Since I'm committing to this healthy lifestyle thing, I've also been going to the gym consistently since January. I'm not quite a fan of the gym in general (I'm more of a fan of outdoor running or organized sports), but Gold's Gym is a special sort of hell. First of all, they have an outwardly sexist sign in the women's restroom, bragging about how "real men" go to Gold's. Slap on that their trainers stand on treadmills during busy hours and bitch when you ask them to move, it's really usually not an endearing experience. And then throw on top of that, Style Weekly gave them a damn award that they now flaunt, it's all really shoving my nose in the dirt.

But anyway, this blog post is supposed to be going into what people do at the gym that annoy me (because the people at Gold's also piss me off). So now that we're back on track, I'd like to build off this classic Cazey article about awkward gym encounters and list out some of my pet peeves with the gym:

1. Hover Parkers in the Gym Parking Lot

My first gym pet peeve begins before I even get to the gym. There is a HUGE parking lot at Gold's Gym. And 100% of those people showing up in that parking lot are there to exercise. So why do cars hover behind cars, blocking aisles for closer spots? If you're at the gym to work out, why can't you park far away and walk? Count it as a warm-up; park your car in an open spot and walk yourself in.

Stop causing a scene for the closest spot.

2. Talk to me when I'm changing.

This one really weirds me out. I'm comfortable being half-naked while changing in the locker rooms. I don't really care if people see me, and I don't care if people change near me. However, I hate when girls try to talk to me while I'm changing. There was this one distinct time where I was half-pulling up my pants and this girls starts in, "Don't you just hate when your clothes are cold from sitting in the car all day?"

I nod a bit and hope she stops since my shirt needs to come off next. But nope, as I'm taking my shirt off she keeps going. I can't even tell you what she was saying because I was so distracted by the fact that not only was she talking to me, she was also staring at me the whole time.

3. Change in the bathroom

Okay, so my pet peeves list continue with more pre-gym experiences. I have a routine that involves going to the bathroom before working out. But sometimes I can't even get to the bathroom because there are girls changing in there. Spoiler alert: there's a whole locker room for that PLUS changing rooms.

The rooms with the toilets? Those are for peeing.

4. People who stretch next to machines

There are lots of girls that like to claim their territory. I was recently running on the treadmill and the women in front of me kept one hand on the stair stepper to reserve it while stretching for a full 10 minutes. When I use the stair stepper, it's for 10 minutes. Literally, someone could have worked out in the time that she was stretching next to it. But they couldn't because she wanted to hog it.

Rude.

5. Weight Hoarders

Oh, you're using the 5 lb, 10 lb, 25 lb and 50 lb weights all at the same time? I'm impressed.

Or enraged.

6. Smelly people and people who don't clean up after themselves

If you're going to the gym, you really need to remember deodorant. There have been times that someone shows up next to me who smells so vicious, I literally can't continue working out in that area. That's gross and uncalled for. On the same note, I also hate people who don't use the provided towels and disinfectant to wipe down their pool of sweat after using a machine.

Don't be gross.

If we can all commit to doing better about improving on these six gym pet peeves, I probably wouldn't detest working out so much. For my sake, let's make a deal and do better. What are your gym pet peeves?

Let's Work it Out: My Gym Pet Peeves