playtest ideas and see what works and what doesn’t.
Yesterday, on Twitter, Status Fitness Magazine (@StatusFitness) was running a re-tweet for the best use of the hash tag #GymPetPeeves. To be honest, a lot of them were rather impressive! I found myself thinking, “You know what? Yeah that drives me crazy too!” quite a bit. I even put one up of my own, which got some action (and followers, thank you very much), so I thought I’d start this segment of NerdyGymRat.com with my Gym Pet Peeve.
“When people use their gym membership as an expensive book club on the stationary bikes.”
In my eight years of working out, I’ve been a member of three different gyms:
- The UCF Rec & Wellness Center (thanks to tuition, it was free!)
- L.A. Fitness (which ended because they cared more about the check clearing than fixing equipment)
- Planet Fitness (home of the “Lunk Alarm,” which I’ve yet to set off because I’m a quiet beast)
While the amenities, hours of attendance, clientele and machines have changed over the years, one thing has stayed constant; lazy-ass people are in abundance! At UCF, it was more of the sorority girls going in tight Nike/Under Armor apparel and were there to be seen. At L.A. Fitness and Planet Fitness, it was much more annoying.
You see…I look at the gym the same way I do with anything I purchase or do; as an investment. When I go shopping, I have to debate whether or not a product I’m potentially purchasing will better my life and if the return on investment is worth the price. Will this shirt REALLY be helpful when I go downtown tonight? Do I REALLY need to buy these chicken breasts in bulk (answer to that one is always HELL YES).
With the gym, I go in there with a purpose. I invest my time and effort so that I get a return on investment (overall health and wellness…and yes the eight-pack I currently possess). If I ever walk out of the gym with the feeling of knowing I didn’t give 150%, I feel like total crap the rest of my day, thus making it a weak return on investment. If anything, the stock dropped for that day.
When I see a person on a stationary bike, with a bottle of water in one hand and “Vogue” in the other, it drives me up an effin’ wall! You’re there to WORK…OUT. There are countless other places to bring your Kindle that don’t cost you an initiation fee on top of a monthly membership fee. What you’re basically saying to the rest of the people at the gym is that you care enough to BUY the membership, but not enough to take advantage of it. In my honest opinion, you might as well stay at home and save your money for another e-book. Otherwise, get to sweatin’!
Whew that felt good…who else has a gym pet peeve to share? Maybe yours will be the next one!
