15 Ways to Avoid Getting an Infection at the Gym

If you’re a germophobe, chances are, you know exactly what to do with those antibacterial wipedowns. For the rest of us normal, unsuspecting people who are well-meaning but largely unaware, the gym is one of those places where you can pick up all kinds of nasty diseases.

According to the New York Times article written by Jane Brody, you could be unlucky and pick up MRSA, a staph infection that can be fatal. She also writes that the more common nasties you could pick up are athlete’s foot, jock itch, boils, impetigo, herpes simplex and ringworm. You can see pictures of the things you could pick up here. Here are some of the tips from the same article, and also some of my own.

1. Always Wipe Down the Equipment Before Use
   
   A decent gym usually provides disposable antibacterial wipes, gels, and/or paper towels. If not, bring your own.
   
2. Use Your Own Mat
   
   It is definitely easier to use the exercise mats at the gym, but imagine all the bacteria, fungus, and viruses that were transferred by the many people who have been using them living on there. Assuming your skin is exposed to a little patch that the cleaners missed, you would have picked up something. It’s just safer to use your own mat.

3. Shower at the Gym After Your Workout
   
   This may itself be counter-intuitive, but showering at the gym after your workouts means that you give less time for the germs to populate and stay on the skin. Just remember to wear your own slippers, because you could also pick things up like athlete’s foot from the floor and other people’s slippers.
   
4. Use Antibacterial Liquid Soap
   
   While I don’t recommend using lab gloves to avoid picking something up, you’d want to use germ-killing soap after exposure. It’s more hygienic to use liquid soap, than bar soap. Always wash your skin after it has come into contact with equipment or furniture that have high use.
   
5. Use Separate Bags for Clean and Dirty Clothing
   
   The best way not to spread the infection around after your clothes have been exposed, is to bag it separately, and wash it separately (if possible). If not, just add a disinfectant into your laundry load.
6. Don’t Share Towels and Clothes
   
   It’s very easy to share a t-shirt, or a towel when you’ve forgotten yours, but fight that urge. Not only would you be picking up your friend’s germs, you could also be passing something to your friend with the germs that you don’t know are already living on you. It’s just the responsible thing to do to bring, use, and wear your own.
7. Wear Clothes That Cover Your Skin
   
   This is especially true for ladies. Most of us like to expose your skin with skimpy tight gym clothing because it just looks sexy, but if you wear capris instead of shorts, you’re creating a barrier for your legs from picking up things when you sit on benches and the floor. Same goes for your back when you are lying on mats. If your skin is exposed, assume contact exposure.
   
8. Don’t Share Water Bottles
   
   No brainer here. Fairly easy to catch a cold or cold sores from someone’s water bottle.
9. Don’t Share Personal Grooming Items
   
   Yes your nails are long, but you could pick up a fungal infection from a nail clipper. You could also pick up things from a hairbrush. Lice and fungus anyone?

10. Change Your Socks and Underwear Daily
    
    It’s not okay to sweat in your socks, dry it, then reuse it again. In the same token, it’s not okay to flip your undies to wear it the next day. That’s totally fungally gross. Keep your feet clean and dry by changing your socks daily or after every workout. Women, use panty liners.

11. Wash Yourself Well
    
    Pay attention to your armpits, groin area, and also between the crevices of your feet when you wash. Use antimicrobial soap, towel-dry and and you may want to use powder to keep those areas dry.
    
12. Take Care of Existing Infections, Even if it’s Small
    
    Sometimes you may get fungal spots that are localized and small. If you do, take care of it immediately by applying anti-fungal medication like clotrimazole or miconazole. Don’t scratch or touch it as you don’t want it to spread to other parts of your body. Let the cream do it’s job. (P.S.: Talk to your doctor)
    
    
13. Disinfect Your Laundry and Use a Dryer
    
    For those of us who live in very humid climates, it is very important to have a dryer because line-drying clothes can breed fungus and mold. Using a dryer helps prevent that. Just make sure that you put the dryer on air-dry setting when you are drying your synthetic, sweat-wicking fibers as to not damage your expensive workout gear.
14. Use Antibacterial Workout Gear
    
    This is taking it up a notch, but current fabric technology from higher-end workout gear like Lululemon Athletica and Athleta carry silver-spun antibacterial workout gear. Sure, the technology is mainly used to combat stink, but if it kills or prevents germs from populating, then naturally, your exposure to live germs would be a lot less under those clothes.
15. Wash Your Hands or Use Antibacterial Gel
    
    Finally, just remember to wash your hands after touching public surfaces. This is so that you don’t transfer it onto other parts of your body when you touch or scratch yourself. Eyes, nose, face, arm, mouth, head… those are very common places you’ll touch on a daily basis.

Stay clean everyone!