Gym Hygiene Facts That Will Make You Cringe

Staph Bacteria Has A Party On Your Body Within An Hour

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We all know that showering after a hefty workout is important, but it's more about just washing off the sweat. Did you know that staph bacteria starts to build on your body within only an hour after you start working out? Which means if you're doing a couple of hours at the gym, you're already covered in bacteria before you've even finished.

You'll Need To Shower IMMEDIATELY

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So, as you can imagine, showering straight away is really important to washing away that bacteria, because it's just going to keep on growing if you don't. Even if you hang around for twenty minutes to catch your breath after your workout, you're covered in bacteria.

Shower At The Gym, Not At Home

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We get it - sometimes it's easier to swerve the gym showers and just head home so you can shower when you get in. But with what we've just said in mind, you'll need to shower ASAP - so the gym showers as soon as you've finished are the best option for being less gross.

Do You Sleep Without Showering After A Late-Night Workout?

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You might have been guilty of this once or twice, if you hit the gym late at night and you're too tired to shower. You might just crawl into bed and think hey just this once, I'll change the bedsheets and shower first thing in the morning. But now think about how much staph bacteria multiplying on your body.

And Are You Getting In Your Car All Sweaty, Too?

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So if you're leaving the gym as soon as you've finished to head home for a shower instead of using the one there, think about all that bacteria and sweat you're taking into your car, too. And you might be having a wash later - but is the inside of your car going to be cleaned? Probably not.

This Bacteria Can Live For Up To 9 Weeks On Fabrics!

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Staph bacteria that collects on your body and gym clothes after a workout can actually live for a whopping 9 weeks

on any fabrics! Not only that, but this bacteria can live up to 40 days on hard surfaces. So if you're dumping your gym top on the floor at home and avoiding laundry day, you might want to do it ASAP.

Putting Your Clothes In A Bag Risks Spreading The Bacteria To The Bag Itself

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Even if you have a great routine about keeping yourself showered after a workout, you have to put those dirty, sweaty gym clothes somewhere to get them home. Gym bags are handy for that - but every time you put clothes into the bag, you're spreading the bacteria from the clothing to the gym bag fabric.

Your Feet Are At Serious Risk Of Fungus

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Fungus and conditions like athlete's foot are rife in a gym, no matter where you go. There are millions of these fungus microbes waiting for your feet to tread on them. Whether it's the shower floor, the pool floor or anywhere in between that you're taking your shoes off, fungus is waiting.

And You'll Need To Disinfect Your Shoes, Too

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You might not have even thought about your gym shoes either. You might be good at protecting your bare feet and socks from fungus at the gym, but if you're wearing shoes, then it's the shoes that are going to be exposed to all that bacteria. And then you're taking them in your gym bag, car or inside your home!

That Relaxing Hot Tub Could Actually Be Filled With Bacteria, Too

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A hot tub is supposed to be relaxing, stress-free and clean, right? Unfortunately, there is a very particular bacteria that thrives in warm water - like in a hot tub at the gym or sauna. It's called Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, and the best way to avoid it is showering straight away and washing your bathing suit ASAP.

And You Could Develop An Itchy Red Rash

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If it wasn't bad enough being exposed to this bacteria when you're just trying to take a dip in the hot tub, you can also get a very itchy rash as a result when you get out. This is called 'hot tub folliculitis' and you could get it as a result of all that bacteria swimming in the tub.

You Might Be Depending On Your Personal Trainer's Hygiene, Too

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If your gym habits see you having a personal trainer instead of leaving it up to chance whether you're doing your squats right, you're doubling the risk of exposing yourself to bad habits. Even if you're really clean, it all depends on how clean your personal trainer is - because if they're not washing their hands between clients, it's a risk. A gross one.

There's SO Much Airborne Bacteria

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Think about it: gyms, no matter how big or small, are enclosed spaces where everyone is sweating and breathing the same air, hour after hour, day after day. There is so much airborne bacteria in a gym that it doesn't even bear thinking about. Bacteria can spread through the air, too.

Forget About The Equipment - Think About Those Bathroom Handles!

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So when you're thinking about bad hygiene at the gym, you might not have even thought about the bathroom themselves. But you've more than just the equipment handles to think about. If there's that much bacteria on people's hands from the gym machines, think about how much bacteria there is on the bathroom door handle!

Think Chlorine Is Clean? Think Again

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If you're hitting the gym to do a few lengths of the pool, or maybe you only ever go to the pool and not the actual machines, you might think you have nothing to worry about because of the chlorine. But think again! You're fine when you're in the water, but touching those pool step handles, the steps with your feet or anything around the tiles of the pool - you're exposed to a great deal of bacteria.

