In the loopy world of blogs, this is the first post you'll see. For us, it's the last.

From the time this blog launched with several contributors, it has always been in a bit of a gerrymandered space between the sports and health worlds, with some transportation and food thrown in.

We've lost some voices in the year since then, so it's with some relief that those of us still active move to Picture of Health this month. We hope you'll come with us so we won't have to miss you.

It's been fun. Thanks for all the comments!

Photo credit: Getty Images

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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I watch tv while on the treadmill, mostly because I can do it with no effort. Also because when I did more elliptical, I wasn't coordinated enough to flip through a magazine while on there elliptical without seriously slowing my pace.

No way I could do it with the magazine on the stand and me going up and down on the machine -- I couldn't see the moving words and was getting a headache.

The other evening, on a treadmill, I was flanked by people who were reading, and both of them were going faster than I was, definitely more than 4 mph.

I'm going to try it -- not going faster -- but reading while I walk at just under 4 mph.

You treadmill walk and read?

What do you do so you don't get a headache from the combination?

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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One area gym and one franchise so far have signed onto the IHRSA Joining Forces Network, which asks health clubs to offer free memberships (at least 6 months) to the families of deployed Reservists and National Guard members.

All seven of Brick Bodies/Lynn Brick's locations have signed on in addition to Synergy Women's Fitness in Columbia. The IHRSA website listed another gym, but I couldn't confirm it.

So if you qualify, here's one less excuse to getting fit.

Posted by Kim Walker at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Gym
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The winner of the “Deadline Fitness” book stepped up to claim it.

The book went to Jen!

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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We have a winner of the abs-core book: Congrats to Peter. He told us -- like a number of you did -- that planks are a key part of his abs/core workout.

Me, never done them, but you're motivating me to try.

If you're goal-oriented -- timewise, that is -- you might be interested in another book. This one's called "Deadline Fitness," and it's by Gina Lombardi, celebrity fitness coach, with health-workout author Linda Villarosa.

The idea here is to assess your eating and exercise habits, then set goals that are realistic for you to achieve in three months. This means that with a reasonable short-term commitment, you can, for example, see toning in your arms that you can show off in our hot summer, trim you middle and feel great about reaching goals.

I think the section on exactly how to ratchet up your exercise as you work toward goals is particularly helpful. There's also one on dealing with an emergency one-week deadline, instead of three-month program -- which looks extreme to me, but sure gives you perspective on fitness and weight loss.

Interested? Same deal as last week. This time, tell us what one-week exercise program has helped your body "emergency" and you're in the running for the book. Emails by Monday night!

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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The belly dancing post and comments got me thinking about abs and core muscles. I wasn't doing crunches, just thinking.

In their recent book, "The New Rules of Lifting for Abs," conditioning specialist Lou Schuler and strength coach Alwyn Gosgrove point out that you could look ripped but still have a weak core. And you could have a strong core -- including abs -- without the glamour abs. But, they write, no matter the appearance, core muscles' strength and stability are important for health and spine safety. All of that is aside from diet and nutrition, let alone weight control.

I've skimmed through the book. It's aimed not just at men. It is billed as for men and women looking to develop a strong core.

It has an abs workout program that the authors recommend doing three times a week. It also has a three-phase strength program (with pictures of buff people demonstrating exercises) and it includes options for exercising when you've got space or social anxiety restrictions. Many exercises require nothing beyond a floor to stand on, but some use suspension trainers, kettlebells and other equipment.

Interested in getting the book? Between now and Sunday night, give us a description of a core/abs exercise that's working for you. No crunches! Names go into a bag, and we'll yank out a name at random and contact the winner.

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
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I heard that belly dancing is a great workout, especially for abs and core. So when my gym offered a free trial class the other week, I was there. I was sore for a few days, which is probably a testament to my need for it.

As a first-timer, I spent most of the hour trying to figure out how to isolate hips, abs and shoulders. Each body section essentially does its own thing to give the dancer graceful movement and, ideally, a toned body. I was anything but coordinated as I tried what the instructor called a washing-machine hip shimmy. And I nearly fell over raising one hip to complete a multi-step circle. I tried swirling a scarf in my arms the way my experienced classmates were doing, but got tangled in it. So much for being graceful. As much as this is exercise, it's clearly an art.

