At one point, when my husband was away for seven months, and I was without a job, this was my schedule:

Help my daughter deliver newspapers
Walk my son to the bus stop (he was in Primary/Kindergarten)
Head from the bus stop to the gym facilities (this was a military community, and the gym facilities were available for us to use for free)
Spend a good part of the morning there doing rowing, biking, stepping machine, weights, crunches, etc.
Two or three times a week, go from there to the pool for laps/recreational swim
Go home to lunch (possibly very little)
Afternoons were spent a variety of ways, but sometimes another lady and I went on fairly long bike rides during the afternoon
Other times, I went on fairly long walks, or had to do errands

Picked my son up from the bus stop.
Got ready, two or three times a week to go to swimming lessons (I took some, too, because I was already there anyway).
Supper
Two or three times a week (sometimes more) went to recreational swims with my children and often did laps or practiced whatever techniques I had been learning in the lessons
Sometimes I was crazy enough to go to lunch hour lap swimming, if I hadn't already done it that morning

Lost about 50 pounds in those seven months
Too bad I gained most of it back before beginning LC this past September

I have, at times, been absolutely obsessed with going to the gym. I think it's part of my nature, that I dump myself wholeheartedly into whatever I choose to do. Thankfully, this time, it's taking care of my health, and not something detremental.

So, I can understand the attraction of the "gym crowd". For me, it was practically the only adult social activity I had (and the adreneline rush wasn't such a bad thing - kept me from wanting to overeat, anyway).