Gym Unhealthy ?

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  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    I guess if you don't use the weights then not going to a gym isn't really an issue. You can run and do all that good stuff without a gym. If you're interested in weight training then just supplement with some additional vitamin C and D and wash your hands when you're done.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    I've totally gotten sick from gyms in the past. How could they not help pass all manner of bugs around? You've got recycled air, & people are releasing all kinds of things through breath and sweat; not everyone's conscientious about wiping down equipment; plus there's the die-hards who insist on going even with bronchitis.

    I spray & wipe things before and after using them, and try to avoid touching my face. (I'll wipe sweat off my face with a paper towel, or the inside of my shirt if I have to). I lather my hands for 20 seconds and use hot water as *soon* as I'm done and shower at home.

    I make myself forget this stuff to swim once a week (because of joints), but honestly, three out of the last six times I've gone, I've seen something disgusting in the pool. It's an effort. Not sure how much my flip flops protect me, but I wear them anyway :/
  • SunnyAndrsn
    SunnyAndrsn Posts: 369 Member
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    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.

    I finally broke down and joined the gym at work specifically for the weights. Of course, I pay only the taxes on the monthly fees--the monthly fees are waived for employees. I just can't seem to organize myself enough at home with resistance training. I need someone to yell at me and tell me what to do with resistance training.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    you're probably making yourself sick by using all those unnatural chemicals to wipe down everything you're afraid to touch
  • silentnemesis
    silentnemesis Posts: 45 Member
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    may just be broscience but I thought the more your body is exposed to germs, the stronger your immune system is? how's your immune system going to learn to fight germs if it's never seen one in it's life?

    like farmers and individuals in rural areas (exposed to germs constantly rather then a sterilized environment) have stronger immune systems in comparison to someone who lives in the city.

    also, I regularly go to the gym and I don't wipe down equipment before use (I will wipe it down for the sake of others afterwards) and I just wash my hands thoroughly after I'm done with my entire lifting session-- from grabbing the metal bars, etc, usually notice the dirt/sweat going down the drain.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    you're probably making yourself sick by using all those unnatural chemicals to wipe down everything you're afraid to touch

    Lol, nope. Just got sick of getting sick at the gym. (I'm not OCD outside of it, btw, and use eco products and/or vinegar at home)
  • peter236uk
    peter236uk Posts: 140 Member
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    I think i just prefer the fresh air I do not mind if its cold or wet, plus I am tight and paying a load of money out when i can exercise just as good when out in the fresh air for free
  • dominikaro
    dominikaro Posts: 86
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    I do both: gym and outdoors, and sometimes home. I know that gym is not the healthiest place to be in and I choose to go there anyways.

    Other thing is: watch those antibacterial gels that you're using. They might be causing your health problems.
  • NikkiDerrig386
    NikkiDerrig386 Posts: 1,096 Member
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    Personally I work out longer and harder at the gym. Living in Chicago I have to have a gym bc it gets too cold. It motivates me and gives me new ideas when I see what trainers do. Plus I have any machine or equipment at my expense. Also, germs dont bother me. We need germs for our immune system and they are everywhere. I clean the machines before and after I use them. That is good enough for me. To each their own but to me thats like saying "I am not going to the grocery store bc too many people touch the carts".
  • sexikc
    sexikc Posts: 153 Member
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    I go to the gym all the time and I dont get sick. People are saying it may just be your gym. I beg to differ. I think it is just you. You probably get sick from going ANYWHERE...and if not it may be something in the gym that affects YOU or or could just be a coincidence. I am a firm beliver in cold does not make us sick. Being cold does not make us sick.. It is the virus that makes you sick. if you are freezing cold...you wont get sick if there is no virus present. I think my immune system is great, so if my daughter's. Every kid in her class can be sick and she will somehow be the only one still well. My point is it is likely you...as you continue to improve your health and the more you are exposed to the gym(if it is the gym anyway)...your body will get accustomed and will protect itself.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    I have been going to the gym for years, and never got sick.

    Once I had kids that go to daycare...that's a different issue.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    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.

    Faking the sport??
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    I agree with those saying cold has nothing to do with anything; it's that it's the *same* air being pushed around, concentrating whatever's in it. What's different about the gym compared to other places is that you've got hot, wet areas that are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria.

    Also agree with avoiding antibacterial stuff, regular soap is fine for handwashing.
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
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    Many years ago, my dermatologist found that I had a fungus (sounds truly gross, doesn't it?) on my back that I picked up at the gym. I had to spray Tinactin on it for a month or so and it went away. At that time, I only cleaned the equipment when I was done using it. NOW i clean it before and after using it...every time. We have a circuit training area that has 10 machines and 10 steppers to be used in 30 minutes. In all my months of using it, I have seen maybe one other person cleaning them when they were done. It's just amazes me. And I also don't think people understand that you need to wipe it with a disinfectant...too many people I see wiping it down with the same sweaty towel that they wipe their faces with! That isn't cleaning the machine...that is just spreading your own sweat around!!! That being said...I just clean everything there, but I need to use it for all the equipment I don't have the room and $ for at home. I like to do my running/walking outdoors whenever possible, but I do live in FL and if I can't get out really early in the morning in the summer, I need the a/c at the gym.

    Also I take Vitamin C every day and haven't gotten a cold in 10 years or more (knock on wood).

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