5 Things You Should Do Before Entering and Exiting A Gym
Our beloved gyms are reopening one by one, and after months of being cooped up inside our houses, to say we've missed the sweaty and grunty atmosphere is an understatement. However, just because our exercise clubs are in operations again doesn't mean we should let our guards down when it comes to proper hygiene and social distancing.
Here are five ways to make sure you come out of the gym as healthy as you entered. After all, feeling ill is the last thing you want to be after a good gym day.
Prepare Your Safety Kit
When we go to the gym, we all probably carry a small bag or two. Maybe one bag for our protein shakes and the other for a change of clothes and an extra towel. However, 2020 has recently disrupted many things, including the "must-haves" before we leave the house.
Some of these must-haves all have to do with being hygienic and personal disinfection. These include:
Tissue paper: Tissue is a universal "wiper" and works really well with just about anything you need to wipe off.
Alcohol: Never leave home without a small bottle. This is best paired with tissue to sanitize tools in the gym before using it.
Face masks: Most gyms require constant use of face masks, so you definitely don't want to walk out of there with sweaty face masks.
Bring Your Own Cups and Chalk
Granted, most gyms have ways to minimize human contact with their water cups; it never hurts to bring your own water bottle and even a small chalk cube or box.
For water refilling, make sure you wipe the handle with some tissue wipes or alcohol (if it's manually pressed) and nozzle before you start pouring. For the chalk box, avoid using the gym chalk available for members. You don't know whose hands have been there, so it's just more hygienic to use your own.
Wipe Before, Wipe After
We're sure even before 2020 happened, this was a common practice (or at least should have been). Wiping barbells, dumbbells, rowers, and even the seats before using should be part of your personal hygiene, even if you saw the last person wipe it down anyway. This helps prevent you from getting "in touch" with whatever the previous person was carrying when they got here.
And as common courtesy, always wipe the tool after you're done.
Focus, Focus, Focus
It's going to be tempting to engage in casual conversations that don't require video apps but be sure to keep it at a minimum. You're in the gym to work out and sweat, not talk about how bad 2020 has been or how they coped with the situation.
Avoiding close-contact conversations also helps in practicing social distancing, which has been the buzz word this year and perhaps until 2020 is done and over with.
So basically, get inside, do your work, and get out with a few "Hi's" and "Bye's" in-between.
Immediately Dispose of Facemasks After Use
Wearing facemasks has become mandatory, so naturally, you'd wear it to the gym too and most likely keep it on until you're done. Once your routine is over, replace your face mask with a new one and dispose of the old, sweaty, and dirty facemask in the appropriate bin.
And it's optional, but kindly tear the facemask before disposing. Some people might monetize the facemask craze and re-use masks found in the garbage bin.
We welcome the reopening of our favorite gyms, but we also have to abide by their new policies and maintain a sense of caution with regards to our own personal hygiene and health.
The ideas we provided may seem to be too demanding for an hour or two inside the gym, but it is for others' safety and yourself. And at the end of the day, you're only really bringing an extra cleaning kit. If the gym buff next door brings his entire toolbox inside the gym, surely you can afford to carry a small kit with a bit of alcohol and tissue paper.
Remember: The more hygienic everyone becomes, the sooner we can see an end to what 2020 has brought us.
Here are five ways to make sure you come out of the gym as healthy as you entered. After all, feeling ill is the last thing you want to be after a good gym day.
Prepare Your Safety Kit
When we go to the gym, we all probably carry a small bag or two. Maybe one bag for our protein shakes and the other for a change of clothes and an extra towel. However, 2020 has recently disrupted many things, including the "must-haves" before we leave the house.
Some of these must-haves all have to do with being hygienic and personal disinfection. These include:
Tissue paper: Tissue is a universal "wiper" and works really well with just about anything you need to wipe off.
Alcohol: Never leave home without a small bottle. This is best paired with tissue to sanitize tools in the gym before using it.
Face masks: Most gyms require constant use of face masks, so you definitely don't want to walk out of there with sweaty face masks.
Bring Your Own Cups and Chalk
Granted, most gyms have ways to minimize human contact with their water cups; it never hurts to bring your own water bottle and even a small chalk cube or box.
For water refilling, make sure you wipe the handle with some tissue wipes or alcohol (if it's manually pressed) and nozzle before you start pouring. For the chalk box, avoid using the gym chalk available for members. You don't know whose hands have been there, so it's just more hygienic to use your own.
Wipe Before, Wipe After
We're sure even before 2020 happened, this was a common practice (or at least should have been). Wiping barbells, dumbbells, rowers, and even the seats before using should be part of your personal hygiene, even if you saw the last person wipe it down anyway. This helps prevent you from getting "in touch" with whatever the previous person was carrying when they got here.
And as common courtesy, always wipe the tool after you're done.
Focus, Focus, Focus
It's going to be tempting to engage in casual conversations that don't require video apps but be sure to keep it at a minimum. You're in the gym to work out and sweat, not talk about how bad 2020 has been or how they coped with the situation.
Avoiding close-contact conversations also helps in practicing social distancing, which has been the buzz word this year and perhaps until 2020 is done and over with.
So basically, get inside, do your work, and get out with a few "Hi's" and "Bye's" in-between.
Immediately Dispose of Facemasks After Use
Wearing facemasks has become mandatory, so naturally, you'd wear it to the gym too and most likely keep it on until you're done. Once your routine is over, replace your face mask with a new one and dispose of the old, sweaty, and dirty facemask in the appropriate bin.
And it's optional, but kindly tear the facemask before disposing. Some people might monetize the facemask craze and re-use masks found in the garbage bin.
We welcome the reopening of our favorite gyms, but we also have to abide by their new policies and maintain a sense of caution with regards to our own personal hygiene and health.
The ideas we provided may seem to be too demanding for an hour or two inside the gym, but it is for others' safety and yourself. And at the end of the day, you're only really bringing an extra cleaning kit. If the gym buff next door brings his entire toolbox inside the gym, surely you can afford to carry a small kit with a bit of alcohol and tissue paper.
Remember: The more hygienic everyone becomes, the sooner we can see an end to what 2020 has brought us.
