Comments on Cranky Fitness: Fanning the Flames at the Gym

I hate, hate, hate working out in a hot gym. I'd ...

2008-07-24T12:31:00.000-04:00

I hate, hate, hate working out in a hot gym. I'd rather workout outside in the heat than in a gym with hot stifled air smelling of the sweat of everyone around me. If Ms. Crabby doesn't want to feel the fan she should move to a different cardio machine. I see no reason why others should have to suffer to make one person comfortable. Some people just have entitlement issues and think everyone should please them. She should put on some pants and a long sleeved shirt and get over herself.

I also think that I perform better in the cooler temps. I know I love to do longer runs in the early morning when it's chilly outside. The heat definitely decreases my endurance. Sometimes, when training for a summer outdoor event I will train in the heat to prepare but overall I think that it's better to train in cooler temps.

And just for the record, I'm the girl who keeps a heater in her office so she can stay warm when her co-workers turn the AC up. Since I'm in the minority I use a heater rather than make them work at a temp that is hot for them.

I know I'm in the minority - am very thin, and fee...

2008-07-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

I know I'm in the minority - am very thin, and feel
colder a lot more than
most people I know, and from reading this I can see that my hopes of having the
temp of the aerobic area of the gym I go to be raised
from 61 to 68 will be difficult to happen
(sounds like this would be a dream temp for many of those posting here)

I do wear many layers, do wear wool caps, I do try
to dry off and change to drier clothes in middle of workout, but I think
the coldness (to me) of the room esp at 61-67
and the constant blowing of the a/c, and combined
with me sweating under the clothes and caps, that it causes me to get chills and sore throats, especially after changing
clothes and trying to dry off, since can't really get all the sweat off that quickly.

since they have the thermostat at 61, it means that the a/c will be on all the time once the bldg starts heating up past 61; whereas if they did what most places do (I think) and had thermostat on some defined temp, lets use 68, then the a/c would not go on until then,
or in colder weather in the morning, the room would warm to 68 and stay there, with a/c used only as needed.

I can see point of someone who mentioned about fan blowing on them and having effect - since seems similar to a/c blowing right on someone - that at least for me, when sweating a lot, it can cause chills and sore throat - there is probably some explanation for this medically but I can't find it yet.

I used to love riding my rollers until I had to se...

2008-07-18T02:18:00.000-04:00

I used to love riding my rollers until I had to sell them when I moved because I live now in a closet under the stairs, but I HAD to have a fan, a huge box fan actually, blowing from the front to simulate riding a bike on the actual road. I could ride a hard workout for an hour. Now on my crappy exercycle in the corner I sweat too much and have no place to even set a fan nor even plug it in!

Maybe at some point one of my 3 jobs will generate enough funds for a membership at the gym a block over, that would be nice, if the air was cold enough, thanks for pointing that out!

Oh and definitely the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Mr. Spock said that, and it is truth. Also very old Buddhist teaching.

So yeah, put the whiner in her place, the egocentric control freak. ;)

I'm with you Crabby - colder is better. Like Alic...

2008-07-17T17:40:00.000-04:00

I'm with you Crabby - colder is better. Like Alice I go an alarming shade of purple when on the elliptical for an hour and am literally dripping with sweat by the time I'm finished - always "mop up" / sanitize the machine after myself :0)

i have a treadmill, and when i walk on it, i turn ...

2008-07-17T16:03:00.000-04:00

i have a treadmill, and when i walk on it, i turn on the swamp cooler and the (non-ceiling) fan, and that's all i get. when my mom works out on her treadmill, she turns on her swamp cooler, and her non ceiling fan, and her ceiling fan, and i swear to you it is 40 degrees in that room and windy. if i could exercise in those conditions, i would. in fact, if i could turn my exercise room into a giant restaurant sized fridge, i'd do that, too. are there seriously people who prefer to do cardio with warmer than necessary temperatures?

I, too, love the fan... especially considering my ...

