WEDNESDAY, MAY 08, 2024
Francisco Colaço
With the lockdown guidelines put in place to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus being eased and more and more people venturing outdoors, gyms across the world, too, are beginning to reopen their doors — even as the virus continues to infect thousands every day.
In the United States, gyms in North Carolina and certain counties of Pennsylvania remain closed. Arizona has paused gym reopenings until late July, and California’s governor just rolled back gym reopenings due to new spikes in COVID cases. Yet, most states have allowed the reopening of gyms and fitness facilities with a variety of safety measures and limits on how many people can be inside.
While most gyms in India are slowly welcoming members back, closer home in Goa, gym owners have been urging the government to allow them to reopen their fitness centres by promising to strictly adhere to Covid-19 protocols.
So, are you struggling with quarantine weight gain and can't wait to hit the gym again? Or do you worry that an indoor workout in a cooped up fitness centre could make you more susceptible to COVID-19?
Science so far tells us that the novel coronavirus doesn’t spread through sweat. And, a widely cited Norwegian study found no increase in COVID infections among gym-goers who regularly washed their hands and followed social distancing measures.
Does this mean it's safe to head back to the gym? Not exactly. Experts say they can be one of the dirtiest places you can go to, and considering the number of pieces of equipment and spaces there are, there is a high risk of the infection passing on from one individual to another.
Gym equipment also can be difficult to sanitise. Dumbbells and kettle bells, for instance, “are high-touch metal, with strange shapes and many different places people can grasp,” said DrDeverick Anderson, a professor of medicine and director of the Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
Before deciding, consider a few core questions:
•Are you or anyone you live with over the age of 65 or at risk of severe illness? The risk of getting a serious infection from COVID-19 increases with age and certain medical conditions.
•Do you and those you will be interacting with follow the same steps to prevent infection, such as wearing masks and washing hands?
•Can you maintain 6 feet of social distance at the gym in a reasonable way?
•How often will you need to share items such as free weights, barbells, resistance bands and yoga mats? Sharing is not caring during the pandemic.
If you do decide to go, call the gym and ask if reservations or online check-ins are required, as governments are bound to limit the gym capacity to 50 to 75 per cent.
While one-on-one workouts with a trainer in a studio might be okay when COVID safety measures are followed, high intensity exercise classes in confined spaces are the riskiest during the pandemic.
While you’re in the gym, you will need to pack a mask in your gym bag but you might not always need it. Masks can make it harder to breathe and might limit your workout’s intensity. They would also rapidly dampen during exercise, reducing their antimicrobial benefits.
To protect yourself from catching COVID-19 while at the gym, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend following these tips:
Don’t go to the gym if you’re sick.
Limit indoor group classes, especially vigorous ones such as cycling, Zumba and other high intensity programs. Low intensity classes, like yoga, don’t appear to spread the coronavirus as much as high intensity classes.
Follow social distancing rules when entering and exiting the gym.
Increase distancing as you increase the intensity of your workout. Vigorous activities increase the number of breaths you take, which could allow more respiratory droplets to collect in a room.
Wear a face covering when entering and exiting the gym or during low-exertion workouts.
Wipe down free weights, resistance bands, and gym equipment with disinfectant before use. You can catch COVID-19 if you touch a contaminated surface and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes. Gym staff should be cleaning items before and after each member.
Bring your own resistance bands and yoga mats. Many gyms have removed these items.
Use hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol before using machines and other gym equipment.
When you leave the gym, the best way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus or any germs is to properly and regularly wash your hands. After touching any gym equipment, and when you get home, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol. Toss your gym clothes in the washer, and don’t forget to disinfect any items you brought with you to the gym, such as yoga mats or resistance bands.
"What it comes down to is that the risks will never be zero,” Anderson said. But at the same time, “there are so many mental and physical health benefits” to working out.
Ultimately, the decision over whether to return to gyms as soon as they open will remain tricky and personal, depending to some extent on how each of us balances the benefits of exercise, risks of infection and any health fragilities among those we live with and would return to after working out.
Truly, it is better to be safe than sorry!
(Dr. Francisco Colaço is a seniormost consulting physician)
