Air Pollution

Nick Nilsson’s Unwritten Code of the Gym:

19) Don’t wear excessive cologne or perfume in the gym. It can be very unpleasant for others who are breathing heavily.

Well, there’s the understatement of the year.

To this gem, I would add only a distiction between the cardio and the free weight areas of the gym. Once you get going on your treadmill or stair stepper, you’re trapped. You don’t have the option of moving your bench, or entire person, away from the noxious cloud. And, adding incense to injury, a cardio session by its nature consists of inhaling big gulps of air.

Now, I think we should all step back a second and appreciate that some people are acutely aware of the connection between perspiration and body odor. Still, I can’t help thinking this situation is similar to the women who arrive at the gym wearing entirely too much makeup. In my experience, the people who soak themselves in perfume the most are also the ones sweating the least.