10 Tips for a Germ-Free Gym Workout

You are quite excited to join a gym. Right? Congrats! You have made a wise decision to maintain your overall health, fitness and wellbeing. But do you know that the hygiene standards at the gym can have an effect on your health? Gyms are not free from germs, and the warm, sweaty atmosphere support the growth of germs. So what are the basic parameters that would enable you to judge the hygiene standards of a gym or how can you safeguard yourself while working out at the gym? Here are a few tips:

1. Conduct Inspection Before Joining: Before you join a gym, just look for the basic hygiene standards. Check whether the gym appears to be clean or not, especially in the locker and workout areas. The gym should maintain a team of housekeeping staff. It should have proper ventilation since an air-tight atmosphere supports the survival of airborne germs.
2. Don't Share Your Gear with Friends: Always carry your personal items to the gym. You should not share deodorant-sticks or soaps with others. This is the best possible way by which germs can get transmitted from one body to the other. You might invite a cold and flu virus if you borrow things from others or allow others to share your personal items.
3. Dress Your Cuts: Open wounds, no matter how small, are easy means by which bacteria can creep into your body. So you need to cover up any broken skin or injury with the help of a band-aid before you begin your exercises.
4. Don't Overexpose: Avoid exposing too much at the gym to flaunt your tremendous physique. Your clothes would protect your body from coming into direct contact with germs. Always keep a towel handy so as to avoid a direct contact with shared surfaces like benches.
5. Use Disinfectants: It is better to carry your own disinfectant/antiseptic spray or wipes to the gym. Before you begin to use the equipments, disinfect these objects with the help of sprays and wipes. Also, after finishing up the workout, make sure to sanitize your hands. This way you would be able to protect yourself from germs.
6. Carry a Clean Workout Towel: Always carry a clean workout towel with you, and vvoid using it to wipe off another person's sweat on a piece of equipment. The goal is to wipe off your sweat, not apply someone else's.
7. Carry Your Own Water: There is no need to depend on the water cooler of the gym to quench your thirst. Bacteria and viruses thrive well in drinking fountains. So it's better to avoid these sources and to carry your own water instead.
8. Don't Use Hands on the Face: When you are working out, avoid touching your face, eyes, ears, mouth, or nose with your hands. It is a tendency of the germs to assemble at the entryways of the ears, mouth and nose.
9. Don't Go Barefoot: Do not allow your bare feet to touch the gym floor, especially when walking towards the showers and/or spa facilities, or when changing in the locker room. The gym floor in these areas are the breeding ground for germs with all those other people walking around barefooted. You should always wear a pair of slippers or shoes at all times.
10. Take Shower After a Workout: It is always advised to go for a bath after a workout session. Sometimes, it is not possible due to lack of time. In that case, you should wash your hands thoroughly.

Others around you might think that you have germ-phobia, but it's your own health after all. Let others think whatever they feel like, but there would be a time when others would begin to follow your ideas. You are going to the gym for workouts and not to invite germs to your body or home!