My Two Cents on Gym Etiquette (plus a video of a horse who hates me)

Hey guys! Holy moly, it was one of THOSE days at work today. So I’m treating myself to a little wine while I have dinner in the oven.

I bought this at Whole Foods tonight. It was only $4 – it’s way better than their Three Wishes $3 reds. They said they’re not sure if it’ll stay at that price so if you see it, snag some!

I liked reading your guys’ comments on the gym etiquette thing. Many of you had good “rules” that I think people should abide by, like appropriate cell phone use and wiping down equipment after using. I definitely don’t think there is ever a reason to be rude to the newbies, but I’ve seen it happen, even if it’s just a nasty look. Joining a new gym is intimidating – even if you work out regularly! Heck, I’m always intimidated when I join a new gym and I’m a certified fitness instructor! And many times the people who join at the New Year are uncomfortable and self-conscious as it is so outward attitude from regulars doesn’t help.

This attitude towards newbies is especially disheartening given our nation’s obesity epidemic and heart disease crisis; we should encourage all people to work out and cheer them on and make them feel welcome. We WANT them to keep up their workout routine and like many things in life, it’s the people that make a big difference in situations. That being said, I do think that gym membership departments have a responsibility to educate on proper gym etiquette; it will make the newbies feel more comfortable knowing some of the expectations and probably make the rest of us a bit happier too.

I’m curious, has anyone ever received an etiquette sheet handed out when they signed up? There are signs at my gym but I kind of doubt anyone stops to read them, where people might actually look at a handout. I think even an email reminder around New Year’s would be effective, if your gym sends emails.

Knowing my readers (you guys rock…seriously I have the nicest readers), I am certain none of you are ever actually rude to people – even if you think frustrating thoughts (I do it sometimes too! ) but maybe we can all try to make newbies be comfortable this time of year. It’s easy. Just smile a lot. Offer help if they look lost or are having problems setting up a machine.  Or even if they’re breaking a “rule”, you can say (with a big smile, of course)  ”Hey, there are so many new people this time of year – not sure if your’e one – but you might want to know that there is a policy against cell phone use in here. And people are pretty uptight about it.” [insert another big smile, like - hey I'm trying to help you here!] You don’t have to tell them you are one of the uptight ones.

Anyway, that’s my two cents.

Let’s get back to the fun stuff – MORE VINEYARDS! I told you I went to Westbend Vineyards, and I also went to Divine Llama Vineyards for the first time. It was a night and day experience. As rude as they were at Westbend, they were over-the-top friendly and welcoming at Divine Llama!

And yes, they have actual llamas at their vineyard!  They had a path you could walk through all the llamas – they had to have over 50 on all the grounds.

I walked said path. Without a jacket on! Sigh, I’m missing that beautiful weather.

They also had Shetlan ponies. Or “mini horses” as some lady called them. (Truth: my family got a shetlan pony for Christmas one year. We named it “Chris.” We were super creative kids.) [UPDATE: I stand corrected. Those actually ARE "mini horses" not Shetlands. One of my readers, Joy, was a horse show judge and she corrected me. Thanks Joy!]

Alas, this pony did not like me. I tried to tell him I knew his brother. He didn’t believe me.  (Note: this is the same voice I use when talking to Maizey.)

They had a cute little tasting room…

With a fabulous front porch…

Overlooking the vineyards.

I liked their Chardonel (named after a grape hybrid developed at…wait for it…CorNEL) and their Merlot Reserve, even though I’m not typically a Merlot fan. (The movie Sideways ruined it for me. ha! Great movie for wine lovers, by the way.) Their wine wasn’t as good as Westbend but the atmosphere more than made up for it!

Divine Llama is only about 20 minutes from my house but it felt like a whole different, rural world.

The vineyard owners live on-site. Can you imagine living in the middle of a vineyard!?
And, of course, there were llamas on the tasting glasses. Loved it!

Are you a country or a city girl? I go back and forth all the time which is my favorite. I was raised in a very small town (until it got developed like crazy starting when I was in high school) and I love the country and the peace and pace of life in rural areas. But I also love big cities – the energy, the activities, the dining, the options! I think I’d be happy in either place as long as I could (a) afford to enjoy it like I’d want to enjoy it and (b) still visit the other place regularly. So for now, I’m in an average size US city.

Tagged as: NC Vineyards, north carolina, wine, winston salem