Nothing is worse than arriving at the gym pumped for a workout, only to sit down on the weight bench and find yourself in a pool of another girl’s sweat. While many people use public gyms to work out on a regular basis, it seems that the largest percentage of them could use a lesson or two in the world of gym hygiene. Here are seven important gym hygiene tips that everyone should know.
The quickest way to spread germs is to touch your face with dirty hands. Make sure that you are never putting your hands on your face after touching gym equipment or you can wind up with a nasty case of the flu. The quickest way to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands after a work out and be careful not to touch your face while you are in the gym.
Carry a towel with you from one piece of equipment to the next and give everything a quick wipe down before you start exercising. You don’t have to bathe the barbells in Clorox wipes, but it certainly couldn’t hurt to wipe up the drops of sweat the last guy left behind.
Bring your own mat for floor exercises. If you are participating in yoga or other classes that require you to use mats, don’t put your face on the nasty communal mats lining the gym floor. Instead, bring your own so you can be sure it is clean and germ free.
One of the nastiest places in any gym is the public water fountain. People have been dripping sweat all over the faucet as they were drinking so do you really want to go near it? Probably not! Always bring your own bottle of water to the gym and avoid the public fountains at all costs.
Don’t assume that the sauna is clean just because of the high temperatures. You can avoid a nasty rash in a very painful place if you will simply sit on your towel during sauna visits. Never plop your bare bum on a public bench. That’s just gross!
No one wants to see your dirty underwear lying on the floor of the locker room. Pick up your clothes and other personal belongings and store them in a locker. Be sure you aren’t leaving your stuff all over the place or it will be annoying to those around you, not to mention the many germs it will gather from those passing by.
One of the most common mistakes that gym goers make is stepping into the showers bare footed. This is a great way to catch athlete’s foot or a host of other gross foot problems. Bring a cheap pair of flip flops that are for shower use only and always wear them. No exceptions!
You can have a wonderful experience sweating off those excess calories in the gym. The key is to follow these important hygienetricks so that you don’t get sick while you are working out. Have you ever seen someone with a serious lack of hygiene in a public gym? What tips would you give that person?
Top Photo Credit: Richard-