Working out is a hobby that is never too late to pick up. Whether you want to lose weight, increase your muscle mass, or simply maintain your current form, exercising at a gym is a great way to achieve your fitness goals and stay healthy. Many people all around the world have started to work out more regularly during the lockdown period after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.
Considering just how important hygiene and cleanliness are these days, we have to be the bearer of bad news and let you know that your gym equipment is teeming with gnarly organisms. Studies have shown that most of the equipment you use at your gym harbors a tonne of bacteria. In fact, it is reported that a treadmill has around 74 times the number of bacteria found on a water faucet. Compared to a toilet seat, the free weights lying around at your gym may have 362 times the average growth of these pesky microorganisms!
And these germs have the potential to cause you harm as well. Analysis shows that 70 percent of the strains found on these gym equipment can cause potential harm to human health, most causing conditions like skin infections and pneumonia. These organisms include the likes of Staphylococcus bacteria, various fungi, and viruses like HPV and HSV-1.
How to Ensure Cleanliness at the Gym?
Now that we know the Coronavirus has the capability to effectively survive on various types of surfaces like plastic and rubber for several hours and retain their transmissibility, it is imperative that you take the necessary measures to protect yourself from contracting it after a trip to the gym.Here are some practices you can implement to ensure proper hygiene at your gym and significantly reduce the risk of transmission of not only the Coronavirus, but hundreds of other bacteria and viruses as well:
1. Your Gym is Covid Safe
They will show the “We’re Covid Safe” sticker (or similar). They have a Covid Marshall that ensures your gym buddies are working out safely, with a towel and cleaning the gym equipment after you’re done. They also check for the 1.5m distancing.
2. Wipe the Equipment
This is a simple but effective practice that most people, unfortunately, fail to do. Always wipe down the equipment with an antibacterial wipe or spray before you use it and do the same after you are done as well. This applies to machinery like treadmills and exercise bikes, as well as objects like dumbbells and other free weights.
3. Avoid Touching Your Face
Most of the organisms found on gym equipment are transmitted to humans when they come in contact with mucous membranes. So if you are touching the equipment, avoid touching or wiping your face- eyes, nose, and mouth included. Wash your hands properly with soap before doing so. If you really must wipe the sweat off your brow, use a towel or the back of your hand.
4. Always Wear Shoes
The floor is one of the most contaminated surfaces at the gym, even if it is in the locker room. Always keep your shoes on- there is no reason for you to walk around barefoot.
5. Change Your Clothes
Make sure that you have a set of clothes that is dedicated as gym wear only. Once you are done working out, change out of them immediately and avoid lingering in them as they may carry some of the germs from the gym. Wash and swap them regularly.