Is it ok to drink water in a gym changing room?

[EachToHerOwn]

Ok, don't shoot me down for asking about such a trivial matter - I know it's trivial, that's what Mumsnet is for!

My DD 4yrs and I were in the changing room after her swimming lesson today, and she was having a drink of water from a bottle. A gym member who had just entered the changing room, pointed to the 'No eating or drinking' sign;
Lady: Have you seen the sign?
Me: We're not eating.
Lady: No eating OR drinking.
Me: (incredulous 😲) It's only water.
Lady: I didn't put the sign up!
Me: Well, I think she's allowed a drink of water. 😧

At this point I left, but was completely gobsmacked by such an attitude!
I completely understand that they wouldn't want people drinking hot drinks, fizzy drinks and even juice but surely it is perfectly acceptable to drink water in a gym setting? Don't most people need a drink during and after their workouts or swimming, including in the changing room?

What would you have said to her?

I'd have laughed in her face. What a ridiculous interpretation of the sign. YANBU.

I wouldn't have said anything to her as she's not the one who makes the rules.

From the staff's point of view though, if the sign said 'No drinking except water', that would be really difficult to police, wouldn't it?

No eating or drinking covers it all.

I'd have ignored her. Or else thanked her for showing me the sign and then ignored her.

But I'm a cow.

Although children dropping food around a changing room is very, very annoying.

I think that's a really odd sign to have in a changing room tbh.

I meant to add she does sound like a complete jobsworth though.

There is a reason that a gym changing room has a sign up stating no eating or drinking

It means you as well Op and it means all drinks and all food

I don't think it's an odd sign to have in a changing room, Ferrets.

Some parents won't go anywhere without a snacks in their bags, to keep their kids occupied, so I can imagine the mess on some changing room floors.

I think your response was fine. They clearly don't want to have to clear up crumbs and pools of spilled energy drink, and that's reasonable. But just drinking plain water is also reasonable and is recommended after exercise. Just invite her to go ahead and report you if she ever does it again.

I thinks it's odd that any changing room should need such a sign but the sign isn't sadly odd

Ivykaty There's a difference between snacking on sweets/crisps and drinking energy drinks or fizzy pop and having a bottle with plain water in it.

It's a gym changing room ... they don't want to have to clear up piles of crumbs and pools of sticky drinks if they're spilled by customers, but a bit of bottled water is no different to the pool water that OP's DD trailed in after her lesson (except having less chlorine and chemicals in!)

Given how important it is to stay hydrated during exercise I think banning water in a gym is just plain weird.

YANBU. What's it to her?

For me, the water thing is irrelevant (of course your daughter can drink water, it's not sugary and sticky. By the sounds of it the environment is a little wet there anyway )
The point is that a member of the public pulled you up on the rules as though she was your senior! Ha!

I'd have asked if she works there. And then said 'sure' and ignored her.

A gym member...who does she think she is?

When she asked if I'd seen the sign I'd have said 'Yes'. Then ignored her.

I don't suffer interfering fools gladly - or at all.

If she'd got in my face & carried on, I'd have suggested she went and found a staff member who gives a flying about people drinking water in the swimming pool changing room. That'll keep her occupied until Christmas. Daft cow.

I would have ignored the dozy bugger. A sign like that is clearly referring to not using the changing room as a place to eat or drink, as in to have a snack or meal. As in don't get your butties and fizzy orange out in the changing room. Having a swig of water to keep hydrated is a completely different thing.

Probably to prevent spillages on the floor, causing people to slip over and hurt themselves

Definitely a letter of the law/spirit of the law gulf there. Of course a water bottle isn't the same as drinks that might make a sticky mess.

Anyway, why was she acting as the gym's rule enforcer, I wonder? I can't imagine why someone not actually on the staff would take it upon themselves to pull a small child up for drinking water. Different if your dd were wandering about with Ribena or something.

Probably to prevent spillages on the floor, causing people to slip over and hurt themselves

😂😖😂😖😂🤣😁🤣

swimming pool changing room

Yeah because the floor of a changing room in a swimming baths is going to be absolutely bone dry normally

I was about to say it is probably keep ffloor from being slippery but then again your daughter just got out of swimming.

How odd. Our gym changing room has a drinking fountain in it. And the spillage logic doesn't work as the floor gets wet from people having showered anyway. Yanbu.

they probably just don’t trust anyone if they say it is plain water

Move to my gym OP. There is a water drinking fountain in the poolside area so there are facilities for you to drink water by the poolside.

The staff eat their packed lunch in the changing rooms as you are not allowed your own food in the gym cafe.

Jobsworth, Jobsworth, its more then what me jobsworth;!.

My DCs were happily drinking water in the gym changing rooms yesterday... from the water fountain. There's showers to the rear end of the rooms so it's not a totally dry environment, and the tiled floor is designed to be appropriate for wet conditions. So the consequences of drinking water are pretty minimal. Juices would be sticky. Food can be crumbly and messy so banning them is reasonable.

Water often is tolerated or permitted where other drinks and foods aren't (e.g. public exam conditions)

The staff eat their packed lunch in the changing rooms

Poor bastards. Really?