Seriously Dude, It's Not a Carnival Game

Some ideas cross cultural boundaries, like the idea that it's not such a great idea to guess a woman's weight.

This morning at the gym, where I've previously reported their penchant for over-servicing new members (i.e., they push the buttons on the treadmill to ensure you know what you're doing), one of the trainers was dutifully entering a workout for a first-timer. After he entered the workout choice, the time, and the incline, it was time to enter her weight (in kilos). The default is 75. He scrolled down to 65 and started to move toward the "start" button. She quickly flashed her best "you've got to be effing kidding me" look. Sheepishly, he moved it to 60. Same result. Apparently, 55 was the "right" number. In other words, in her opinion, he was off 10 kilos (22 pounds). Either one party's previous employer was Great America or the other party has an altered state of reality.

Of course, I've lost a couple pounds while here yet am reluctant to reduce the weight input for myself on those same treadmills as I know the calorie tally won't increase quite so fast. Maybe I shouldn't judge.