Method Soap recently engaged comedian Tiffany Haddish  in a funny skit where she outed people for not washing their hands after using a public restroom. The content is funny, but message is real: If you don’t wash your hands, you can get sick. We at CLn Skin Care fully embrace this message. But it applies to more than just hand washing. Practice poor gym hygiene, and you can get all kinds of sick from your healthy workout. Read on for a list of icky facts that will have you scrubbing your whole body head-to-toe…

Gym Hygiene Facts

1. Feel weird about showering at the gym? Don’t. Staph bacteria begin to colonize on your body within an hour of physical activity. Showering immediately after a workout is the best way to stop the colonization and related risk of infection. Staph is easily spread at gyms. But that doesn’t mean you have to take it home from the gym with you.
2. MRSA, a virulent type of Staph bacteria, often colonizes athletes and can live up to 9 weeks on fabrics and 40 days on hard surfaces.  So don’t halfheartedly wipe down equipment before and after using it. Scrub like mad, and make sure you separate your sweaty gym clothes from the rest of your gym bag or hamper. Putting wet gym clothes in a bag or hamper allows bacterial growth not only on the clothes, but on every item they come in contact with.
3. Athlete’s foot and fungus live ALL over the gym. Showers, steam rooms, hot yoga studios, pools—you name it—have millions of microbes just waiting to feast on your feet. Keep your feet covered as much as you can. Wash feet thoroughly after working out, and don’t forget to disinfect shower shoes, sneakers and workout mats.
4. Soaking in a hot tub feels good after a workout, but did you know that you’re likely soaking in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa? It is another very nasty bacterium. It thrives in warm water and causes “hot tub folliculitis.” You’ll know you have it when you get an itchy, red rash after taking a dip. Avoid it by immediately showering and washing your bathing suit after a soak session.
5. Strep isn’t just a sore throat infection kids get. This bacterium easily spreads through airborne droplets and skin contact. In addition to a sore throat, it can cause skin infections and blisters. So, if your personal trainer has not washed hands between clients, insist that they do so.

Staph, MRSA, athlete’s foot, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and strep all sound pretty awful. But avoiding them by showering sounds pretty easy, right? So, get out of wet clothes immediately after a workout, shower off with a hardworking cleanser like CLn SportWash, keep healthy, and never, ever forget to wash your hands.

The post 5 Gym Hygiene Facts That Will Make You Cringe appeared first on CLn® Skin Care Blog.

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