Fitness Fungi and Gym Germs

Did you know that weight room, gym bench, and locker room can be optimum environments for bacterial and fungal growth? How about the sauna, spa and pool deck? Certainly, the gym can be a germ zone!

Any place where people gather in close proximity to one another can be a community for communicating germs. Add heavy breathing and sweating, and you can have a veritable haven for harboring unfriendly infections.

How can you keep yourself infection-free, while you practice fitness?

If you're joining a gym, take a tour first. Inspect the place carefully. Do the locker rooms and workout areas look and smell clean? Is the facility well-ventilated to airborne infections? Are maintenance crews constantly on duty?

Take your own disinfectant.

As you pack your gym bag, include a can of disinfectant spray. Treat your locker to wipe out germs and athletic odors. Some gym facilities actually provide antibacterial sprays or wipes for this purpose.

Stuff a package of antibacterial wipes in your bag. Wipe down locker room benches. Clean off weight-training machines before you use them. Disinfect the handles, railings and other surfaces before you touch them. Toss used wipes in the trash.

Bandage all wounds.

Take care that any abrasions, cuts or blisters are covered. Adhesive bandages provide an efficient barrier against infection. You don't want to share blood or other body fluids with others at the gym, and you certainly don't want others to share theirs with you.

Don't share towels.

Be sure to use your own towel. Many gyms do provide clean towels for participants. Use them, and toss them in the appropriate laundry receptacles. If you prefer, you can pack and take your own.

Grab your water bottle.

Bring your own water bottle to the gym. Often, fresh water and paper cups may be provided. Try to avoid drinking fountains, as they can be common breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses.

Wipe off equipment when you're done with it.

Be courteous. Do other gym clients a favor, and wipe down the machines after you use them, particularly if you have perspired on them. Often, towels are provided for this purpose.

Keep your hands off your face.

Try to avoid touching your face with your hands while working out. Your eyes, noses, ears and mouths are common entry (and exit) points for viruses and bacteria.

Wash your hands thoroughly.

Wash your hands extremely well with soap and warm water after your workout. Scrub each of your fingers individually, as surgeons do.

Wear shower shoes.

Wear your shower sandals or flip-flops into the locker room and bathing area. Showers, saunas and pool decks are common infection spots for athlete's foot fungi and other nasty germs.

Sit on a towel.

Sit on a clean, dry towel while you enjoy your sauna. After all, do you really want to be seated in someone else's sweat stains?

Skip the spa.

Take a pass on the whirlpool. Warm recycled water is an ideal breeding ground for multiple germs. If you are leery about the spa's cleanliness, you won't find it relaxing anyway.

Change wet clothes.

Your own body can be susceptible to rashes and infections, if you linger too long in wet clothing. Whether you swim or sweat, you will want to change into dry, breathable clothing quickly afterwards.

Keep kids clean too.

If you leave your kids in your gym's child-care area while you attend exercise class or work out, you will want to exercise similar cleanliness precautions with them.

GERMS AT THE GYM

Folks work out to stay healthy and strong,
And the gym is a spot where germs do not belong.

Then someone will sneeze and will touch a machine.
Those handlebars now are infected, not clean.

Don't get me started on the floor of that shower,
Where staph and E.coli may breed by the hour.

How can a fitness fanatic stay well
In a gym where bacteria flourish and dwell?

A few simple steps will protect you from harm,
Keep it clean, and you won't have to sound the alarm.