Things You Should Know: Gym Etiquette, Peeves

As part of my Things You Should Know series, I thought there were a few things that everyone should know about how to act and what not to do/always do at the gym. It doesn't matter if it's a private membership gym, one-time visit, etc., keep these tips in mind.

1. Keep your noise level down.
While this is always a good tip to abide by, it was atrociously brought to my attention last week while I was on the treadmill at my gym. With my headphones in, I kept overhearing a loud hacking. It would calm down, then pick up again. Concerned, I removed an earbud and glanced around. The guy at the end of the row was identified as the culprit. He would alternate walking a few seconds with jogging a few seconds. This man was in no shape or form athletic in the first place. And as he began to jog, he would start huffing and puffing- not just deep lung sounds, vocal "Haaaaaahhh!!!!"'s and everything. He didn't limit himself to deep guttural exclamations, but was yelling, "Oh my God! Ohhhh!! It's sooo hard!! Ahhhh!! It hurts!! Oh my God!" and on and on. I glanced around and noticed everyone around awkwardly focusing on their television screens, trying not to pay attention to him. While it was hilarious, it really was distracting and rude.

This also applies to whistlers, hummers, singers, and so on. Basically, if someone else can hear you, don't do it. If you insist on exercising your vocal chords while working out, I would recommend purchasing a treadmill for your home.

Things You Should Know: Antibioics

There are several topics which are very important: most people know a little about them, maybe just enough to get by; yet, there are important details about that everyone should know.

Antibiotics are very important. Before their discovery and development, many lives were lost for reasons we scoff at today. Most people take antibiotics for granted and blindly trust that their physician will give them any details needed. Doctors are bust people, seeing scads of people a day; they get busy and sometimes an important reminder slips by unannounced. As antibiotics are incredibly widely prescribed, it's important that you take the time to educate yourself on something that could save your life, or at least make it more comfortable.