What This Guy Did at The Gym Really Got on My Nerves…

First of all, let me preface this by saying that I love my gym. The gym I go to is so put together, the staff is always nice, and I typically have enough liberty to do everything that I need to do. This is nothing derogatory against the gym itself by any means.

That being said, here we go...

Gym Goer Triggers One of My Pet Peeves

Just the other day, I was on the treadmill, minding my own business. I'd say the row of treadmills must extend about 15 machines. There was a person on the far right side, while I was on the far left. I was on the furthest machine at the very end. There was plenty of space, 13 treadmills in between us.

A man enters from around the corner. I turn my head and we exchange a quick head nod. I don't know this man, but we were just acknowledging each other. The man keeps getting closer and closer. My heart is racing (because I'm the treadmill), but the sight of this guy closing in only gets me more fearful.

The man finally settles upon the treadmill RIGHT NEXT TO ME! Out of a whole row of empty treadmills, he picks the one right next to me! What is the point of that? Again, we do not know each other, and we sure didn't engage in any conversation. Why would you come next to me?

This isn't the first time this happened recently. In fact, it was the third. On two other occasions in the last month, I've experienced something similar to this. The gym was slightly busier those other times; however, there was still room to leave space. This time; however, there was no reason why space couldn't have been given.

The Pet Peeve of Invading Personal Space

This is one of my biggest pet peeves- when someone decides to plop themselves right next to you when there is no reason to. When I'm at the gym, I'll walk around to make sure I find a treadmill to use that isn't too close to anyone else to allow for personal space. Of course, there are times where the gym is busy and you'll have to be directly next to someone, and that's fine. My pet peeve is all about when that moment is avoidable, yet someone chooses to invade my space otherwise.

Did this person do anything wrong? Technically no. Treadmills are supposed to be designed to allow enough room between users. That being said, when there is a whole row open, why would you choose the one treadmill next to the person on the very end? The situation felt very claustrophobic.

Here are a few other situations this applies to that you may agree with:

• You're in an open parking lot with plenty of spaces around you, and then some a-hole decides to park their vehicle right next to you. And of course, they typically park way to close to your car, making it difficult to open your door.
• You're in an open movie theatre with seats all around you, and then a big, noisy family walks in, and decides to sit right next to you. It doesn't matter which family member is directly next to you, but you now know that you lost that cupholder and that arm rest because they will obnoxiously take it over.
• To follow up on the movie situation: You're in an open movie theatre and a group of tall people sit in the seats directly in front of you, obscuring your view of the screen.

"Urinal Etiquette"

Probably the most famous of these scenarios (amongst men, at least) is the urinal situation. You're go to the bathroom and you need to use a urinal. You see someone already there at one. The idea is to always leave a space for the person already there, and if possible, leave space for anyone who may arrive.

Say you're in a bathroom with three urinals. The proper choice would be to choose one of the outer urinals, leaving that center urinal as a buffer. If there are people already at both outer urinals, you wait until someone is done. If you choose the middle urinal, you're just a jerk. Exceptions to this rule include emergency situations, when a wall divider is present, and when you are at a sporting event/concert and a line is forming out the door.

The same applies to the treadmills. Give the people around you space. Don't just pick the one directly next to someone when you don't have to. This person and I carried on with our workouts, not saying a word to one another, and I left when I was done. That being said; though I stuck it out, it was not a easy experience.

Am I being unreasonable here? Is this a stupid pet peeve to have? Yeah, it probably is, but I'm all about allowing people their personal space, and I would like it if people respected mine.