5 ways to avoid infections at the gym

Infection such as Staphylococcus infection is common among athletes and people who go to the gym. Most of the times, the staph bacteria will stay inactive on the outer skin. But, when someone gets a cut the bacteria directly go to the bloodstream leading to a severe and seldom fatal infection. If you get any skin infection, seek your doctor’s help as soon as possible for early treatment. Find the best doctors in Bangalore for skin related problems.

Do not fear! You don’t have to stop going to the gym for this reason. There are some ways that can greatly reduce the risk of getting a staph infection.

·         Avoid hand contact

Cut off as much physical contact with anyone as possible at the gym to avoid getting infected with a MRSA infection, which causes pus-filled pimples on your skin.

·         Always bring your own yoga mat

A yoga mat is the biggest thing in the gym carrying deadly infectious microorganisms. As per the experts, mats are classified as ‘fomites’, which are objects known to carry infection. Another way to avoid a fungal infection is to remove your sweaty gym equipment soon after your workout.

·         Make sure to wear shoes in the shower and locker room

Warts are another dangerous infection that you can get by touching surfaces in gym locker rooms as well as showers. So, make sure you always wear shoes in the gym to avoid warts plantar warts (on the bottom of the foot).

·         Avoid using hot tubs and saunas in public gyms

If you want to stay away from infection it is best to avoid watery spaces, such as hot tubs and saunas in the gym. They are a big source of folliculitis (a skin infection most common on the back, beard, arms, legs, and buttocks) that can cause rashes. Folliculitis is easily contracted in hot tubs and saunas.

·         Disinfect all your workout equipment before exercising

Usually, rhinoviruses, which are the cause of common colds, can be present on almost half of all machines that need hand contact and have not been disinfected properly. Exercise machines in the gym are the breeding ground for viral bacteria. So, to avoid any infection you should wipe down treadmills, weighs, elliptical and other hand-contact gym machines before using them.