If I don't need to smell 'pretty' for the gym, neither do yo

a_stronger_steph

Rant time!

For the past few weeks I've been taking advantage of the cardio room in my condo. It's pretty small - three treadmills, two ellipticals, two stationary bikes, and a rowing machine, with some space up front for stretching, etc. It's definitely less than 300 square feet, but it does the job.

Anyways, today, 10 minutes into my workout, a guy comes in just REEKING of some sort of cologne or body spray. It literally made my eyes water and my nose feel tight (like I was about to sneeze) as soon as he entered the room. Shortly after he took up on the elliptical next to me, I got a headache from it. I'm not someone who is usually overly sensitive to smells, but in this tiny room, it was just awful.

I managed to keep going for another 10 minutes but couldn't stand it after that, so I had to cut my workout short (GRRRR!!!).

I honestly don't understand why someone would douse themselves in perfume before working out and (presumably!) getting sweaty. And I'm really not a confrontational person so I couldn't exactly say anything about it to him, either.

End rant!

wbgolden

Guys do weird things. I think it's a peacock mentality

skinnylizzard

I know, yesterday some girl was next to me all perfumed up. It got worse as she started to sweat! I would rather smell B.O. than that!!!

rockabillydarlin

We have a similar gym in our apartment complex with the addition of some weight machines and free weights. I can't stand strong perfumes and colognes either -- they make me feel nauseas!

My complaint is that most people don't wipe down the machines after they use them. GROSS. Not only do I not wanna touch the machine after you just sweat all over it, but it's gym etiquette! One girl last night didn't even do it after both another girl and I wiped down ours when we were done. I wanted to say something but I was nice lol.

ybba12490

Where I go to school its like a beauty pageant in the gym. The girls will wear a full face of makeup, matching outfits, and will tease their hair and wear jewelry!!! I don't understand it.

Kiwijay

That happened to me a couple of weeks ago in the gym and I ended up coughing from it. My gym isn't big but I definitly needed to open the doors and windows to continue!

ceebs9

HUGE pet peeve of mine. Makes me gag.

arodriguez24

lol some people over do it, you need to shower afterwards anyways. I think they just worry that they will start to stink up the place sweating and unknowingly stink up the place by ODing on the fragrance.

RedHotRunner

The joy of running outside at o'dark thirty. Not only do I stink, my ritual includes not brushing my teeth (weird as it seems, having a minty fresh mouth makes it harder for me to get my breathing regulated).

jenluvs2sing

I would have said something like "While I appreciate that you didn't want to smell bad while working out I'd appreciate it if you went a little lighter on the cologne next time. I'm having a hard time breathing right now because of it." If he gets nasty, well, ask him if it works out the same time every day and you'll make sure to come at another time.

People can be nasty but I've felt lately that when people are being rude or insensitive it's only enabling them to continue by not saying anything. I've kept quiet when people have been mean or rude or hurt my feelings (family included) for too long, the last year I've been speaking up like never in my life and while I've lost friends over it (and trust me, I DON'T miss the drama) I'm happier as a result. People are getting nastier by the minute, if we don't speak up, our entire society falls into a permanent state of ugly, and I, for one, am sick of it and will do my part to keep manners and common courtesy alive, one little comment at a time.

justsummie

Not that I am defending wearing a gallon of cologne but I have my own personal reasons for wanting to at least not stink when I go out in public. There are many negative social stigmas placed on overweight people. IMHO one of the most offensive and humiliating misconceptions is "fat people smell bad". It is because of this that I lather up in Lady Speed Stick and scented lotions. I don't think I've ever worn perfume or a distacting amount of lotion. I know we are at the gym and we are supposed to sweat (and believe me I do) but when I feel gross I get discouraged and want to go home and that's not a good game plan for me.

a_stronger_steph

This was the first time I'd worked out past 9pm in that room, so I think I will try to stick to earlier times from now on. The regulars that I see in the mid afternoon are usually great. If I run into him again and he is still overwhelmingly scented, I'll probably have to say something. Because, yeah, he probably doesn't realize how much he is overcompensating.

ablueskier

A girl got on the elliptical next to me a couple weeks ago wearing WAY too much perfume. I got up and moved about 5 ellipticals down. She gave me a funny look but I don't care, I need to breath when I am working out.

a_stronger_steph

We have a similar gym in our apartment complex with the addition of some weight machines and free weights. I can't stand strong perfumes and colognes either -- they make me feel nauseas!

My complaint is that most people don't wipe down the machines after they use them. GROSS. Not only do I not wanna touch the machine after you just sweat all over it, but it's gym etiquette! One girl last night didn't even do it after both another girl and I wiped down ours when we were done. I wanted to say something but I was nice lol.

Ugh, yes. This. That happened a lot more when I went to my larger campus gym - even when people were using the weight machines! I remember the very first time I went to the gym, I had no idea about gym etiquette and wiping down machines at ALL. But I saw someone do it before I got off the machine I was on, the lightbulb went on, and I followed suit when I was finished. If only other people could catch on by example, haha.

