Avoiding Creeps at the Gym
There‘s nothing wrong with attracting a cutie while working out. However, there are other visitors at the gym that you want to repel! No, we are not talking about the creepy jerk that stands outside of the women’s locker room; we’re talking about viruses, fungi, and staph-infections. These nasty organisms love gym equipment, yoga mats, locker rooms, and especially your skin. If given the chance, these creeps will wreak havoc on your body and your immune system.
The peeps at PhillyHealthInfo.org want to make sure the only thing you bring back from the gym are rocking biceps and six-pack abs—and maybe an equally rocking date.
Viruses
It’s flu season and God knows how many times your favorite treadmill has been coughed or sneezed on. You may wipe the gym equipment before and after using it, but do you disinfect? Some viruses can survive for 24 hours or more on dirty exercise equipment.
Bottom line: Wipe down cardio machines, mats, and weights before and after using them. If your gym has disinfectant spray, use it! If your gym doesn’t have disinfectant wipes or spray bottles on-hand, demand that they get them or start carrying your own.
Fungal Nail Infections
Scratching your head trying to figure out what fungal nail infections are? Don’t scratch too hard as fungi can live on the dead tissues of the hair (dandruff), nails, and outer skin layers. Due to the wet, humid nature of gym locker rooms, showers, and pools, fungi multiply like rabbits. Fungal infections can take the form of mold or yeast, leading to some itchy situations.
Mold fungal infections can cause:
- Athlete’s foot
- Jock Itch
- Ringworm
- Tinea capitis (ringworm of the scalp)
Yeast fungal infections are more common in women and can cause problems in the genital area and under the breasts. Spending too much time in sweaty clothing or a wet bathing suit can increase your chances of getting yeast infections.
Bottom line: Prevent these unreachable itches and unsexy bald spots by wearing flip-flops in the gym shower and locker room; using liquid soap provided by the gym; avoiding the community bar soap; and showering after your afternoon or morning workout. Believe us, your classmates, coworkers, and the folks on your bus will appreciate it!
Staph Bacteria and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
Staph usually causes minor skin infections that can be treated easily. However, MRSA, a type of staph that has become resistant to antibiotics, can cause serious infections in the bloodstream.
MRSA has often been associated with the hospital setting. Nowadays anyone can get MRSA, even healthy young people who haven’t stepped a foot inside the hospital. According, to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) is now commonly appearing in schools, gyms, recreation centers and other public places.
CA-MRSA spreads most often through skin-to-skin contact. It can also spread through objects that infected skin has touched, such as towels, razors, clothing, gym or sports equipment, and bandages. Treadmills, weights, yoga mats and anything else that touches the skin can be a potential breeding ground for CA-MRSA. If your workout includes a team activity where skin-to-skin contact and bruising is likely, you are at an increased risk of getting MRSA.
Bottom line: To avoid CA-MRSA, make sure to follow the advice listed in the above virus and fungal infection sections of the article. In addition, make sure to clean and bandage any open cuts or scrapes; don’t touch anyone else’s cut either! If you shave at the gym, make sure your razor is sterile and does not touch any gym surfaces or clothing that is in your gym bag. Better yet, don’t shave at the gym. We know your date after the workout is hot, but if they are really into you, they won’t mind your five-o-clock shadow or a little stubble on the legs. It’s better than taking medications for the rest of your life: one real possibility if you do become infected with MRSA.
We at PhillyHealthInfo.org want you sexy chicos and chicas to get your workout on and stay healthy, just be conscious of those parasites at the gym. Protect that body that you’ve worked so hard for!
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