Only two of us in this small group were first-timers. Most of the women had been taking the class for a year or less and they said it helped their posture, strengthened their arms and abs. One woman has been doing it for years, and it shows.

I expect that I'll return to the class occasionally. It was a fun, low-impact break from my regular exercise routines, and that's something we probably all need every so often. If only I could be graceful at it!

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: General Fitness, Gym, Newbies
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Gardening is a combination of diet and fitness: Burn calories and tone muscles while you work to grow the good food you'll be eating.

I love seasoning tomatoes I grow with herbs I grow. I enjoy the beauty of flowering plants and shrubs, with all the butterflies, hummingbirds and even bees they attract. And relaxing in the shade is terrific, including as a place to cool down with an iced tea after exercise.

Last weekend, I was torn between going to the gym and going to the backyard to start preparing the veggie/herb garden and the like.

I did a little of both. Anyone who has gotten busy with their garden knows those activities work arm, leg and back muscles. I actually tried doing a lunge with a little shovel in my hand to attack weeds. It wasn't all that efficient for gardening, but it made for great lunges.

I checked around on the calorie burn and fitness value of gardening. Lots of numbers are out there, and fyi, weeding by hand is good for about 182 cals in 30 minutes. But I found this item, though it's not brand-new, particularly interesting. It shows gardening has health benefits way beyond growing your own yummy organic foods:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/zimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use/gardening-is-good-exercise/

If you've got some gardening-exercise tips, share them with us!

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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He's the biggest winner and biggest loser: Leonard Frett, a Fort Meade pet care worker, got an armload of goodies for being the overall and individual male biggest loser in the military base's Dump Your Plump contest. He couldn't be happier, and not just because this week he was awarded an iPad, gym bag and more.

Frett, 30, lost 24.8 percent of his body fat and 65 lbs in the 2-month program. And since the last weigh-in earlier this month, he dropped another 10 lbs. Now at 251 lbs, he says he has about 50 to go.

"I got up and 4:30 every morning so I was at Gaffney, the gym, at 5 when it opened. I ran and walked 2 miles on the treadmill," he told me. "Then I did 30 mins on the bicycle and 30 minutes on the elliptical." That was "very hard," but seeing results and staying ahead in a friendly competition with his manager kept him focused.

Top female winner: Air Force Master Sgt. Kat Collins. 17.8 percent of her body fat and 25.4 lbs -- gone. This was the third year of the DYP challenge.

Continue reading "Dump Your Plump winners" »

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: General Fitness, Gym, Newbies, Nutrition
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Trying to work certain muscles a little more and burn more cals, I set the incline on the treadmill to 14. I walked briskly. My legs were a little sore after the first day, so I lowered the incline -- barely -- the second day.

Not that I took the hint from my legs. On Day 3, the incline was nice and high, and by the time I had walked 3 miles, I thought my shins would crumble. I lowered the ramp level to a slight incline, but of course it was too late, and I couldn't even think about the treadmill on Day 4. Regular walking during the day didn't bother me.

This was clearly a sign that the ramp was up too high. When I tried again a few days later, I
started at 14, then kept dropping the incline and felt fine. Obviously the message was that a little of incline level 14 was OK, but there is such a thing as too much of it.

Anyone else have that happen? And what did you do about it?

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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As Dump Your Plump, the 8-week weight-loss/fitness competition at Fort Meade, goes down to its final hours, we talked with a member of Dead Weight, the team in first place on the home stretch.

At the start in January, Matthew Wise, 31, weighed 295. “I’m at 250 now,” he says. Another member lost 17 lbs. And the other two dropped about 15 lbs.

The foursome, civilian youth program workers, has competed every year of DYP. Wise says he, Alonzo Coley, Fran Jamison and Jim Dey ate their way through the winter holidays, made too many fast-food runs and bulked up in time for the start of the third year.

Halfway through this year’s contest, “we all weren’t doing so well. We needed to step it up,” Wise says. That meant stricter adherence to diet and more exercise.

