8 Tips to Avoid Getting Sick From Gym Germs

Yeah, his sweat looks hot on him- but not so much when it’s all over your yoga mat.

A few days ago I decided to do a bit of a social experiment. First, I took a treadmill next to the weight lifting area and observed how many people wiped down the equipment before and after each use. Then 20 minutes later, I took a stroll around the gym and watched how many people wiped down the gym’s exercise balls and yoga mats before and after using them.

Want to take a guess at what percentage of people attempted to sanitize the gym’s equipment?

C’mon, take a guess. I’ll wait….

Give up?

Well I found that a mere 2 out every 5 people wiped down any of the gym equipment they used. And mind you, my gym has spray bottles with disinfectant and wall mounted paper towel dispensers readily available about every 15 feet or so throughout the entire gym.

So now I’m sure you germaphobes out there are ready to have a heart attack just thinking about the hundreds of people coming in and out of your gym. Who’s sick? Who has a skin infection? Who just sneezed on their hands and touched the treadmill handlebars? Who just used the bathroom (didn’t wash their hands) and is using the free weights?

It really is enough to make your skin crawl- which is why I wanted to spend a little time talking about gym hygiene. Because while gyms are awesome and all, they’re also breeding grounds for all types of nasty microbes- things like fungus, staph, influenza and e. coli. So if you’re like most people who go to the gym to actually get healthy, and not sick, I’d take a moment to read and follow the 8 gym hygiene tips below. It’s a very easy list to follow and at the end of the day you can pat yourself on the back and be proud to know that you’re doing your part to make our gyms a less cootie-friendly place.

1.     Bring a gym bag to store your gym essentials, like your keys, phone, towel, water bottle, iPod, etc… This way you’re less likely to accidentally drop personal items that could pick up germs from the floor. Also, if you like to walk around with your water bottle make sure you wipe it down with sanitizer before you put it back in your gym bag. And if you like to walk around with a towel, make you don’t just throw it or hang it on any spot in the gym.

2.     Keep your hands off your face when using gym equipment. Also, make sure to wash your hands before leaving the gym, and always wash your hands before eating anything.

3.     Use the gym’s spray sanitizers to disinfect equipment before and after use. You may even want to consider bringing your own hand sanitizer or a mini spray bottle filled with sanitizing spray that you can use to clean equipment. This isn’t just good gym hygiene, it’s also common courtesy as well.

4.     Consider bringing your own bottled drinking water unless you’re absolutely certain that your gym’s water fountain is regularly cleaned and sanitized.

5.     Cover any cuts, scrapes or scratches you have with clean, dry bandages. And skip using things like saunas, whirlpools or the gym’s public showers if you do have any skin lesions. Any type of open wound will be particularly vulnerable to infection, plus you want to prevent transmitting any infections you may have as well.

6.     Always shower after your workout to prevent the spread of germs. Lots of people prefer to shower at home instead of using the gym’s public showers, and that’s fine. But if you do shower at your gym, don’t share personal items, like razors, hairbrushes and towels. Also wear flip flops in the gym’s bathroom and shower stalls to avoid exposure to infections like ringworm and athlete’s foot.

7.     Regularly wash your sweaty gear because sweaty clothes are a breeding ground for yeast, mold and bacteria. You should also make sure to regularly wash your gym bag separate from your clothes.

8.     Finally, if you’re sick just skip the gym and exercise at home or outdoors because you could make your condition worse through exposure to other bacteria and viruses. Plus, going to the gym sick is not the best gym etiquette because you’ll be exposing your fellow gym buddies to things that could get them sick too.

Do you regularly follow the above tips when working out? —Doc