Most of the time its an uphill battle just to simply get yourself into the gym. When you do get there, the absolutely last thing that you want to worry about are germs and whether or not you are going to catch some nasty bug due to germ-infested gym equipment. A survey was done involving 1000 frequent gym users. Of their biggest concerns that they brought up about other people, sanitary practices were at the top.
The results of the survey showed that more than 50% of the gym goers saw people going to the toilet and not washing their hands and going straight back onto using the machine that they were on. In addition to that, 40% of males admitted that they never wiped down gym machines after using them while at the same time 30% of ladies owned up to not wiping down the cardio equipment that they have been using.
Its quite a horrible situation if you think about it. We go to the gym to do things to our body in order to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle and we inadvertently end up coming into contact with some nasty germ that ends up making us sick. How frustrating. We should not have to worry about these kinds of things. Having said all that though, its not all doom and gloom. According to some doctors, the risk of infection is pretty low for most people if we follow a few simple steps before using a piece of equipment in the gym.
One of the most common bacteria that has been found to dwell on gym equipment and the floor is Staph bacteria. The best thing to do in order to protect yourself is to simply carry around a bottle of antibacterial spray and a microfiber cloth. Take care to clean every part of the machine that you will come into contact with. If you are going to be doing exercises on the floor or on a mat provided by the gym then make sure to also clean them.
Yes I know, its going to take you a little time to wipe down a super large gym mat. An easy fix to that problem is to purchase a Dredge telescopic microfiber flat mop. With this bad boy, youll have that huge gym mat or floor whipped down in a matter of seconds compared to going down on all fours and doing it the hard way. And again, yes, I know it might look a little silly with you mopping and all but who cares. I dont think being down on all fours whipping the floor or a gym mat is better than being seen with a really cool looking microfiber mop. It even folds and telescopes down to fit in your bag. Trust me, its certainly the better option.