The hardest part? Not cheating on a diet that has junk, burger runs and meal-size snacks off-limits. “Resisting the temptation to grab a slice of pizza when it’s right here in front of you, it’s the hardest,” he says.

Exercise? Twice a day. For Wise, a.m. is a half-hour stationary bike and abs, p.m. is an hour of running or other aerobics.

Motivation? “We don’t want to finish second again,” he says.

We'll find out how this turns out. Meanwhile ...what motivates you in your weight-loss and exercise plan?

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 5:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Just as another cold and icy day this week left me with no inspiration to head for the gym, inspiration arrived. The AARP magazine -- yes, the one from the organization for people age 50 and up -- has a piece about the benefits of exercising as we age.

The article includes a fair share of aging medalists who train and still compete. But beyond that, it points to studies of adults who exercise -- and that can be running, playing tennis, swimming, anything that's physical activity. Those show that some of what we've come to think of as inevitable debilitating effects of aging aren't all wrapped up in growing older.

Studies that compared sedentary adults to those who exercised showed that being a couch potato apparently is a huge risk factor for declines in strength, endurance, aerobic capacity and muscle mass in people approaching middle age and beyond.
The people who were fit -- not surprisingly, their aerobic capacity had declined by half as much as in the sedentary middle agers.

For me, that's inspiration to watch tv while I'm on the elliptical instead of on the couch.

To read the article, click here

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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This is me walking from car to gym: I dig into a jacket pocket and pull out my earbuds, and if I'm lucky, only a grocery receipt, pen and parking pass tangled in the wires fall out in the parking lot.

Walking the dog, I have so much stuff in my pockets and hands that I wish fanny packs would make a comeback.

So when the Go Caddy arrived in Exercists-land, I took this thin little lightweight tote with pockets and water bottle holder for a test run.

It's the creation of a Florida woman who found regular gym bags too big, but without one, she got her exercise bending down in her Y's parking lot to retrieve everything she dropped.

My take: It's roomy enough for my gym needs. With keys, tissues and cell phone inside, the rubber-backed microfiber squashes small enough to fit in the junk bin of the treadmill -- or, with water bottle, stand in it. A small towel will fit inside.

It's also good for a walking the dog. Multiple compartments let me organize plastic bags, letters, cell, etc. and sling it over my shoulder. That would probably translate to short easy hikes. I like the security of a Velcro-close pocket, though I could go for a zipper on the pouch. I don't need the key clip.

A nod to the water bottle sleeve -- removable so the inside of the bag doesn't stay damp and gross. It's about $20 at the Go Caddy site and other retailers including Amazon.com

We've all found special fitness and sports accessories that we've come to rely on. Tell us about yours and we'll toss your name in the Go Caddy for a chance to win it.

Continue reading "Product Review: Win a small tote for gym, sports" »

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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More shopping and partying but less workouts, and all those weekends when I deserved to sleep late and spend no time at the gym -- I am paying for it now.

I slacked off big time. When I went to use the weight machines the other day for the first time in too long, I kept to my previous settings. Was that ever a mistake.

I was sore down to my pinkies afterward. And that is pretty sad, because even my regular settings are wimpy. And I had worked up to those.

Goes to show you how quickly muscles "forget" the routine. This weekend -- I do weights only on the weekend -- 5 lbs comes off on every machine. Maybe 10. I'm wondering how long it'll take to work back up to where I was.

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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VitaminWater has come under attack again.

The National Consumers League has fired off a letter to the Federal Trade Commission complaining about "deceptive advertising" and writing that one of the VitaminWater ads implies that drinking the beverage can so strengthen your immune system that a flu shot's unnecessary. It claims ads for the product are misleading, and it wants the government to put an end to the ads touting health benefits that it says aren't proven.

VitaminWater says its contents are right on the label for anyone to see.

Take that as a reminder to read labels. On this one, you'll see that a whole bottle has some vitamins as promised, but also 125 calories. And it's easy to gulp down a whole bottle when you're exercising and thirsty. Me, I drink water at the gym, and then when I'm back home and unwinding, have a cup of nice hot tea, which is after all, mostly water.

