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The Germiest Places in the Gym

The 5 Germiest Places in the Gym (and How to Protect Yourself)

November 9, 2012

Public Mats

The Germiest Places in the Gym

Source: Thinkstock

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by Michele Foley 2

It's kind of ironic that the gym is one of the germiest places a person can encounter in their day-to-day routine — fitness centers are where we go to get healthy! But numerous studies confirm that gyms are crawling with cold and flu viruses, the staph bacteria MRSA, and other bacteria and virus strains that can lead to skin or respiratory infections. Before you freak out and cancel your gym membership, we've rounded up which areas of the gym have the highest concentration of germs and how to protect yourself from them.

1 / 7

by Michele Foley 2

It's kind of ironic that the gym is one of the germiest places a person can encounter in their day-to-day routine — fitness centers are where we go to get healthy! But numerous studies confirm that gyms are crawling with cold and flu viruses, the staph bacteria MRSA, and other bacteria and virus strains that can lead to skin or respiratory infections. Before you freak out and cancel your gym membership, we've rounded up which areas of the gym have the highest concentration of germs and how to protect yourself from them.

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2 Comments

Grace Hitchcock 27 weeks 1 day

Such a germ infested space! Will definitely be using these tips as I try to stay healthy this season!

lyndsayelle 1 year 31 weeks

EWWW. So glad Crunch has wipes by the machines! But they do use the mats back to back :(