To want people to stop fucking staring at me in the gym?

[chinglebellsbatmansmells]

It's hard enough to motivate myself to get off my lazy ass without feeling uncomfortable while I'm there, all sweaty and red faced.

Why do people have to stare anyway. I dint fucking stare at them while they're puffing and panting, it's just RUDE.

Can't I just sweat and MN in peace fgs!

It really puts me off.

I think you are paranoid to some extent.

There are some people who go to my gym who spend ages faffing with their phones and chatting, sat on machines doing bugger all.

When I've got 50 minutes only, because DS is in the creche downstairs then I would prefer it if they didn't spend ages 'resting' between sets on the resistance machines, or use the rowing machines as some kind of buddy bench instead of actually rowing!

So yes I would stare at you!

You are being paranoid.

Not to put to fine a point on it, but really nobody gives a damn.

Most of the people I know (me included) are pretty self focussed when at the gym, they might be looking through you but it is extremely unlikely they are looking at you.

People zone out at the gym. I have caught myself "staring" at people before.. was really looking through them.

I wish - the Zumba examples are two people. The first was a woman who honestly looked like she was in an X Factor audition, cheesy grin, extra hip movements etc. The second was a woman in my class last week who basically went for the most erotic-dancey type option for EVERY move. For e..g in one song, we would jump up and down moving backwards. She interpreted this as "cowgirl pelvic grinding movement". I kept on staring at her, the instructor, everyone else to check I wasn't getting it wrong, and I was supposed to be doing cowgirl pelvic grinding movement, but no, every one else was just jumping up and down. She was the only one.

I used to get stared at in the gym...

when I wore my T-shirt with 'BUM SPORT' written on it in massive letters.

BUM is a clothing brand. Funnily enough they don't sell in the UK, I bought the T-Shirt on holiday. I got a friend one too. He's very fit (in both senses of the term) and wore it to a gig we went to. He was surrounded by perky young men in no time. Happy days.

Now I have kids and no time for the gym and saggy arms. I hate saggy arms.

I'm a bit of a starer at the gym, I admit. There's several 'One Direction' lookee likee's who wander in and make a few half hearted attempts on various pieces of equipment. I'm usually thinking 'how does their hair stay in that wrap around style' or 'those are pretty crap shoes to be working out in' or 'why are bothering'.

Most of the rest of the time I'm either thinking about my own workout or

• God, he's really fit. I wonder what he looks like with no clothes on
• God, s/he's really fit. I wonder how long it took to get that fit
• Yes! I rowing faster than him (looking at the man next to me's indicator - yes we are racing didn't you know)
• I wonder if I've lost any weight this week
• What am I going to have for tea
• God, he's really fit. I wonder what he looks like with no clothes on (yes, I think that alot!)

In my gym you walk past the big weights section to get to the cardio bit. There are always loads of men there preening and they check out every single woman who walks past. I would prefer my gym body to stay unjudged in an ideal world but it doesn't worry me.

I probably look at other people when I'm on the machines to be fair, but I'm not thinking anything nasty, just bored (I hate the gym!).