Do you go to the gym? Find out how to use it safely
More and more people are taking care of their health and physical fitness. Many of them go to the gym, but not everyone realizes that it is a place teeming with microorganisms that can cause various types of illnesses—from harmless infections to those that are dangerous to health and even life-threatening. So how can you use it safely?
As many as 70% of the bacteria present on gym equipment can be harmful to health, nearly half of which are antibiotic-resistant—according to a report by FitRated. What does this mean? It means that a visit to the gym can result in an infection and, consequently, illness. Here are the most common ones.
Foot and nail fungus
People who use swimming pools, saunas, showers, locker rooms, and yoga mats—in other words, anywhere where many gym-goers walk barefoot—are particularly at risk. Foot fungus is highly contagious, and even brief contact with an infected surface (floor, mat) is enough to catch it. To minimize the risk of infection, wear protective footwear in these areas, and after a workout or shower, disinfect your feet with a product that kills pathogenic microorganisms, such as Medisept foot disinfectant spray.
Dermophytes are pathogenic fungi that thrive in warm and humid environments. Such conditions are found, for example, inside footwear, and the risk of these microbes appearing increases when feet sweat heavily, such as during a workout at the gym or while engaging in any other physical activity. Athlete’s foot manifests as a burning and itching sensation in the feet, which is often downplayed at first. If treatment is not started soon enough, the infected area will gradually spread, moving to other parts of the feet, all the way to the nails. They will turn yellow and become thickened, red spots will appear on the feet, and the skin will start to peel. To avoid such an unpleasant scenario for your feet, it’s best to intervene before the infection takes hold. Treating athlete’s foot is a long process (especially for infected nails), so it’s best to prevent it from happening in the first place. Before and after a workout at the gym, it’s a good idea to spray the inside of your shoes with a disinfectant spray, which will kill the dermatophytes present there—the microorganisms responsible not only for the infection but also for the unpleasant odor. An effective remedy for combating these microorganisms is Medisept shoe disinfectant spray.
Flu and cold sores
Gym equipment is touched daily by dozens of people, who unfortunately very rarely disinfect it after use. Few people do so before starting their workout either. A lack of proper hygiene in this regard leads to the transfer of microorganisms—which remain on the handles, grips, or seats of the equipment—to the hands of the next person who touches them. Dangerous germs may include flu and cold viruses, as well as cold sores, which can survive on surfaces for up to several hours, and on smooth surfaces for as long as 24 hours. If we do not disinfect the equipment before a workout or our hands after finishing, we risk infection. Microbes on our hands enter the body through cuts, scrapes, or by touching our mouths with an infected hand, causing infections and illnesses such as the flu or strep throat. Touching the face, especially around the mouth, can also result in a cold sore infection. For disinfecting both equipment and hands, a broad-spectrum disinfectant is recommended—one that can handle not only bacteria but also viruses (including stomach flu and herpes). It is therefore worth checking whether the product provided by the gym has germ-killing properties and how long it takes to work. This information is extremely important because there are products on the market that work at different speeds; most are effective within a few seconds, but some kill germs only after several minutes have passed since application. If the gym does not have a disinfectant spray, or if it does but its action time is long, we should obtain a product that, first, has a broad-spectrum antimicrobial effect, and second, has a short action time (it should take only a few moments after application for the surface to become germ-free). Products that meet both of these criteria are the Medisept surface disinfectant spray and the Medisept hand disinfectant spray—both available at the online store www.dezynfekcja.pl.
Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus can also be found on gym equipment; up to 50–60% of the entire population may be carriers (chronic or transient). Estimating the exact number is difficult because being a carrier itself causes no symptoms, and many people are unaware of it. This is dangerous because infected individuals do not always pay special attention to their hygiene (especially hand sanitization) and may unknowingly spread the bacteria. Even a minor cut (e.g., from biting one’s nails) is enough to become infected with this dangerous microbe. This risk is particularly high when training on a multi-gym, where, due to its design and the number of sharp metal components, cuts or abrasions can easily occur. Staphylococcus can reside on frequently touched parts of the machine (weight handles, weight adjustment knobs, benches), and if these areas have not been disinfected before starting your workout, there is a risk of infection from microorganisms left behind by previous users (unless they disinfected the equipment after finishing their workout). Staphylococcus aureus can cause skin diseases, respiratory infections, and more serious conditions such as pneumonia, myocarditis, or meningitis. The bacterium is resistant to antibiotics, and there is no vaccine to protect against it, which is why it is so important to disinfect your hands and exercise equipment both before and after your workout.
Regular training at the gym or fitness club is highly recommended, but we should remember that using the equipment should not, paradoxically, pose a threat to our health. Disinfecting sports equipment and hands between exercises can protect exercisers from infections and illnesses. It is also worth remembering that such disinfection reduces the risk of infecting others with our bacterial flora, which may not be safe for other gym users.
