06/06/2020
What You Can Do to Minimize Your Risk
NEW COVID-19 GYM GUIDELINES.
Whether your gym is doing extra cleaning or not, your own actions may be most important for protecting yourself—and the other gym members. Here are a few steps you can take.
Go at off-peak hours. A small study conducted in three gyms in Brazil in 2018 found that risk of catching a contagious respiratory illness may be lower when there are fewer people at the gym. The study, which estimated risk from influenza and tuberculosis (not coronavirus), showed that in all gyms, “risk of infection increased during periods of peak occupancy.”
Wipe down equipment.wiping down gym equipment with disinfectant wipes before and after each use.
Many gyms provide disinfectant wipes or sprays for members to use on equipment. If you choose to bring your own wipes, look for ones that contain at least 60 percent alcohol or chlorine bleach—or just make sure it's actually a disinfectant wipe, and not just designed for personal hygiene, recommends “The coronavirus appears to be very susceptible to these cleaning and disinfecting agents,” she says.
Make sure to get the surface completely wet and wait 30 seconds to one minute for it to air dry. If you’re using a paper wipe, there should be enough wetness to make the complete surface look wet. Wipes that are dried out are no longer effective,
Keep your hands off your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth when working out at the gym, experts recommends. “The way we infect ourselves isn’t by touching dirty surfaces, but by bringing the virus from the hands to the face,” he says.
Practice good hand hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when you're done with a machine, or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Make sure you also do so before touching your face or any part of your water bottle you put your mouth on. Do so again before leaving the gym.
Stay home if you’re sick. The CDC recommends staying home if you’re sick. “This can mean staying home when you are only mildly ill and might otherwise decide to power through a workout,