Last month, the Brits' agency that regulates advertising said the drink has too much sugar in it to be marketed as nutritious, and over here, consumer groups have whined about the beverage, mostly because of the sugar.

To read about the NCL complaint, click here

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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The Green Revolution bike modification company that I wrote about here and here hasn't approached the Maryland Athletic Club, according to the the club's head of personal training programs, Jeff Urban, but he says he's intrigued by the idea.

Urban, who is relatively new to the MAC after a long career elsewhere, told me this morning that the trend he's seen in equipment lately has been away from specialized, high-tech solutions and back toward the basics, with "a lot of studio facilities that have popped up; they'll include bars, weights, ropes and pulleys."

Continue reading "Update on those electricity-generating bikes" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Bicycling, General Fitness, Gym, Technology
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In a nearly-dark room, a crowd of people perspire over their labors, feeding the metal machines around them. A taskmaster stands in front of the group, illuminated by a glowing screen that displays their collective output in watts, constantly egging them toward a more productive work session.

It's not a Fritz Lang dystopia or an Apple commercial: It's a Howard County spinning class on a Saturday morning, and the people seem to be enjoying it quite a bit, thank you.

We'll be publishing more details in a day or two, but for now, the basics are that the Columbia Athletic Club installed more than two dozen new bikes in November. Those bikes were then modified by a Connecticut company, which added generators to the mix, along with an inverter -- a file cabinet-sized device that allows the bikes to feed energy back into the public grid.

Continue reading "More fun than blowing at windmills" »

Posted by Patrick Maynard at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Treadmills are the top home exercise machine. Frankly, one that I once had got more use drying clothing than it did anything else. It now lives in someone else's house.

In the February issue, Consumer Reports tested home treadmills and their cousin, ellipticals. The verdict: You don't have to buy the fanciest or priciest to get a decent machine and a decent workout.

The nonprofit consumer organization gave its best-buy rating to seven treadmills, three nonfolding and four folding. Even so, the highly rated nonfolding PaceMAster Platinum Pro VR costs some $2,000. A highly rated folding treadmill, the Horizon T202, costs $800. Three ellipticals got a best-buy rating: the Nautilus E514, the Horizon EX-68 and the Schwinn 420.

Among their tips: Ellipticals elevate you, so make sure you've got enough ceiling clearance. Test out treadmills to make sure they're long enough for your running stride. Spending more $$ on a treadmill usually gets you more horsepower and a sturdier machine. Sturdy design, a good warranty, your comfort and features you really will use are what to look for.

How many shirts it will hold for drying wasn't part of the evaluation.

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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The shoes I wear to the gym look like they're in perfect condition. That's the outside. The inside cushion is squashed down. That nice bounce is gone. And I'm starting to feel it on the treadmill and cross-trainer.

I tried plain, cheap insoles, and that was a waste. I love the shoes, and I'd rather not have to invest in new ones right now.

Suggestions for comfy insoles that will last and don't cost a fortune?

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Apparel, Gym
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A new fitness center a short drive from Thurgood Marshall BWI Airport and Arundel Mills will hold opening festivities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, with games and prizes and, of course, enrollment deals.

"We are a small boutique luxury club," Danny Tyler, general manager for Merritt's two-week-old Buckingham location near Route 170 and 100, told me. Buckingham is a new community in Hanover.

The plan is to go 24-hours a day soon.

The setup is based on what's called a life fitness journey concept, the company says. It focuses on individual goals with three "neighborhoods" of equipment - cardio, resistance machines and free weights. Within each "neighborhood," machines are grouped by level of fitness.

The idea is that beginners, for example, can start at their level, where most of the equipment is easier, and then as they progress on their "journey," they can move to more challenging resistance machines and free weights in intermediate and advanced levels.

Meritt's Canton center is remodeling using the same concept, and plans are being made for the rest of the company's Baltimore-area locations to get that makeover too.

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Something to consider in business and vacation travel planning: nice hotel gyms.

Many hotel gyms have gotten an upgrade from the dingy closet-like afterthought with three iffy pieces of equipment to a well-kept, spacious fitness center -- if not in the hotel, then a pass to a nearby one. Some hotels tout them on their web sites along with other amenities they've improved in recent years, like the addition of Wi-Fi.

