COVID-19 & Gym Hygiene - what you need to know
Gyms Reopening
Back in March 2020 indoor gyms were closed as part of the measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. On the 25th July, 2020 indoor gyms reopened following government guidance¹, allowing millions of people to resume their fitness regimes. But have you been back to your gym yet? If so, what changes did you notice?
Gym and leisure facilities are required to manage social distancing and infection control, with some of the government guidance including ¹ ²:
Limiting the number of people using the facility at any one time
Reducing class sizes
Spacing equipment to maintain social distancing
Enhanced cleaning and providing hand sanitizer throughout venues
The government also have some guidelines for you as a gym attendee to follow, including ²:
Trying to avoid changing and showering facilities at the gym: arrive in kit and shower at home where possible
Social distancing
Avoiding raising your voice: to reduce the risk of transmission of droplets from shouting
Regular hand washing
Contactless payments
Note: The World Health Organization (WHO) advise people not to wear masks while exercising as it may reduce the ability to breathe comfortably. In addition, sweat can quickly make the mask wet, promoting the growth of microorganisms ³.
How is your gym hygiene?
Two surveys of a similar size of 2,000 participants one from MyProtein (February 2020) ⁴ and one from Nuffield Health (2012) ⁵ shared some interesting results found when questioning gym attendees about their gym hygiene:
Attending the gym despite being unwell:
70% - MyProtein
18% - Nuffield
Re-wearing gym kit and not washing it between workouts:
51% (11% after an intense workout) - MyProtein
16% - Nuffield
Personal items hygiene:
52% failed to clean mobile phones and headphones - MyProtein
54% failed to clean water bottles - MyProtein
49% admitted to using other peoples personal items including water bottles, towels and toiletries - Nuffield
Based on these results, what else could you be doing to improve gym hygiene?
1) Don’t attend the gym when unwell - even if it’s not coronavirus! Stay at home ⁶ and give yourself plenty of time to recover.
2) Clean: yourself, your clothes, and any other equipment (e.g. water bottles, towels, headphones) as soon as you get home! At the gym, don’t forget to wipe down any equipment you used - coronavirus can survive on plastic and stainless steel (materials commonly used for gym equipment) longer than on other materials ⁷
3) Wash your hands before and after your workout, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser ⁸
Returning to the gym
If you’re unsure on whether you want to head back to the gym, here are a few things you may want to consider:
Your gym’s COVID safety precautions - this may be on their website but if in doubt, you could call them to ask
Local transmission rates and outbreaks - to check there’s not a spike in cases where your gym is. You can do this by downloading the COVID symptom tracker app, or looking online ⁹
Your age, underlying health conditions and whether you were classed as ‘extremely clinically vulnerable’ / have been shielding - these are all risk factors ¹⁰
Time of day - the risk of infection may be higher during peak occupancy hours ¹¹ - gym chains like PureGym now have apps that show the capacity of the gym, useful to check before you go.
If you do go back to the gym, we hope you enjoy it and make the most of it after all these months (whilst following guidelines, of course)! If you don’t feel ready to go back that’s okay. There are plenty of options to work out from home, see our list of our favourite online workout resources for more ideas!
Authors: Georgina Hardy and Jade Mottley
References
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-gyms-and-pools-to-reopen-safely
https://www.myprotein.com/thezone/motivation/see-our-tips-on-how-to-stay-clean-at-gym/
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19932171/6-ways-to-have-good-gym-hygiene/
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public