2008-07-16T23:31:00.000-04:00

I, too, love the fan... especially considering my gym doesn't have A/C because a) we're in a "mild" climate and b) it's more environmentally friendly. Since I'm already wasting electricity by being in the gym and not outside, when I'm dripping sweat I try to make myself feel better that at least I'm not consuming A/C electricity. That said, if someone turns off one of the few fans that keep me cool enough to stay sane, I want to hit them. Hard.

I hate being cold, but, I hate being hot more. No,...

2008-07-16T23:18:00.000-04:00

I hate being cold, but, I hate being hot more. No, I don't work out in a gym, but the principal applies. I can put on a sweater (or two), but you can only take off so many clothes.

I share your sentiments, Crabby.When I hit the gym...

2008-07-16T22:20:00.000-04:00

I share your sentiments, Crabby.
When I hit the gym I choose a machine that's right by one of those industrial fans, and face it right on me.
You're nice, though; you ask first... I just go ahead and do it! :P

Ok, so my gym had this really bad winter. First t...

2008-07-16T21:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, so my gym had this really bad winter. First the temps were so cold that I wore a winter hat and gloves while doing cardio. the poor employees were not allowed to do so, too, as it violated their dress code.

They fixed the furnace and then it was like doing "hot yoga" exercise.

Now the AC is sufficient but a bit low (with 50 cardio machines, though, we're providing a lot of heat). The worst is the floor exercise room, where one fan just can't push enough air.

But cooler temps discourage germs to linger and makes it a whole lot more comfy when I start sweating like a mofo!

Give me cool (but not cold) any day.

Well, this isn't workout related specifically but ...

2008-07-16T20:58:00.000-04:00

Well, this isn't workout related specifically but in Germany people think that A/C makes people sick. Yup. Sick. From A/C. Conversations such as "I have a cold" "Oh, must be because the A/C was blowing on your lower back near the kidney area" are quite normal.

SO FRIGGIN ANNOYING! And this of course means that the A/C is used as little as possible, and NO HOMES have it.

Stupid Germany.*

- LS

*I can say that because I lived there for a long time and am married to a German so I am like 1/3 German. ok?

hey, you just gave me my topic for my blog today- ...

2008-07-16T20:49:00.000-04:00

hey, you just gave me my topic for my blog today- I will link here of course. our spinning room got ac today! no more 90* hour long rides.

Here ya go, Crabby...http://www.fims.org/default.a...

2008-07-16T20:17:00.000-04:00

Here ya go, Crabby...

http://www.fims.org/default.asp?pageID=884138630

http://www.apps.org.au/Proceedings/32(2)Suppl.1/185P/185P.pdf

I will admit that I personally prefer the fan to blow on say, you, rather than me.

"And sorry to those of you who can't tolerate fans...

2008-07-16T18:59:00.000-04:00

"And sorry to those of you who can't tolerate fans due to allergies etc. I'd still prefer you weren't allowed to have an opinion different from mine, but at least you all have a really good reasons for it"

It's OK, Crabby, as long as we get our own gym, now.
>8 ) (I'd say I'll take your opinions if you take my allergies, but I'm kind of used to them after fifty years...)

Mary Anne in Kentucky

I like me some Bikram yoga, but that's a specializ...

2008-07-16T18:47:00.000-04:00

I like me some Bikram yoga, but that's a specialized thing, done in a yoga studio.
A lot of my new students, when they come into the gym, complain about the cold. Until about 5 minutes into the workout, when they start sweating. Then they never complain again.
(I went to school with a woman who ALWAYS turned the heater up, in every classroom. When the rest of us complained and told her to wear a sweater, she said that doing so would ruin her cute outfits.
Some people are just clueless.)

The heat only toughens you up! No seriously....lot...

2008-07-16T17:12:00.000-04:00

The heat only toughens you up! No seriously....lots of water and a wet cool towel nearby work for me. Great post!

Heather: I turned it up! (The whole boring saga i...

