What germs can you pick up from gym equipment? Here’s how to minimise the risk when exercising
Think you already know what to do to minimise getting infected? Then why are you constantly getting sick? A quick reminder on how to safeguard yourself in the gym, yoga studio and climbing gym.
Whether you’re bench pressing, cycling, bouldering or folding your body into a yoga pose, your body is going to come into contact with a myriad surfaces – and some could be germier than others.
As you hoist your butt onto that bike seat at the indoor cycling studio, you might be smearing microbes that cause gastroenteritis onto your rear. You could be picking up salmonella as you pick up a pair of dumbbells. When it comes to equipment that actually touches skin and nails such as climbing shoes, that could be a fungal infection waiting to happen.
I don’t mean to make a germaphobe out of you but if you’re constantly catching a cold, having gastrointestinal issues or a toenail infection that doesn’t seem to go away, you might want to relook how you use your workout equipment.
HOW DO THEY GET THERE?
Take the commercial gym, for example. A study found that the many nooks and crannies of such a workout space can be home to many bacterial species, including gut-dwelling firmicutes that can make or break your digestion health as well as notorious ones such as salmonella, staphylococcus, klebsiella and micrococcus.
Many microbes find their way to the pull-up bar, yoga mat or bike seat after a trip to the bathroom. Not everyone washes up and this 2020 study has the proof. It found that the microbiome of skinfolds, including the intergluteal cleft – the space between your buttocks – contained microbes that were likely to come from faecal contamination.
Sure, the cleaning crew does its best to spray and wipe down common touch points with antibacterial products. But sometimes, it may not be enough. Antibacterial wipes and sprays work only on bacteria. A pair of returned climbing shoes, for instance, can be a funky hotbed of bacterial and fungal growth.
If you’ve had (or still having) a fungal infection such as ringworm, athlete’s foot or toenail fungus, you’d know that it takes a long while to treat with medication. Toenail infections especially can be stubborn to eradicate for several reasons, said general practitioner Dr Abdul Muhaimin Bin Abdul Rahman with Healthway Medical.
“The fungus usually grows very deep into the nail and it takes time for the medication to get through to the fungus. You may need to apply topical antifungal solutions for more than a month before the fungus is fully cleared. In some persistent cases, we may need oral antifungals,” he said.
There’s another downside. “Fungi tend to be very resistant and some antifungal medications may not work against certain fungus strains,” said Dr Abdul. More bad news, fungi are more challenging than bacteria to treat without damaging the host” because human and fungus cells share “many of the same basic cell structures and machinery” that “can lead to off-target drug effects”, according to American Society for Microbiology.
Let's not forget viruses so shortly after COVID-19. “Upper respiratory tract infections like the flu are most commonly contracted at workout venues,” said Dr Abdul. “This is because most people working out will breathe more heavily and may end up spreading viruses more.”
Gym benches, bike seats and other surfaces covered with a water-resistant material are “more likely to harbour common viruses that cause upper respiratory tract infection or gastroenteritis”, said Dr Abdul. “Hard surfaces have been shown to sustain viruses for longer periods than soft surfaces.” Ditto for metal ones such as dumbbells, kettlebells, bar bells and weight plates.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Your best bet, really, is to BYO gear. Otherwise, lay down a towel on the equipment, advised Dr Abdul. Such a layer would at least put a barrier between your skin and the microbes. Just don't use the same towel to wipe away sweat. If you want to be even safer, he said, spray with disinfecting solutions that are formulated to neutralise the germ trifecta: Bacteria, viruses and fungi.
Make better use of your disinfecting wipes by making sure you wet the surface sufficiently and let it dry for the disinfectant to work. Don't be stingy and use the same wipe on everything, from the bench to the handles of the pec deck. Remember: The surface has to be wet after wiping.
If you can't do any of the above, try your best not to touch your eyes, nose, face and handphone until you've washed your hands to avoid contracting infections.
As for rented footwear, it is not a bad idea to wear socks, so that your toenails are not in direct contact with the nasties colonising the shoes. And for the love of healthy nails, do not, let me repeat, do not use the climbing centre's or bouldering gym's communal nail clipper, no matter how long your nails are.
If you're desperate, wash the clipper with soap and water, and wipe with rubbing alcohol before using, advised American Academy of Dermatology Association. For the same reason, do not share items such as slippers, towels and socks with others.
If you do get infected, “you are strongly advised to see a doctor to diagnose and treat the infection accurately”, said Dr Abdul.