Many parts of the country are opening up, which means droves of people with their newly acquired COVID-bods are eager to hit the gym to reverse what months of solitude have wrought. As much as that is a top priority, don’t forget that we are still in a pandemic and the risk of infection is still high. There is no shortage of stories of people returning to normal too fast and getting sick (this is a good one), so take some precautions before heading to the gym.
Let’s start with an easy one, wear a mask. We don’t understand why this is such a controversial stance, but it shouldn’t be. After four months of lockdowns we are barely any closer to understanding this virus or how to treat it, and that is not encouraging. People say that wearing a mask doesn’t do anything (wrong) or that it doesn’t protect them (somewhat right). Wearing a mask is more about protecting others from you, than protecting you. Short of wearing something heavy-duty, most masks are not filtering out enough material to protect you, but should you cough or sneeze it will prevent quite a bit from getting out. You may be inclined to say that you aren’t sick so you don’t have to wear one, but considering that most people can transmit COVID-19 while being asymptomatic and the idea that the more people that don’t wear masks means more people can transmit, just wear one.
“But I can’t workout with a mask!” There is literally a whole section of fitness products designed to encourage you to wear a mask during your workout. Hypoxia training has been around for decades and is based on the concept of mimicking high altitude training through oxygen deprivation via wearing a mask. There are countless masks for bikers to wear to limit the amount of air pollution that they are exposed to during their urban rides. We are not mentioning these to sell you them, but to let you know that it is more than possible to exercise while wearing a mask, it’s just a matter of finding one that will be comfortable. (In fact the NFL is experimenting with COVID-19 resistant helmets that will cover up the entire facemask.)
Another step you can take is to carry some disinfectant wipes with you. Hopefully your gym is a clean one and will take steps, but there is a likelihood that whatever you end up touching was recently touched by somebody else. To be clear, it isn’t touching that is of concern, but COVID-19 is transmitted through sputum and with all of the heavy breathing and grunting, there may be some unwanted spray laying around (to see the effect of a sneeze check out this clip from the show Mythbusters). Wiping down a bench or bar is a quick step that may kill some unwanted remnants from their previous user.
Something else that may be a departure for some would be to focus on working out, not socializing. We are not back to normal, and while a trip to the gym is also an opportunity to catch up with friends, for now, just work out. Remember why you are going, to try to get back into shape there will be time later to catch up with everybody. Stay in the areas that you want to use and try not to wander around too much. You may even find that your workouts improve with eliminating the socializing between sets.
This all may seem silly, but it’s not. Gyms want you back as much as you want to go back and some are getting very creative (this one installed plastic pods). Getting active again is a great choice to get healthy, but don’t let your ego get into the way of staying healthy. Wearing a mask, wiping things down, and being efficient with your time are not high prices to pay to not get sick.
