Keeping Safe and Healthy in Your Gym Environment

By Jackie Edwards

If you don’t already make it a habit to wipe down gym equipment before using it, you might want to start right away.  As it turns out, gym enthusiasts can have several pretty disgusting habits. A survey of 2000 people conducted by Nuffield Health found that 74% had noticed fellow gym-goers committing gym bloopers, such as not wiping down sweaty equipment. A further 49% of those surveyed admitted to using water bottles, towels and toiletries that didn’t belong to them. In terms of exercising while sick, 18% admitted going to the gym despite sneezing and coughing, and 16% said they did not wash their workout clothes between gym sessions.

While the chances are good that you won’t pick up a life-threatening superbug at your local gym, you can significantly limit your exposure to germs that can cause flu, athlete’s foot, staph infection, and norovirus. While keeping a gym germ-free largely relies on regular commercial deep-cleaning, there are many tips available that will ensure you are able to enjoy a cleaner workout session.

Purchase a better water bottle

Plastic water bottles are known to harbor bacteria.  The best water bottles in terms of health and cleanliness are made from glass or stainless steel. To clean it properly, wash it in hot, soapy water and rinse properly. It is also important to make sure no one sneaks a sip from your bottle when you aren’t watching. Keep your bottle with you at all times while you are exercising, or locked away in your locker if you prefer.

Wipe, wash, and repeat

Ensuring your hands are clean can help ensure that the germs found in the gym can’t cause any harm. Whether you decide to clean your own hands, wipe down gym equipment before you use it, or a combination of the two, you can be sure that you will be able to eliminate at least some of the pesky germs and bacteria that flourish in the warm and moist gym environment.  After you are done using a set of weights or exercise machine, use hand sanitizer and wipes to wipe down the surfaces and prevent your own germs from running rampant.

Clean your gym gear

Germs like nothing more than a dirty, dark gym bag to multiply in. There are several ways to prevent your gym bag from becoming contaminated.  Put your dirty gym clothes in a plastic bag before putting the bag in your gym bag. Empty the bag directly into the washer. Do the same with your sneakers – put them into a plastic bag before you put them into your gym bag and wipe them with a disinfectant as soon as you get home.

For your own sake and that of other gym-goers, stay at home if you are feeling ill. Also stay away from the gym if you have an open wound that may be prone to infection or infect any equipment you come into contact with. At the end of the day, gym hygiene boils down to common courtesy, and when practiced by all, it will significantly decrease all gym-acquired infections.

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Art Of Health & Fitness Editorial Staff
Art Of Health & Fitness is an international health and fitness conglomerate that has a team of certified professionals who enjoy helping others by sharing content or training the public. Our certified professionals specialize in fitness, health, mental health, self-defense, boxing, and martial arts. Our goal is to spread our knowledge internationally and improves as many lives as we can. If you are interested in partnering with us, advertise with us or if you want to submit an article, email us at press@artofhealthandfitness.net.