How to Stay Safe When You Get Back to the Gym
Now that gyms are reopening, it’s tempting to come back. However, just because you can do something does not necessarily mean that you should . Therefore, before making a decision, it is important to think about the relative degree of risk that this decision entails.
“It’s important to remember that we have a spectrum [of risk],” says Ellie Murray , an epidemiologist at Boston University . “As cases open up, what risk are you personally willing to take?”
It is important to understand well what this level of risk is so that you can make an informed decision that is safe for you and the people around you. So, if you are thinking about heading back to the gym for a workout, here are a few key factors to consider.
Small group activities tend to carry a higher risk
As Murray points out, in general, small group sessions will pose the greatest risk, especially if the session is held indoors, simply because it brings you closer to contact with other people who breathe out forcibly.
According to a recent report, the only dance fitness workshop in South Korea attended by instructors who continued to teach multiple classes while being contagious has resulted in 112 infections . Transmission was thought to increase due to the fact that several people are in a small space, combined with the airflow during aerobic movements, which means that everyone breathes each other’s contaminated air.
Outdoors, small group fitness activities may be a little safer as it gives you more room to maintain a safe distance and also fresh air, but it is still a workout option that comes with a lot of risk.
“The worry is how far you are from other people and how many other people are in space,” Murray says. When it comes to the correct distance to maintain, the greater the distance the better, with Murray recommending that people aim for 10 to 12 feet of space as exercise tends to force us to exhale with more force.
Pay attention to your gym equipment and sanitizer.
When it comes to working out in the gym, the environment is important, as well as the availability of sanitary supplies such as sanitizing wipes. There should be enough room in the gym so you can maintain the correct distance, and it is also very important that you pay attention to what you touch and make sure that it is sanitized after every person uses it.
Disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer should be available at all times in gyms. It’s also a good idea to ask about their disinfection schedule as well as what protocols they have in case an employee gets sick. However, you do not want to depend on a person to disinfect equipment; wipe everything down before using.
May be safer outdoors than indoors
If you’re looking at the turnstiles in your local park or thinking about doing push-ups on a park bench, it might be safer outside than indoors because more fresh air circulates here. Generally speaking, the more fresh air circulates in the room, the better, as this means that people are not breathing each other’s contaminated air.
“If you are in a relatively small room, these particles will be in the air during your workout,” says Murray.
For indoor workouts, it is helpful to have an open window, although, as Murray warns, having a fan may not be the best solution if all it does is recirculate the air that everyone else breathes. “Our goal is to circulate in the fresh air,” says Murray.
If you are considering using a bar in the park, you need to bring hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes with you. As with anything, it is important to stay at least six feet away from everyone else.
Consider other factors when heading to the gym.
When heading to the gym, you need to think about more than exercise equipment. When you are there, will you use the locker room to change? What about a shower or a sauna? Do you need a bathroom? The more surfaces you touch in the gym, the higher the risk.
“Public toilets are really something we’re all going to think about very carefully,” says Murray.
Therefore, if you are going to the gym, try to reduce the total amount of time you spend in the gym, as well as the number of different surfaces that you can come into contact with. So it’s a good idea to skip the sauna and, if you can, come in your gym clothes and wait until you get home to change.
“In any case, we all live in sportswear,” says Murray.
Be aware of long-term goals when assessing risk
When deciding whether to return to the gym, it is important to think about this issue holistically. If getting back to the gym really matters to you, are there other areas in your life where you can reduce your overall risk?
For example, if going to the grocery store or restaurant is not important to you, you may want to opt for take-out grocery delivery instead, to reduce your overall risk. You may be able to do some of your workouts at home, only going to the gym on days when you need to use certain equipment. Risk is not an all-or-nothing principle; it is a spectrum.
Whatever actions you take to reduce your overall level of risk will be important in the weeks and months ahead, so it’s worth considering what’s important to you and what the alternatives are. It’s also important to remember that gyms will close anyway if we’re not careful.
“Discovery will only work if we can keep transmission low,” Murray says. “If we can control our transmission, we can potentially remain open throughout the summer.”