Every year, tens of millions of people contract the flu and tens of thousands die from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’re one of the unfortunate ones to catch it, it could take a few days and up to two weeks to get back to normal.
While it’s always good to consciously prevent the spread of germs, people often take extra precautions from October to May (the time span when flu cases are at their highest). This should be no different when you’re at the gym. Unfortunately, though, most gym rats aren’t that sanitary to begin with. You’ve probably seen countless people neglect to clean their sweat off a machine when they’re done with it, or watched someone wipe their nose in their hands and proceed to curl some dumbbells. Gross.
Add in the guy who always has to workout no matter what, even when he’s hacking up a lung, and your Iron Paradise can quickly turn into a haven for germs. Next thing you know, you’re in bed with a 102-degree fever and missing out on some precious gains.
To help you survive this flu season with your killer body intact and your immune system untouched, we spoke with Dr. Waleed Javaid, MD, director of Infection Prevention and Control at Mount Sinai Downtown, about germs and the gym.
During this time of year, Javaid says, people suffering the common cold may believe they’ve come down with influenza. Both have similar symptoms, but the difference between the two is in the intensity of the coughs and aches.
A few tips for figuring out which one you might have: People with colds rarely get fevers, while it’s common for those with the flu to have a high temperature; if your symptoms emerge abruptly, rather than gradually, you probably have the flu; and a headache is rare in most cold cases.
Instead of WebMD’ing your symptoms, Javaid suggests seeing a doctor to get diagnosed. The result will determine whether you stay home or can hit the gym.
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If it’s the flu, stay home.
Just a cold? Great! Javaid says you can continue lifting at the gym. “People often say they feel better after exercise, so it might even help,” he added.
If you’ve got the flu, though, the doctor’s advice is to stay home. “If you’re lifting a lot of heavy weights, that’s going to make your body really tired,” Javaid says. “And that could make you even a little more ill.” A study in Research in Sports Medicinesimilarly stated that athletes with viral infections such as the flu were more susceptible to chronic fatigue syndrome, which could lead to dire consequences for your body. But it’s not just for your safety, Javaid says.Â
“You wouldn’t want to be around a sick person if you were healthy,” he stated. “So why would you go to the gym if you were sick?” In other words, be considerate. Take however long you need to get back to normal.
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“But I’ll just sweat it out.”
There’s a common myth that you can sweat out what ails you. This probably won’t work, Javaid says.
“I’m not aware of any studies that prove this,” he says. Additionally, if you do have the flu and are running a fever, sweating could make it even worse and cause you to be sick longer.
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See a sick person? Remove yourself, or them, from that space.
You’re healthy and symptom-free, but the bro benching next to you has been coughing up a storm. What do you do? The best thing, Javaid says, is to remove yourself from that environment — go try a different machine.
Or, better yet, ask for them to be removed. Yes, we’re encouraging you to talk to the manager.
“Tell a gym employee and ask for that person to be removed,” Javaid says. “He or she could potentially get many people sick.” It’s a no-brainer, but Javaid says that steering clear of people who are showing signs of the flu is the best way to make sure their germs don’t get on you.
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Wipe down machines
If you’re a longtime reader, we shouldn’t have to tell you this. Laying in someone else’s sweat is disgusting, but it’s not perspiration you have to worry about — it’s all the sneeze and cough particles that could be on the bench or seat.
Javaid says that even if a sick person isn’t sneezing near your machine, there’s still a good chance their saliva, mucus, or other fluids could be on it. He pointed to an MIT study that showed sneezes don’t produce a simple spray of germs, but a “complex fluid cascade.” Yeah, lovely image.
To put the study into English, when a person sneezes, they launch a sheet of fluid that breaks apart in different directions. The example researchers give is that it’s similar to paint being flung through the air — droplets aren’t just going to go in one direction. That means the equipment in front of, to the left, and right of that sick person must be wiped down with sanitary wipes before you start your set.
But again, you already do that, right? OK, good.
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Get vaccinated.
You know the basics: wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and so on. These are all great tips, Javaid says, but the No. 1 way to prevent catching the flu is to get vaccinated.
“Getting the influenza vaccination is imperative,” he says. Besides visiting your doctor, you can also get the vaccine at most major pharmacies. He stresses, though, that even those who get a flu shot can still get flu-like symptoms such as coughing, headaches, or fever.
