Why EVERYONE needs to have better hygiene in the gym
You could be giving people HPV, even if you don’t show any symptoms of having it.
Since I started my journey in April, I must have attended the gym hundreds of times. I currently go to a Sports Direct Gym, and unlike most gyms I’ve been to in the past they put a real emphasis on hygiene. Most of their customers seem to ignore it — and that made me concerned. If a gym that’s pushing hygiene is failing to effectively encourage this behaviour, what is the hygiene like for people at gyms who are NOT encouraging this behaviour?
You might not have the physical symptoms of HPV, but you could be easily carrying and spreading it. Everyone is at risk of getting it, and we all need to do better to protect ourselves and others from it.
But what is HPV?
My First Encounter
When I was 17 I decided that I wanted to lose weight, so I signed up for my local gym. I would turn up every couple of days and use the rowers, the treadmills, the cross trainers — whatever. It was pretty half hearted, and I had no idea what I was doing.
A few months into my time there I noticed a small growth developing on my finger. I would later find out that this growth on my finger was a wart (also known as HPV, Human Papilloma Virus). Because it was only small I didn’t think much of it, but before I knew it, it was pretty noticable.
Warts aren’t going to kill you, but it doesn’t mean you want them. It affected my confidence and made me feel like I was unclean. They’re unsightly and embarrassing, especially considering when you’re younger the type of warts you hear about most are usually related to STI’s. I would start to hide my hands whenever possible, because I didn’t want people to see. Why oh why did I let it get bigger? Well, I did, and it did, and now I had to get rid of it.
I tried some wart removal products. I tried acid, I tried freezing it, but because of its size it was too painful and raw — and I couldn’t get deep enough into the wart to kill it. So I opted for an Intense Pulsed Light treatment instead. So for a few hundred pounds, my dad would drive to Chester every few weeks and I would have a slightly uncomfortable treatment on my hand; it was quite painful, smelt like burning — but sure enough eventually it disappeared. I never thought about where it may have came from, but thank god that was over!
I eventually stopped going to the gym. Another try, another failed attempt. And it wasn’t until almost 8 years later when I started going to the gym frequently again, that I encountered HPV for a second time.
My Second Encounter
In April this year I started at a Sports Direct Gym. Since the last time I went to the gym, the fitness market has gotten a lot more affordable. There are now thousands of gyms, and for next to nothing you get free classes, swimming, saunas, steam rooms and more, sometimes for under £15!
This didn’t however stop the one issue I’d encountered before. Within a few months of starting the gym, yet again I found myself with a wart growing on my finger. Luckily this time I was determined not to let it grow larger. I blasted that fucker to hell with Bazooka before it even had a chance to grow, and luckily within a week it was gone. It was pretty painful, but worth it.
I didn’t think I’d ever experience this again — and here I was! What were the chances of me getting another one, shortly after joining a gym again?
Well, pretty good chances, actually.
Quick Facts About HPV
- 1 in 10 people will have visible warts at any one time
- You can spread HPV, even if you’ve never had, or don’t currently have, visible warts
- Contrary to popular belief, they can be spread by touching objects that have been touched by people with HPV
- HPV can lie dormant for months before a wart appears
- Warts can stay on your body for years if untreated
- The majority of warts appear on peoples hands
- Having cuts or cracks in your skin can increase your chances of becoming infected
You might be reading this and thinking “Uh, this is so dramatic, it’s just a wart”, but in our ever increasingly image and health concious world, can you tell me you don’t care about having visible warts? Nuh uh.
Emphasis On Hygiene
Despite the profit margins getting thinner for gyms, Sports Direct were clearly on a mission to keep a high standard of hygiene at their facilties. They have signs up asking people to wipe down their machines after use, clips showing frequently on the TVs throughout the gym — and the most important thing they did, which I’ve never seen before, was making it as easy as possible for you to clean your equipment.
The Hygiene Company are a facilities management company that provide antibacterial cleaning stations, making hygiene easy and accessible; and Sports Direct have implemented their Hand and Handle Wet Wipe Station in their gyms.
I found this such a simple and effective idea; having these wet wipe stations scattered about the gym make it so easy to grab a few and wipe down your equipment after use. For the gyms they’re not neccesarilly cheap to maintain, but I don’t think any gym in the world has an excuse for not having a solution like this in place.
The amount of times I’ve seen people wipe down machines with their SWEATY TOWEL or a dry blue roll is something I’d rather not think about. Then multiply that by however many people use that equipment inbetween proper cleanings! Yuck!
The sad thing about Sports Direct implementing this nice feature in their gyms, is that some people still don’t use them. Which is lazy, and inexusable. So, here’s the takeaway.
GYMS — You need to do better at making it easy for people to clean their equipment!
Make it easy for users and it’s less work for you. Make a point about hygiene being a priority for your gym!
GYM USERS — You need to be a more considerate user of these facilities!
I’ve become accustomed to cleaning the equipment BEFORE aswell as after I’ve used it, and even that didn’t stop me from getting HPV! So we all need to try a little harder!
Gym owners — click the link below to learn more about Hand & Handle!
Gym users — copy the link below to share this article with the manager of your gym! Tell them about Hand & Handle!
I managed to get rid of them a second time, and I’m literally considering wearing gloves in the gym it bothers me that much, haha. So, if you’re one of these people who doesn’t clean your gym equipment properly, please change now and please keep your warts away from me!
Tom x
