Recently there’s been a lot of discussion about cleanliness at the gym. It doesn’t matter how new, or how large the facility or how hard they try, it’s a concern at every gym. I’m not fanatical about it. It’s probably not good to think about it too much. It’s not practical to expect your favorite gym to be free of unfriendly bacteria. At my gym they are constantly cleaning. I have to say that I’m impressed at their efforts but with all the things you have to make contact with in the gym, avoiding microscopic nastiness would drive most of us toward a more obsessive compulsive pattern of behavior.
As a chiropractor, I’m making physical contact with patients all day. My personal policy is to wash my hands between patients and keep my hands away from my nose and mouth, for both our sakes. In the gym though, I wipe down (disinfect) exercise equipment before I use it (then I’m pretty sure what I’m getting) and wash my hands as I’m leaving. Who’s going to be touching my stering wheel next, anyway? Most gyms request that the equipment be wiped down after use. Good idea, but think about that one for a second. It might work if everyone actually did it but very few extend the courtesy. I think most, if not all, gyms are this way.
Now, I’m no Howard Hughes, but I hesitate to enter the locker room or shower facility, and I would never go barefoot. How about the jacuzzi? Not today, thank you. I’ll just wait till I get home where I’m familiar with my own brand of bacteria.