2008-07-16T17:09:00.000-04:00

Heather: I turned it up! (The whole boring saga is in the comments a few before yours.)

I like it cool.On a similar topic, I hate it when ...

2008-07-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

I like it cool.

On a similar topic, I hate it when I am obviously watching the TV and someone asks if I mind if they change it, especially if there are other TVs near unoccupied machines.

Of course, the reason I don't like it is because I usually tell them they can watch what they like.

I usually find offices with a/c are too cold. And,...

2008-07-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

I usually find offices with a/c are too cold.

And, unless it's really, really hot out, I don't like to have the fan at home turned up full blast because a)I'd be cold & b)it makes my contact lenses dry out and stick to my eyes (very unpleasant; also the cat hair laying around my house is not so much fun when the fan blows it into your sticky contact lens eyes).

However, the gym is a different story. I used to go to the gym on my lunch hour at work and in the winter when I was sitting at my desk, teeth chattering, turning blue, it was sometimes hard to talk myself into going to the gym, knowing I would then have to change clothes in the ice box of a locker room...However, once I got moving I definitely appreciated the a/c at the gym (though not so much in yoga class - you're right there).

Every once in a while I would see people working out in long pants, long sleeves and sometimes even a hat. I thought that was kind of weird. But maybe they really loved to sweat.

Wait, so what did you do? Turn it on? Leave it off...

2008-07-16T14:28:00.000-04:00

Wait, so what did you do? Turn it on? Leave it off? I hope you turned it on!

I am soooo with you on this issue. I sweat enough...

2008-07-16T14:22:00.000-04:00

I am soooo with you on this issue. I sweat enough working out, don't want to start off that way! But there is always that ONE PERSON who is *insert whiney voice* soooo coooold. If you are cold working out, YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.

"Oh god, please don't, I HATE the fan more than an...

2008-07-16T12:56:00.000-04:00

"Oh god, please don't, I HATE the fan more than anything,"

I can't stand folks like that. I rank them right up there with the folks who sit on the equipment and talk.

I'm definitely up for "cooler". In fact, I was in ...

2008-07-16T12:48:00.000-04:00

I'm definitely up for "cooler". In fact, I was in the gym today, and thankfully it was comfortably cool. When I came outside, I couldn't wait to get in the car and hike up the A/C to get cool again, and it was only 70 outside!

Thanks for the research links and for reassuring m...

2008-07-16T12:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the research links and for reassuring me I'm not the only crazy person out there who likes it cool!

(And sorry to those of you who can't tolerate fans due to allergies etc. I'd still prefer you weren't allowed to have an opinion different from mine, but at least you all have a really good reasons for it.)

I didn't want to create a long-ass boring post by detailing the whole interaction, but we DID end up turning up the fan, but directing it away from the Fan-o-phobe. Worked great for me--it went from swinging around democratically to a stationary position blasting mostly me. (I always grab the elliptical right in front of the fan. As far as concerned it's MY machine.)

(And I don't get to have an opinion about pool water as I am not a swimmer. But that sounds like an even trickier issue than air temperature.)

I don't run into that problem here, but Houstonian...

2008-07-16T11:54:00.000-04:00

I don't run into that problem here, but Houstonians keep EVERYTHING air-conditioned to sub-zero temperatures in the summer. I leave my office when my nails start turning blue and go walk around in the 90+ degree heat, just to get some relief!

Gym? No prob. It's cold there, too.

What I don't like is the cold water in the pool, which is one of the biggest reasons I hate swimming. Maybe the problem is that I'm too slow (how can I move fast when I'm freezing?), or maybe it's that I don't have much insulation. But whatever the reason, pool swimming is sheer torture for me.

I like it warmer when I work out, so I am not a bi...

2008-07-16T11:46:00.000-04:00

I like it warmer when I work out, so I am not a big fan of the fan! However, I realize that many people need it, so I just dress in layers if I have to, cause it's easier for me to take off clothes than for them to take off fat :-)