Most don't charge extra, unless that's their arrangement with a fitness center or pool within walking distance -- but you should always ask if there's a charge. Some hotels lend bicycles and fitness gear to guests -- but again, ask about a charge.

Looking for more on this trend? Click here.

And click here

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Articles/Reports, Bicycling, General Fitness, Gym, Newbies
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Contributing trainer Becky Conti is back, and this time she's sharing her tips on how to make your fitness resolution last beyond January.

We all make New Year's Resolutions because we think of the New Year as a new beginning or as a chance to make changes to things in our lives we aren’t happy with.  Perhaps the most popular resolutions come in the form of changing our eating and exercise habits with the goal of losing weight.  It’s easy to make a goal and be motivated around the New Year because everyone’s doing it … but what happens a month or two down the road when the motivation wears off?  How do you stick to your weight loss goal long enough to achieve it?  

Research shows that after 6 months, more than half of people have given up on their New Years Resolutions and, after one year, that number is close to 90%! Change is difficult and we often want “quick and easy” results that require little effort. When we don’t see results quickly enough, we get discouraged and lose the motivation to continue. The problem is, diet plans and weight loss products that claim to deliver immediate results are often the most dangerous to your health. Also, those fast-results plans usually require you to follow strict rules and, once you go off those rules, you’ll gain the weight right back! Instead of feeling frustrated if you don’t see instant results, try these tips for keeping yourself patient and motivated to continue:

1. Write down your goal and make it visible to you every day.  When we make a goal in our mind it may seem clear and definite to us in the moment, but our focus tends to fade over time.  Writing down your goal and seeing it in front of you each day will help re-motivate you and keep your aim on the target.  

2. Be realistic with your goal and the time frame in which you want to achieve it.  A weight loss goal of 50 lbs should not be set for 2 months from now. Instead, set a goal to lose 5 lbs in 4 weeks (that’s just over 1 lb. per week), and then when you reach that goal, make another one. Setting a series of small goals and reaching them will keep you motivated for the long haul.

3. Establish a plan containing the steps you will take to achieve your goal. If you are trying to lose weight for the first time, you need a plan that is right for you.  Try hiring a personal trainer or nutritionist for a few sessions so he or she can set up a structured program for you to follow. If you can’t afford to hire anyone, read up on the topic ahead of time, jot down your own plan, and show it to someone you know who is knowledgeable on the subject of fitness.  Just make sure you have the correct knowledge and tools you need for success!

4. Prepare yourself mentally. A goal of weight loss and lifestyle change is not easy and takes hard work, preparation, persistence, and determination.  Make sure you are mentally prepared for such an undertaking before you start!  Prepare yourself for the fact that your journey isn’t going to be perfect, and you will probably have setbacks where you “fall off the wagon” for a day or two.  Instead of calling it quits at the first sign of discouragement, be ready for the hard times and keep moving toward your goal.  Remember that persistence is key!

Becky Conti is an American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer and an ACE Certified Weight Management Consultant.  She works as a trainer and nutrition consultant at Merritt Athletic Club Canton and also trains clients through her website www.beckyconti.com.  She has been featured in magazines such as Oxygen, Fitness & Physique, and has appeared on the cover of Performance Press Magazine.  She also writes fitness articles for Fitness & Physique Magazine and Bodybuilding.com.  Becky also competes in national fitness and figure competitions each year.

If you have a question for Becky, or a question you'd like us to ask a trainer on your behalf, leave a comment or send an e-mail to anica.butler@baltsun.com. 

Posted by Anica Butler at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Gym, Newbies, Trainer Tips
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For the third year in a row, Fort Meade is rolling out Dump Your Plump after the holidays. A free exercise program of about eight weeks, it's got mandatory weigh-ins, is modeled on TV's "Biggest Loser" show, and has a fitness and wellness focus.

It's open to variety of people with a Ft. Meade connection, including contractors. While individuals can sign up, the focus is on the team approach. Nobody wants to be person dragging down the team down.

"You don't need so much internal motivation. You've got external motivation," Scott Myers, chief of community recreation, told me.

