Gym Unhealthy ?

I reckon Gyms are full of germs no matter how much the equipment gets wiped down. I'm surprised more people don't get sick.

I personally think its better to do the actual genuine sport than fake it on a treadmill of stationary bike..yes you get less injury but you are not using propulsion or working your body as well.This is only my opinion. There nothing quite like running through country lanes with beautiful scenery.Also I find it less monotonous..You concentrate better too. Fresh air is great.I do also think air con makes us get cold etc.Being in close proximity to others sweating heavily and breathing heavily is bound to have some negative effects.

I think it all depends on what you want to do, the type of exercise (obviously), whether you are self-motivated, and finances. The prescription is different for everyone. I am a runner and do all my running outdoors, regardless of the weather. I do all my lifting in the gym. I lift heavy and could not afford to purchase all the equipment and prepare a room in my home to do this. I do know some people can. Plus, I need a spotter sometimes and i don't have a lifting buddy.
Some people want to work with a trainer and they can't afford to hire someone privately to come out to their home for this.
Many enjoy classes and doing them with a live instructor present.
I'm a personal trainer and a fitness instructor and so I am in the gym pretty much every day. I haven't actually been sick in years, that i can remember. I can't even remember my last cold (knock on wood).
I don't think its any different in a gym than any place where there are lots of people in close proximity to each other. As for air conditioner, gyms must keep the temperature at an optimum for exercise. There is also no reason to think that cold air (air conditioner) would make anyone sick any more than warm air (heat) would, unless they are using a completely different system and one maybe has mold growth, which would be more likely in the heat than the cold.
Bottom line is it really depends on a person's immune system. I know people who get sick every time they fly. I have never gotten sick on a plane. I am sure these people would be more likely to get sick from others at a gym.

I'm a naturalist and so find the convention of going into a gym to do exercise that can be done outdoors anachronistic. I find that most gyms require direct deposit and make you jump through hoops to un-enroll. From a capitalist perspective, that rubs me the wrong way.
The one thing that can come up is access to weight training equipment. In such cases, a gym can be more economical.

Of course, calisthenics don't cost a dime and you can do them anywhere.

I'm a naturalist and so find the convention of going into a gym to do exercise that can be done outdoors anachronistic. I find that most gyms require direct deposit and make you jump through hoops to un-enroll. From a capitalist perspective, that rubs me the wrong way.
The one thing that can come up is access to weight training equipment. In such cases, a gym can be more economical.

Of course, calisthenics don't cost a dime and you can do them anywhere.

That's why I like my gym... no joining fees and no contract.. I don't have the space for the equipment at home so doing it at home wouldn't really work for me.

Opposite for me. Since I have been working out using the gym (air conditioned) I have had very few colds, when I used to catch everything going around. When I run (I can't use a treadmill so I hit the streets), I have to take paper hankies with me as I often get the sniffles half way around my route.

I love going to the gym and haven't noticed that I've been any more ill since going regularly than I otherwise would've been.

A lot of offices are air conditioned. My first job out of uni was in a huge open plan office with about 150 people on my floor, and air con instead of windows that opened. I got more ill from working there than I did at the gym!

Opposite for me. Since I have been working out using the gym (air conditioned) I have had very few colds, when I used to catch everything going around. When I run (I can't use a treadmill so I hit the streets), I have to take paper hankies with me as I often get the sniffles half way around my route.

this sounds like allergies or sensitivities.

I do my workouts at home or outside.
I was a member of a gym (rhymes with Smirgin Bactive) I spent a good amount of time sneezing, snuffling and generally feeling like a bit of a snot-fest.
I found the gym equipment grubby at best, disgusting at worst and the SHOWERS! OMG dont get me started on those little germ havens. I pretty soon grew tired of the muck and cancelled my contract early with no penalties I might add, because I threatened to send pictures of the conditions to the papers... well they wanted 7 months of membership at £120 a pop for cancelling early!
I think not :noway:

I think the question is how much of your world can you possibly wipe down with antibacterial wipes? Every surface you touch, every door handle, handrail, countertop, item you pick up at the store, taxi's, buses, keyboards etc etc.

Every thing you touch has germs on it. A gym isn't any less healthy than any environment that is used by a lot of people. In fact in a it may be a bit healthier after all most of the occupants will be getting fitter and are probably more likely to take care of their health by resting if they are ill and therefore not bringing their germs to the gym. However the work environment where people are dragging themselves in with colds and stomach upsets because the don't want to lose money is probably less healthy.

I see your point. I also think that most people, whose actual lives depend on how germs affect them know what to avoid and how to avoid it. It's not fun, but some may choose a lesser of two evils.

If I am having one of my bad days, I avoid the public until my system builds back up. I go to the gym when it is not busy, grocery stores when there is less of a crowd, etc....

I think the OP just may have been to a pretty unclean gym. It is not uncommon for folks to get sick from different things, but each person is different and learns to adjust accordingly.

I am actually very happy to have a job that I can afford a membership at a gym in town...I've been battling my weight from home unsuccessfully for a long, long time. I love walking and biking outside...but since I live in ND - that can't happen from about late September to mid to late June, or about 1.5 months after the snow melts (takes that long to clean all the flooding and what not off the bike paths).

In my exercise room at home, we have a bo flex and an elliptical which is not exactly made for a person my height (puts my lower back out to use the foot pedals and put my hands on the HRM bars. At the gym, they have ellipticals which fit me, Arc Ts (I've never had a better work out!), treadmills I can walk on for 30 to 45 minutes when it's 45 degrees below zero outside, and stationary bikes (same as treadmills). They also have all sorts of strength training machines and someone there to walk me through how to use them and push me when I hit that point of "I'm not having it..." My husband and I go together and do all our exercising at the same time so we can have an extra hour together rather than me waiting the 30 minutes until he is done with the Bo Flex.

Oh, did I mention that with the set up at the gym, I can plug my headphones into a jack which attaches to 9 televisions, so when my mind wanders and wants to go do something that, to me, is less boring, I can switch over to Law and Order, or the News, or Family Guy...It keeps me going and keeps me from realizing that yes, I DID just spend 36 minutes on the Arc T because I want to know what's going to happen with the current Law and Order case! There is simply no way I can have this set up at home.

As far as the germ thing goes...I work as an adviser to teens at a youth home setting and as a substitute teacher...the folks at the gym are WAY more conscientious about germs than the kids I work with on a daily basis...if I get sick, it's going to happen at work, and I know that.

I am a teacher so being around germs is nothing to me. That being said, the only reason I have ever joined a gym was for the pool (can't swim outside in winter). We have a gym in our basement that was stocked by purchasing the equipment from garage sales and the like. We spent maybe $200 for everything. I also like to ride the bike and take the dogs for a walk and on days like today nothing is better. Just my opinion.

I have very little immune system and found that I'm far too conscious of my own shortcomings around others. I wouldn't mind working out with others if I hadn't been a victim of locker room *****iness as a kid. Never having gotten over it, I find that swimming is a better fit. I do aquafit and enjoy the benefits of it but find the social end of it is a mixed blessing.

Since joining the gym I've been the healthier then ever- it could just be your gym.

The only time I've fallen ill was when I got stress caused tonsillitis (which was from pressure at work).

I love the gym! I have professional advice easy to hand, I've never felt pressured or been looked at. Not to mention if I need to stop (for what ever reason) I'm not stuck in the middle of no where. Even better my performance is monitored and the encouragement from it is priceless!