How to Skip the Germy Gym and Still Stay Fit

A while ago I wrote an article about whether or not you should exercise while you are sick. During the current COVID-19 outbreak, it seems like a good time to review. 

In my article, we learned that while regular exercise can boost your immune system, exercising too hard or for too long can actually impair your immune system, at least temporarily. We also learned a good guideline called the “neck check.” This guideline tells us that if your symptoms are mainly above the neck (stuffy nose, sore throat), you can continue to work out. If you symptoms stray below your neck (body aches, chest congestion), you should skip the workout and get some rest.

If you're sick, stay the heck home. Don’t go to the gym and cough and sneeze all over the gear and your fellow exercisers.

And most importantly, if you're sick (whether it is above or below the neck), stay the heck home. Don’t go to the gym and cough and sneeze all over the gear and your fellow exercisers. Do the polite thing and work out at home or, weather permitting, exercise outside where the fresh air will whisk your germs away. 

Aside from looking after yourself and looking after your fellow exercisers, there are a few other important considerations to keep in mind as well. Here are three important ones from the World Health Organization (WHO). 

1. Maintain social distancing

Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) of distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. 

According to the WHO, when someone coughs or sneezes, they spray tiny liquid droplets from their nose or mouth. Those droplets may contain a virus if the person is contagious. If you're too close, you can inhale the droplets. 

For some of you, this intel may be enough to keep you out of a gym setting altogether. For some of us, it means we'll choose which area of the gym we're willing to use. Occasionally, seeing someone who appears sick at the gym might dictate how quickly we turn around and head back home.

2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

Let’s face it, our hands touch many surfaces and pick up bacteria and viruses—that’s just how it goes. Once your hands are contaminated, they can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose, or mouth. And from there, according to the WHO, the virus can enter your body and do its best to make you sick. 

I keep my hands away from my face at the gym because no matter how diligent I am at wiping the equipment down, there's always some clown who isn’t as meticulous. So...

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