In its first year, the program had 112 participants. Last year, it had 260. And Myers said many more are expected to sign on for the January 2011 program.

Last year, the top four-person team, Fat Fire 4, dumped 123 lbs.

Myers said anyone trying to start a fitness program after the holiday binge or just starting up shouldn't jump-start it with weights that are too heavy and with tiring runs.

His tips:

1. Walk. Set a comfortable pace. Outdoors is nice, but don't use winter weather as an excuse to plop down on the couch. Indoors is fine -- gym, mall, wherever you're comfortable. 45 minutes a few times a week is an excellent start.

2. If you go to a gym, try recumbent bikes and cross-trainers. Swim. Low-impact exercises are good.

3. Don't feel pressured because the guy on the next treadmill runs at 6 mph. Go at your own pace.

4. Have a team, or group that you exercise with. It's more fun. And nobody wants to disappoint the team.

Information on Dump Your Plump: ftmeademwr.com

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Doing a lot of holiday cooking? The kitchen, says Kaitlin Watts, an exercise physiologist, is a convenient place to add basic exercises.

"You’re going to be baking cookies for the holidays, right? So these are good things to do," says Watts.

A cardiopulmonary rehabilitation therapist at the Baltimore Washington Medical Center, she suggests these exercises to her patients recovering from heart or lung ailments and surgery who she thinks can handle mild exercise.

Try these:

1. Do pushups agains the sink and counter. Stand up straight facing the counter, grab onto it, and without moving your feet, lean forward to the counter and push yourself back to a standing-up-straight position.

2. Lift weights. Put those 1-pound cans of cranberry sauce or bags of nuts or chocolate chips in your hands. Do bicep curls by bending your elbows. Work your triceps by doing the curls over your shoulders.

3. Mix batter by hand. That will work your arms.

4. Work those legs while peeling potatoes. Doing that standing by the sink? Alternating legs, slowly lift the heel of your foot to your butt. Sitting? Alternating legs, lift each leg from the knee down so that it it sticks straight out.

5. Waiting for the timer to buzz? Hold onto the counter and roll up onto your toes to work your calves. Use the counter for balance and do squats.

She suggests starting with one set of 8 to 15 reps, then a good stretch. You can work up to more, but don’t overdo it, Watts says. "You don’t want to be sore a day later when you’re going shopping."

Read on for more of hers, and let's hear some of your kitchen exercise ideas.

Continue reading "Kitchen exercise" »

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Where's your go-to place for a long run? What's the area's best-equipped gym, most accessible swimming facility, hottest new exercise class?

We're hoping that over the next 10 weeks, you can help us figure out the answers to those questions and more. 

Next week, we'll launch 10 weeks of fitness Top 10s. We'll list a topic, take your suggestions, add some ideas of our own, and compile them into lists. 

We're tentatively thinking of listing places for running, biking swimming and doing yoga. But we're also considering top recreation sports (and leagues), places to hike, best non-traditional fitness, best classes.

If you're got some ideas for a top 10, or if there's anything you'd like to see, let us know! 

Posted by Anica Butler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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On the infrequent occasions when I hit the machines in my neighborhood gym's weight room -- mind you, I don't put much weight on the machines or strain myself -- I like to let my mind wander.

But the other week, an unpleasant noise returned me to reality. Grunting. Really loud. The first time, I looked over to see if the guy got hurt. Apparently not. So it came across to me as a look-at-me, show-off shtick. Which worked, because I looked. As the grunts continued, the other few of us in the room traded glances. None of us said anything to him, like "tone up your body, tone down the sound."

I'm not saying grunting is criminally wrong. A gym seems like an appropriate place for grunting when you're lifting. Maybe it helps some people lift more pounds, the way it helps me move the piano to attack the dust-bunnies behind it. But there's nobody to witness the dust-bunny offensive, so I don't have to be mindful of others nearby when I'm cleaning. Which is my point: That noise disturbs others.

I guess I could have said something to the people at the front desk later, but I didn't. I don't know if anyone else did.

This year, a New Zealand body-builder's grunts led to so many complaints to the gym's operators from a balance class that he ended up working out elsewhere. To read that story, click here.

Posted by Andrea Siegel at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Gym
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