After a long gap of lockdown, businesses are re-opening their doors to the public and expecting the usual foothold. The government initiated the lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Fitness enthusiasts will find themselves confusing, as they wonder whether it is safe to get back to the gym. Researchers, clinicians, and gym owners are providing useful information that will help break down when and how you can get back to the gym.

Gyms and germs

You will find germs, especially bacteria, all around the area of a gym. They cover at least 25% of the total equipment, space, and other gym areas. With close and contained space, working out and sweating in a group of people makes it easy for an infectious disease to spread quickly. It is a challenging task to sanitize every equipment present in the gym. For instance, kettlebells and dumbbells are metals and in different shapes with the possibility to hold them at different places.

It is time for you and others to understand that there is some risk involved should you choose to go ahead and rejoin a gym. However, it is possible to mitigate the risks to some extent and protect from COVID-19.

  1. Experts are advising to follow a ritual if you like to rejoin a gym when they are up and running – wash, spray, wait, wipe, and repeat. You must disinfect the surfaces that you often use, wipe, and reuse.
  2. The gym should consist of sanitizers, disinfectors, clean cloths, bleaching wipes, and disposable products. Even though the staff disinfects after every use, it will be safe to get back to the gym only when you clean the equipment before and after using it yourself.
  3. Carrying several clean towels and placing them on the shoulders is the right choice. You can use one of it to wipe the sweat from face and hands, and the other like a layer for the weight bench.

Space out when you plan to rejoin a gym

Social distancing is the new normal. If you plan to rejoin a gym, ensure that the gym is accepting only a few people at a time. For instance, a gym can allow only 30 members for a specified time, even though it measures 15,000 square feet. Re-arranging equipment is essential to ensure a gap of 1m from one individual to another and at least 6 feet from a different training setup. However, it will be a problem with the aerobic department, as exercisers breathe faster and generate respiratory droplets that drop inside the facility. With poor ventilation, the risk of COVID-19 infection is high. Therefore, it is crucial to re-design or alter the ventilation system to prevent the transmission of the virus.

Educated measures

A gym must point out the importance of the safety measures by sprinkling the space with reminders and posters. It should include how and when to sanitize. With continuous education and reminder, and customers following them to the last point, it is possible to bring down the presence of microbes and bacteria to zero.

Even though there are measures available, heading safe to get back to the gym is a personal quest. It depends on the benefits of the exercises, risk of the infections, health fragilities, and people we live, meet, and work with after the gym.

 

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