BrittanyGQ

LOL, oh no, I'm one of those people that wear perfume/body spray at the gym... :blushing: I only wear a little bit, I swear, just to help mask the scent of sweat!! I'm not overly sensitive to smells, though (except stronnnng BO....I'll take cologne lol), but I'll be sure to tone it down! :P

corsayre8

Lucky me, I go to a small town gym, and perfumes are not allowed ;-)

But seriously, for those of you who feel it is necessary, remember that some of us other people are allergic to your perfumes. Bad BO is caused by bacteria, and not from a single sweating session. If you are worried about your hygiene, take a shower first, and then put on deodorant, problem solved.

jenluvs2sing

Not that I am defending wearing a gallon of cologne but I have my own personal reasons for wanting to at least not stink when I go out in public. There are many negative social stigmas placed on overweight people. IMHO one of the most offensive and humiliating misconceptions is "fat people smell bad". It is because of this that I lather up in Lady Speed Stick and scented lotions. I don't think I've ever worn perfume or a distacting amount of lotion. I know we are at the gym and we are supposed to sweat (and believe me I do) but when I feel gross I get discouraged and want to go home and that's not a good game plan for me.

Seriously, is this the biggest load of crap? Why do people think that just because we're overweight that means we're slobs? That we don't care about how we look or smell? Seriously, it's ridiculous. It's a stereotype that has to go!

When I used to go to the gym I couldn't get over how badly people smelled. There was one guy who seriously must have eaten a ton of garlic before coming to the gym, once he started sweating the smell was bad enough to fill the whole room. Probably didn't even realize he smelled. I told the workers there more than once, it was so nasty. I'd have to leave whatever room he came into. The joys of working out at home.

justsummie

Lucky me, I go to a small town gym, and perfumes are not allowed ;-)

But seriously, for those of you who feel it is necessary, remember that some of us other people are allergic to your perfumes. Bad BO is caused by bacteria, and not from a single sweating session. If you are worried about your hygiene, take a shower first, and then put on deodorant, problem solved.

If only it were that simple. BO is not always caused from bacteria, genetics, disease and diet are also a factor. The mind set that people with BO need to take a shower is the exact reason those people drown themselves in perfume (so as not to be thought of as unclean). It's a vicious cycle. I'm pretty sure Oprah did a whole show on this a few years back.

Luckily, I feel that I am fairly non-stinky by nature but, as I said before, I have issues with "fat people" stigmas. I do have a couple of very close friends who are quite thin and have impeccable hygiene but still have that NASTY BO when they get sweaty. In their case, and that of people like them I have no issue with covering the scent.

Obviously there are always people who go overboard and yes, it's annoying but I know when dealing with a public place I'm going to encounter all different types of people with issues and needs separate from my own. I think there can be a happy medium if we all just try to increase our own levels of tolerance and respect.

mollymoo89

I can't get over the girls with caked on make up at the gym. Isn't the gym supposed to be a place to work out? I would much rather workout with no makeup on than makup, eyeliner, and mascara dripping down my face while I'm working out. I don't know about other people but I'm not one to "half-*kitten*" things, I'm there to sweat and workout.

corsayre8

Ok, I'll try telling my allergies to be more tolerant and respectful.

Seriously, I taught Bikram yoga for six eight years, and still do hot yoga regularly, I literally have had hands on experience with more than my share of sweaty people. Yes, the factors you brought up can have an influence, but it is pretty rare for a person with goid hygeine to smell bad simply because they start to sweat. If anything, regular sweating helps to carry toxins out of their body - just wash it off afterwards. And this has nothing to do with thinking fat people stink, I am a fattie and I smell great without perfume.

Lucky me, I go to a small town gym, and perfumes are not allowed ;-)

But seriously, for those of you who feel it is necessary, remember that some of us other people are allergic to your perfumes. Bad BO is caused by bacteria, and not from a single sweating session. If you are worried about your hygiene, take a shower first, and then put on deodorant, problem solved.

If only it were that simple. BO is not always caused from bacteria, genetics, disease and diet are also a factor. The mind set that people with BO need to take a shower is the exact reason those people drown themselves in perfume (so as not to be thought of as unclean). It's a vicious cycle. I'm pretty sure Oprah did a whole show on this a few years back.

Luckily, I feel that I am fairly non-stinky by nature but, as I said before, I have issues with "fat people" stigmas. I do have a couple of very close friends who are quite thin and have impeccable hygiene but still have that NASTY BO when they get sweaty. In their case, and that of people like them I have no issue with covering the scent.

Obviously there are always people who go overboard and yes, it's annoying but I know when dealing with a public place I'm going to encounter all different types of people with issues and needs separate from my own. I think there can be a happy medium if we all just try to increase our own levels of tolerance and respect.

rockabillydarlin

I learned about wiping the machines in gym class in high school; we had a weight room and used to do a unit there every year lol. But even at our gym there is a SIGN in front of the cleaner and paper towels that says: "Cleaner for wiping down machines."

Another thing: there's a water cooler in there, which is great for a drink after a work out. But people leave their plastic cups on the table... RIGHT NEXT TO THE GARBAGE. How hard is it to take one step over and toss it in the trash? I always clean up other people's cups because the people who maintain the gym shouldn't have to pick up after people who feel entitled to be inconsiderate.