Why so unkind?

So, I’m back at the JCC. Well, partly back. I’ve been taking classes at 24 Hour Fitness which has been great, but still want to run some days. I’m sure you are asking, why I can’t run outside. It hurts my lungs to run outside with all of the crap in the air, so I prefer the treadmill. And, I like to see how far I’ve run and how fast. Anyway, I jumped on one of the treadmills yesterday at 24 Hour Fitness and hated it. The treadmill was not smooth at all, and it didn’t have a built in fan! So, I decided on the days when I don’t take classes at 24 Hour Fitness, I’m back at the JCC to use their incredible treadmills that are so smooth and sleek, and best of all have built in fans blowing right on me.

So, I went to the JCC today to run. Stupid me forgot to turn the overhead fan on before I started to run. So, I was at about 1.5 miles at this point, and did not want to stop to turn on a fan so I thought I would suffer it out. Then an older gentleman got on the treadmill next to me. Then his trainer came over and started jibber jabbing with him while he warmed up. She was there talking away with him just shooting the breeze, and was literally 2 steps away from the fan. I asked her if she minded turning the fan on please. I wasn’t sure if she heard me or if she was asking me what because she was surprised I was asking her something. So, I repeated my question saying please and how much I would appreciate it. She looked at me with a not so nice expression on her face, gave her client a look, and took the 2 steps to the fan very slowly and turned it on. I thanked her and told her how much I appreciated it. She didn’t say anything and walked away with an unhappy expression on her face.

I said something to the gentleman next to me about the fact that the trainer seemed offended that I asked her to turn the fan on. I said something about the fact it was sad that our world was like this. He told me that he didn’t think that was the case, and that she took offense because it wasn’t her job. I told him I didn’t ask her to turn the fan on because I thought it was her job, but that I asked her because she was standing there, and that I would have asked anyone that was standing right there. I told him that if someone who was working out on the treadmill asked me to turn the fan on, I would have gladly done it because it is the right thing to do. I probably would have commented on how hot it was without the fan on, and turned it on for the person with a smile. I just don’t get why a simple question would have offended the trainer. I certainly wouldn’t have been offended and I would have walked the 2 steps, reached up, and turned the fan on with a pleasant smile. Like I said, I would have even conversed with the person about how hot it was, and probably would have said something about how I always forget to turn the fan on also.

So, tell me people, would you be offended by the interaction I had this morning with the trainer at the JCC? I really want to know if asking the trainer nicely if she could turn the fan on was really that offensive. Would you have asked someone to turn the fan on? If someone asked you to turn the fan on that you were standing right in front of, would you do it? So, my interaction this morning with the trainer was not a positive one. I certainly will not be hiring her to work with me anytime soon. I get that the gentleman had to defend her because he is paying good money to have her train him. You don’t want to feel bad about shelling out all that money for a trainer and then have to admit that the trainer is not a very nice person. That’s just my opinion of course.