It’s no secret that moist and sweaty environments are prime breading grounds for germs so as gyms pack out with people trying to lose the excess weight gained from their Christmas goring that could mean nasties could flourish and the threat of illness could spike.
Leading microbiologist Dr Laura Bowater says the risk doubles at this time of year when gyms see a huge surge in customers.
“The gym is such a busy place, especially at this time of year when there’s a huge spike in the number of people purchasing a membership,” Dr Bowater told The UK’s Mirror.
“You end up with lots of people working-out in close proximity to each other.
“And it’s here that viruses can spread easily from one human to another, with the chances of you becoming unwell increasing twofold in January.
“It leaves the gym-goer open to lots of different ways in which they can pick up an infection.”
And Bowater’s warnings are backed up by some pretty scary research.
A study in the Clinical Journal Of Sport Medicine found that the virus responsible for the common cold (rhinovirus) is present on more than 60 per cent of the gym equipment at the fitness centres tested.
Interestingly, the researchers also discovered that the weightlifting equipment was contaminated significantly more often than aerobic equipment (75 per cent as opposed to 50 per cent). Even worse, the study found that disinfecting the equipment twice a day didn’t lower the virus count much.
Dr Bowater advises those on a New Year health kick to consider swapping the ‘dirty’ gym for working out in the fresh outdoors instead.
But while those recommendations are supported by research some of us just can’t give up our gym habits so how do we beef up our gym germ warfare.
According to Dr Linda Friedland there are some easy ways to keep clean at the gym and suggests carrying antiseptic wipes and hand sanitiser in your gym bag.
“Wipe down the equipment immediately before and after using,” Dr Friedland tells The Weekly.
“Try to avoid touching your face between sets of exercises, since most colds are transmitted through hand-to-nose contact. A Japanese study found that staph bacteria bind strongly to polyester, which is used in many gloves. And that includes MRSA bacteria (Methicillin resistant staph bugs).”
And for those not wanting to get sick with even a cold recent research by the Linus Pauling institute at Oregon State University, found that vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, can shorten the duration of a common cold and in many cases prevent one starting in the first place.
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