Staying fit is integral to a healthy life. Most people prefer hitting the gym for their daily dose of exercise. While sweating it out at the gym is a great way to keep fit and healthy, skin infections can hamper your pursuit of perfect health if you are not careful.
Working out in a gym usually brings about skin infections as the combination of body heat, sweat, shared equipment and close contact creates perfect conditions for germs to thrive. Infections can be fungal or bacterial, but irrespective of their origin they are sometimes contagious and spread easily. Some of these infections, especially fungal infections, can lead to itching, rashes, skin shedding, and even bleeding. Maintaining hygiene at the gym is very important so that infections do not spread.
Here Are 6 Ways To Prevent Infections At The Gym :
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- Use clean equipment
Exercise machines shared by people visiting the gym can lead to spreading of infections. Instead of using the hand towel provided at the gym, it is advisable to carry your own wipes to clean the equipment before use. You also need to wash your hands frequently.
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- Wear slippers while taking a shower
It is necessary to wear slippers or flip-flops while taking a shower because fungal infections from the bathroom floor can get in through the skin pores. To minimize the risk further, gym footwear can be soaked in a bleach solution once in a while.
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- Don’t share personal items
Personal items like towels, soaps, or water bottles must not be shared. Personal belongings may be contaminated with fungus and may be responsible for a rapid spread of infections if shared. Using exercise mats already available in the gym is also not a good idea; personal mats should be used, and these too should be cleaned regularly.
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- Wash gym gear regularly
The bag used for keeping gym gear can get dirty, dark and moist, something that helps fungi grow easily. Clothes used in a gym should be immediately washed and kept in a plastic bag after use. Shoes should be left to dry in the air to let off moisture. Even the bag used to carry gym gear needs to be cleaned at regular intervals.
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- Avoid gymming if unwell
If you are unwell you should avoid going to the gym. Not only will symptoms like coughing and sneezing worsen, but you will also be spreading infections around rather quickly. Moreover, many exercise equipment use hard rubber-based latex which can cause allergic rashes and add to your problems.
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- Cover cuts and scrapes
You should neatly cover and bandage any wounds before going to the gym because sweat when it enters the wound, can cause infections, sometimes leading to pus formation. Common areas should be avoided.
Staying fit is necessary but personal hygiene also needs to be taken care of. Precautions are important while using the gym or else infections and diseases can cause serious problems and affect users adversely.
