Hygiene

It’s that time of the year again.. The flu is hitting us in full force. In this article, I am going to show you what you can do to steer clear of germs in the gym, where the germ hot spots are and how to decrease the chances of getting sick!

{TIPS TO STAY CLEAR OF GERMS} 

As you could probably guess, the gym can be home to many kinds of germs and viruses. Now just because there are a large amount in gyms does not mean you can’t fight them off. Here are some of my top tips for staying clear from those pesky flu germs:

• Use the sanitizer bottles around the gym to spray off the gym equipment BEFORE and AFTER use
• Don’t touch your face around the mouth and eyes during sets
• Try carrying a mini bottle of hand sanitizer in your gym bag and use it throughout your workout
• Wash your hands after your workout
• Cover ANY open wounds or sores on your body especially if they are to come in contact with a piece of gym equipment
• Try to keep dirty clothes you just worked out in, in a different gym bag or in a couple plastic bags

{GERM HOT SPOTS IN THE GYM}

There are a ridiculous amount of germ hot spots in a gym, who would have figured… I am going to give you some of the top HOT SPOTS to keep in mind!

• LOCKER ROOM- The locker room can be home to almost as many germs as in the actual gym section itself. With the steam from the showers and the dampness of the room sometimes, this can be a hot spot for staph, strep, and MRSA. Sitting naked on the bench can be a bad idea as well. In the article “Germs at a Gym” by  Maridel Reyes, there is a study that found “traces of vaginal yeast there, which can put you at risk for an infection.” So always wear a towel before sitting naked on the bench in the locker room.
• FREE WEIGHTS- This is a no-brainer here. Hundreds of hands full of who knows what germs grabbing the dumbbells, barbells and weights EVERYDAY. These can easily lead to viruses like the common cold and other infections so again if you have even a paper cut, bandage it before entering the weight room! A study that was in the article “How Going to the Gym Can be Bad for Your Health” by Lisa Ryan stats a fact that may shock you! It says the “average set of free weights has 362 times more germs than a toilet seat” This is why you carry germ sanitizer and spray your machines and weights before and after.
• EXERCISE MATS- The mats in the gym can be a huge hot spot that carries great amounts of germs. This goes back to cleaning your equipment before and after. This decreases the chance for these germs significantly. Exercise mats are more commonly used now than before. They are used for yoga, fitness classes and a lot of ab workouts I see are done on the exercise mats. This can lead up to anywhere around %50 of the members in your gym using them. This can lead to viruses like skin infections, athlete’s foot, colds and hepatitis A.

{HOW TO DECREASE THE CHANCES OF GETTING SICK}

Well I think you get the point by now but just incase you don’t here are my favorite tips to staying healthy and decreasing your chances of getting sick:

• WASH YOUR HANDS
• CLEAN THE EQUIPMENT USED
• CLEAN AND DISINFECT YOUR GYM BAG
• BRING A NEW TOWEL DAILY WHEN USING IT
• COVER UP ANY OPEN WOUNDS
• TAKE VITAMINS
• EAT HEALTHY

Alright so lets wrap this up. On this closing note I also want to say that if you are a person that is interested and wants to make sure they pick the cleanest gym they can then try doing some research on the gyms of your choice. I also recommend going and taking a tour of the gym you are looking into, this will be a good chance to see if the gym is clean enough for you and if its what you’re looking for. Also try seeing if they have cleaning stations and if so, how many. This is a common indicator to see if they take the cleaning and gym sanitizing seriously.

I hope you enjoyed this article and learn something new! Try staying away from those viruses and diseases with these tips! Have a great Monday and enjoy your week!!

-Alex Costa-

Photosource: Scooby