BE AWARE!!! Germs at the GYM

IF SOMEONE HAS a common cold, it's common courtesy that he work out at home. Any crowded communal space is a giant petri dish for germs, especially the cold-causing rhinovirus. At gyms, factor in dozens of shared surfaces, damp locker rooms, and towels that stand up on their own-and the place you visit for optimal health may send you to bed for a week.

The main culprit is the common sneeze, a projectile that launches 100,000 infectious particles at an initial velocity of 200 miles an hour. "Put your hand to your mouth when you sneeze, and you've got a handful of virus," says Chuck Gerba, Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. "Some of them survive for days on surfaces."

Bacteria and viruses play hopscotch on barbells, dumbbells and weight plates. Do 12 reps, touch your finger to your eye, and you've got a cold. "Our studies show that a person in a room with a cold coats 30 percent of the room's surfaces with viruses," says Gerba. "You literally pick up colds on your fingers." The most effective germ spreaders? Bicycle and stairclimber grips.

A gym's wet areas can also be rife with virus. "Taps, sinks and water fountains are some of the most heavily contaminated sites," says Gerba. Doorknobs leading out of locker rooms are comparatively clean, since most people wash their hands before leaving, but knobs leading in have tenfold the contamination.

Wiping down equipment between sets helps, however wiping down equipment is really dependent on effort, and we all know how that goes when someone is rushing through a workout. Most individuals hit the top of the bench or seat and move on. It's the not so easy areas but very common areas that get you.

Some good advise is to avoid touching your fingers to your face. And wash your hands with hot soap and water frequently and thoroughly during cold and flu season. Don't forget your flip-flops when walking in locker rooms; they'll help protect you from fungal infections that cause athlete's foot. Know that your gym bag is prime territory for a germ rave, make sure you have it disinfected often. And finally talk to your gym owner about how they sanitize and disinfect the gym. You are going there to get healthier right?