This story originally appeared on GoodHousekeeping.com, written by Amy Roberts.
This year is different. You’ve decided to stick to your work out plan, and you got a gym membership to stay motivated. What you may not have bargained for: The risk of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin infection-causing germs. No, that’s not an excuse to be a couch potato. Thankfully, most people have healthy immune protections and do fine. But you should take some precautions. Here are the most common places those germs lurk – and how you can stay healthy.
1) Dumbbells and free weights
The biggest risk in gyms are ‘common touch surfaces’ – things that people touch with their hands. Hand weights and barbells are among the most handled items in a health club, and are likely carriers of everything from the common cold to influenza to gastrointestinal infections. Your best defence: Carry a pack of surface sanitizing wipes and wipe as you go from one piece of equipment to the next.
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