Don't Share A Towel! Ew!

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If you have a gym buddy you might be guilty of throwing them your towel when you're done - you only did a quick pat down so why not, right? But this is one of the easiest ways to transfer bacteria between people, even if you had a quick workout and didn't feel too sweaty. Sharing a towel is a no no!

Free Weights Have Over 300 Times More Bacteria Than A Toilet Seat!

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If you're using the dumbbells at the gym, then you might want to know (or maybe you don't) that they have over 300 times more bacteria on them than a toilet seat! And you're touching that. For an extended period of time while you do your curls. Yep. That's why it's so important to wipe them.

An Exercise Bike Has Way More Bacteria Than One Of Those Dirty Cafeteria Trays

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So how about the exercise bikes? Well, they're ridden with a lot

of bacteria, too. You know in food courts in the mall when those dirty reusable trays everyone grabs are piled up on the side? Well an exercise bike has around 39 times more bacteria on it than one of those trays.

Treadmills Have More Bacteria Than The Tap You Put Your Unwashed Hands On!

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And treadmills aren't free of bacteria, either - unless you're using one without a handle which is always a plus, but it's rare that gyms will have them without handles. So one of those treadmill handles can actually have around 74 times more bacteria than a water faucet.

Hands Are The Worst For Bacteria - And Everything At The Gym Uses Hands!

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As we know, hands are the absolute worst for spreading any kind of dirt, germs, illnesses or bacteria. Think about how much you touch during the day, after all. But that just makes it all the more worse in a gym. You touch the door handles, the card machines, the locker doors, the machines... everything!

Even If You Don't Get Sick, You're Coming Into Contact With A Ton Of Bacteria

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The thing is, you might think everything is fine if you don't catch an illness or don't get sick. You might think you've avoided the bacteria after all if you don't get sick. But even if you don't get sick, you're still carrying all that bacteria - it's just that you're lucky enough that it hasn't made you ill.

Are You Wiping Down The Machine Before You Use It? You Probably Should

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It's good hygiene practice to wipe down machines at the gym, of course - but are you wiping them down before you use them? If you're depending on the person who went before you to have cleaned it, that's a big risk. And if you didn't even know wiping was a thing, it's time to start doing it!

But Wipes Will Never Actually Kill ALL Bacteria

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Another gross fact is that even if you are wiping down everything, before and after, that still isn't going to kill all of the bacteria. Wipes can only do so much, which means you're still putting your hands on something nasty at the gym no matter what you do! Tragic.

Are You Using The Same Wipe To Clean Down Equipment? Don't!

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You might also think you're avoiding wasting wipes by giving everything a big rub down and wiping as much as possible with one wipe. But you definitely shouldn't be using the same wipe for more than one thing. All you're doing is risking transferring the bacteria on the wipe to the next thing.

You Won't Want To Touch Your Face

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How many times have you wiped your sweaty forehead with your hand at the gym? Rubbed your eyes as sweat gets in them, or even just itched your chin when you feel a tickle? Any time you're touching your face after handling anything at the gym is a guarantee for the spread of icky bacteria.

Do You Wash Your Hands Before You Leave?

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And this is another thing - we know about having a quick shower after the gym, but how much do you actually focus on washing your hands? We know in general a good handwash habit is to wash for at least 20 seconds, getting in between the fingers, front and back. So how much time are you actually spending thoroughly washing your hands after a workout?

And Let's Talk About That Water Bottle

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Your trusty water bottle is your best friend when you're staying hydrated at the gym - but we bet you never realized how important it is to always wash your bottle just as much as your gym clothes. Water bottles are also breeding grounds for bacteria, so if you're not washing them before the next refill, you should be!

No Gym Can Be Completely Sterile

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The sad fact is that no matter what anyone does, even the professional cleaning crew, a gym is never going to be able to be 100% sterile, which means every time you go, you're going to be exposed to bacteria in some shape or form. So the more you go, the more you're exposed.

It's Gross Because A Lot Of Cleaning Is Dependant On The Gym-Goer

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There is gym etiquette that makes a workout happier for everyone, and one key part of this is to try and be clean for the next person and wipe down your machine when you're done. The trouble with depending on others though is that you might be disappointed - and if enough people aren't wiping things down, bacteria is just going to spawn.

Be Honest: Do You Wipe Down Yours?

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Be honest: was there ever a time you forgot to wipe something down at the gym? Couldn't be bothered to? Did you think you didn't have to because you hoped someone else must have done it? Now's the time to try and improve your gym habits if this gross reality is anything to go by!