The Gym - Where Nobody Knows Your Name (Repost)

I wrote this post about 18 months ago and it still applies!! Just thought I would double share it :) [everyone except the biggest loser group still comes!]


I love people watching, whether it's an old couple sharing an ice cream, girls trying on clothes in the mall and thinking they are the only people in the whole store, or some guy in his car picking his nose, it's just fun! Sometimes we will make up little stories about those we are observing from a not-creepy distance. My mom, my sister, and I go to the gym together every morning. It's our little "thing" and I really look forward to it. There are also others who come everyday at the same time as we do - the morning regulars. We don't know them and they don't know us, but they are definitely familiar faces. At the gym, we have come up with nick names for some these more memorable "friends" of ours and I thought I would share a few and the origins of their names. (DISCLAIMER: These are not meant in any kind of mean way, they are simply observations and we can have conversations about these people because we use this set of common names. If you can read these without casting bad judgment on those who came up with them, please enjoy! If not, wait for the next post!)

1. Patti Peruvian - she is actually one of our real friends now, but before we knew her, we didn't like her much. There was an unspoken duel between her and I - we liked the same equipment for the same classes. At times it became quite immature as both of us would walk quickly to the desired machine at an unusual pace. For tread class I would want to be on the treadmill next to my mom, but she liked that one too (I have no idea why), but she would always come and be right between us, so we just started coming earlier. Of course, I won. I don't remember how it came about, but we started talking and she's actually really great! She is from Peru and goes back every year for a month or two. We love you Patti Peruvian. (Oh, and her name really is Patti)

2. BYU Boy - this is probably the stupidest of our names. He is actually a well-known former BYU football player, but hey, who knew? Well, we didn't at least. He would always wear BYU t-shirts and he looks so young, we used to debate if he was pre- or post-mish. Yes, post-mish, post-college, and married with children. Oh well! We still call him BYU Boy.

3. Onion Man - I'm sure onion man is very nice (he was also mentioned in a previous post), however, he sweats profusely - PROFUSELY - and it smells like onions, really bad. If you're within a 10-foot circumference of him, it's so bad you can't breathe. He always smiles and the stench doesn't really appear until he has worked out long enough to create large sweat marks all over his t-shirt, so you just casually move to another area when the time comes, no big deal.

4. Princess Leia - ahhh, one of my favorites. She appeared at the gym about 2 years ago when she was either engaged or newly wed. She would wear the rock her husband bought her, a new work out ensemble every day, make up (of course), and her hair up in these ridiculous buns waaaaay on top of her head. I'm not sure about these people who wear make up to the gym, if you're working out, it usually just sweats itself off, but whatever. Anyways, because of her quaft of hair (which is still present to this day), she earned her code name of "Princess Leia".

5. Booby Mom and her Booby Daughters - a few summers ago this mom and her two daughters got new boobies together (or that's how it appeared). I'm guessing they were recent high school grads and this was maybe a graduation present? I don't know, but that could be a feasible scenario for these three. They would come in their tight, revealing tops and work out in the area with many many mirrors. They would usually lift really light weights that would show off their new purchases and stare at each other. It was hard not to stare, it was quite a sight!

6. Frizzy Mom - typical mom in her early- to mid-forties. Usually wears running shorts that are too short and some work out top that looks like it just doesn't match (usually one of those outfits that make you tip your head to the side and say "huh?"). Very friendly, well, friendly to the skinny hot moms. She thinks she is all that and a bag of barbecue ruffles with ridges. And she has really frizzy long hair that she thinks looks really good. Most of the people I have described I quite like, they seem nice and it's just kinda fun to have a code name that fits them. However, this one is different. She isn't very nice so I don't feel as bad calling her frizzy.

7. The Biggest Loser - this is a group of people, actually, and they all pay to come live in a house and get personal training and nutrition assistance (like the biggest loser) for about 8 weeks at a time. They basically spend all day at the gym and they work really hard. It's kinda fun to see people so dedicated and working so hard for a common goal - quite motivating sometimes!

8. Old Golf Man - he is one of my favorite people. He comes to the gym and lifts weights everyday and then gets one of the 25-pound bars and works on his golf swing for at least 20 minutes. One day he even asked me if I was a volleyball player because I'm so tall - thank you golf man, I love compliments! :)

9. The Dads - this group is never the same group of dads, but there are always a few from the group that are in the weights area together. They aren't in fantastic shape, are starting to get guts that hang over their basketball shorts, and try to lift like the high school boys. They still think they are in their "prime" and it's charming. My favorite is when they are talking about their kids but don't want to sound un-masculine so they usually do it while curling some heavy-ish weight and using a deeper voice. News flash - you're still taking Katie to kindergarten and talking to your other gym dad friends about how much you miss her while trying to lift.

This video helps illustrate my point: