I have been thinking lately about the subject of what kind of “things” you can pick up when you are at the gym. That ends up being the place where I spend the most time touching other objects that other people have recently touched.

When you add to it that people are working out and perspiring, that increases the likelihood of coming into contact with someone else’s bodily fluids. This is one of the ways that cold and flu viruses can be transmitted.

I really don’t want to raise any alarms here, it’s just a fact of living in society that we come into contact with minute amounts of mucous, saliva, and perspiration on a daily basis whenever we come into contact with something someone else has touched. This happens whether we want to or not, whether we like it or not. It’s not just at the gym either - whenever we go to the grocery store or even get our mail, someone else has come into contact with the shopping cart or our mail before we have.

Fortunately, most of us have an immune system that works pretty well. If not, we would not be able to live normal lives and survive. There are those who have severe immune system deficiencies who have to take extraordinary steps to avoid any kind of bacteria or virus - think “boy in the bubble” syndrome.

Of course, there are some simple steps you can take to improve your chances of not catching anything contagious. Wash your hands often, especially after using the restroom. I know some people go overboard on that one, but I won’t go into that here.

When I’m working out at the gym, I try to avoid touching my eyes, nose or mouth. These are the major places where bacteria and viruses can enter the body. Typically a gym will provide clean towels for your workout, so use one of those to wipe your face when necessary.

Be sure to wash your hands after your workout. If you don’t then you increase the possibility that you will transmit anything picked up at the gym to the steering wheel in your car as you drive home, and then to anything in your home that you may touch before you take a shower.

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