Let's go to the gym to .... chat?

I work out. And I actually enjoy it. I like taking zumba and kickboxing classes. I also like to lift weights and use the machines. Going to the gym isn't something I dread.

What I don't like ... when people go to the gym and spend most of the time that they are there either chatting with their friends or glued to their phones. And they do this either during the various classes, or while sitting their lazy butts on a machine so nobody else can use the machine.

Go to Starbucks or just hang out at home if that's what you plan to do! Don't hog the machines or the weights if you just want to sit there texting. And please, for the love of all that's holy, STOP THE CONSTANT CHATTER DURING THE CLASSES!!!

I came down to Florida to visit my parents and I've been using the really nice gym facilities here. I'm very impressed with their gym and all they have in there! Plus I've been going with my Mom to her zumba classes. And guess what? It's no different down here. As a matter of fact, with the older adults here, it's even worse in some senses.

In the zumba class we were taking there is this one woman who I'll call Yolanda. I seriously think this woman has dementia. She kept shouting out the entire class. Either "singing along" with the songs (that's in qoutes because she was getting all the words wrong or singing the words a second or two after they were sung by the actual singer on the song) or just shouting out nonsense. I can't fault her though. If she has dementia, it's out of her control. In fact, I applaud that she's still active and staying relatively fit! But it was rather distracting.

But the other women in the class don't seem to realize that they're in an exercise class that's meant to exercise their bodies and not their vocal chords. I heard discussions about whether they were going to the show on Saturday, what happened at their last doctor's appointment (something that's definitely TMI for an exercise class), this really great restaurant that has an amazing early bird special,  and who just arrived as a snowbird, or who had to go into the hospital or hospice.

I know that exercising is also a social activity, but when it interferes with actually exercising, then it's a problem. The one difference down here ... with the weights and machines, you don't see people sitting there texting rather than working out. As a matter of fact, very few people use the free weights at all. At least the ones that are more than 3 pounds.

So, I guess if I'm going to work out in a gym, I'm just going to have to get used to the chatter, since it's not going to get better as I get older.