FIT CITY

Germs at the gym: A few precautions will keep you safe

Wipe down equipment, use sanitizer to prevent infections

By Pamela LeBlanc
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, September 08, 2008

Not to be gross, but have you thought much about the microbial zoo lurking in your gym?

A world of fungus, germs and bacteria hangs out in locker rooms and shower stalls, thrives in sweaty clothes and lives on exercise equipment. Such invisible creepy crawlies love warm, moist places. And no, we're not telling you this to give you an excuse to quit exercising. But you should take precautions to fend off everything from itchy, annoying athlete's foot to more serious staph infections.

"A gym is a high-risk place — you've got people not fully clothed, wearing tank tops and shorts; they're sweating, and then one after another using a piece of equipment or yoga mat. There's a lot of direct contact," says Dr. Kent Aftergut, a clinical instructor of dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

Organisms that cause common ailments can dwell in seemingly immaculate gyms. Take athlete's foot, a fungal infection that causes red, blistered skin and itching between the toes, and plantar warts — you can catch them just by walking barefoot on the shower or locker room floors. Yoga mats and towels absorb and trap sweat that may carry infection-causing bacteria and the funguses that cause nail infections and ringworm. Staph infections, which cause boils or non-healing sores, can also be spread through physical contact and equipment sharing.

Beware of hot tubs and whirlpools used by a steady parade of people, some of whom may not have showered. "If it's not well kept or if the pH level is not low enough or not enough chlorine has been added, it can turn into a breeding ground for bacteria," Aftergut says.

We know, we know. Ick. The good news here is that a little prevention can keep you safe.

"I don't want to people to hear there are dangers in the gym and they shouldn't work out," Aftergut says. "You can catch things anywhere."

Aftergut says that though he has seen an increase in staph infections recently, they're not just being spread at the gym. Staph is becoming more virulent, and some strains have enzymes that allow them to evade the white blood cells that fight them. Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is especially hard to treat and in rare cases can infect the blood and bones — a potentially life-threatening complication.

"It used to be only people in nursing homes, hospitals or jails who would get staph," Aftergut says. "Now it's young healthy patients. There have been football team outbreaks. It's not just sick people or overcrowded situations."

Your best defense? Wipe down equipment with an alcohol or bleach-based solution. Most gyms do this periodically, but they can't wipe down between every single person. "Do it yourself so you can be sure it's clean," Aftergut says.

Don't sit directly on a sweaty bench. If you have a cut, scrape or injury, apply antibiotic ointment and cover it up before you go to the gym. If you cut yourself at the gym, clean the injury with an iodine antibacterial solution (your gym should have some on hand). After your workout, shower with anti-bacterial soap, like the one designed for athletes and available at www.gymsoap.com. Old-fashioned hand washing is important. Fungal infections can spread, so don't dry sensitive areas, such as your underarms, with a towel used on your feet or dropped on the locker room floor.

And wear those flip-flops or shower shoes. Just keeping a barrier between you and the floor can protect you from lots of germs.

The Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Department's environmental consumer health unit has received 33 complaints involving area gyms in the past three years. The complaints range from mold under a spa to general unsanitary conditions of bathrooms and poorly maintained hot tubs, according to spokeswoman Carole Barash. "By and large, that's not bad," Barash says. "You want to keep these places sanitary."

The department periodically inspects gyms with pools, spas or food preparation facilities, but gyms without such facilities are not regularly inspected.

We checked with a few Austin gyms to see what they are doing to keep clients safe.

Dave Fulscher, executive director of the Town Lake branch of the YMCA, says dispensers of hand sanitizer have been installed near the front desk, in locker rooms and around the workout area. A sign near the child-care area asks people to sanitize their hands before they enter.

"We put about 25 of those canisters around, but you find a lot of people choose not to use it," Fulscher says.

The gym is also armed with spray bottles filled with hospital disinfectant. The gym sanitizes showers and locker room floors daily, Fulscher says.

Castle Hill Fitness cleans equipment with an all-natural solution with tea tree oil and lavender, says manager Celeste Cyr. "Tea tree is a very natural way to disinfect. The cleaning staff cleans all yoga mats once a day, and we encourage customers to wipe down all the equipment and mats before and after use," she says.

The gym keeps sanitizer and clean towels handy for clients, too.

"We want to help people avoid staph infections," Cyr says. "It's always a concern in a gym because it is a very germy place."

pleblanc@statesman.com; 445-3994

Stay healthy at the gym

• Wear flip-flops in the shower.

• Wipe down exercise equipment with sanitizer spray or wipes.

• Bring your own yoga mat.

• Cover the seat of your exercise bike and the bench in the locker room with a towel.

• Wash your water bottle to prevent buildup of bacteria.

• Wash and dry your feet thoroughly.

• Sprinkle antifungal powder in your shoes.

• Wear synthetic socks.

• Remove gym shoes after exercising and wash them occasionally in hot water.

• Skip the gym when you're sick.

• To report a problem at your gym, call the Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Department's Environmental Consumer Health Unit at 972-5600.