HOUSTON — Health experts say there are pros and cons to gyms being back open.
A pro: exercise does a body good.
A con: going to the gym puts people at a greater risk of contracting the coronavirus.
“The gym is a germy place under the best of circumstances. People are breathing heavily – hopefully, that’s why you’re there – so they may be expelling more virus and farther,” said Catherine Troisi, an epidemiologist with UTHealth School of Public Health.
She recommends exaggerated social distancing.
The CDC only says gloves are only necessary when cleaning or caring for the sick, but Gov. Greg Abbott’s Office has suggested gymgoers wear a mask and gloves as an added layer of protection.
Troisi says don’t let covering your hands give you a false sense of security.
“There’s a possibility of contaminating surfaces because if you touch something that has the virus on it, it’s going to stick to the gloves. You think you’re protected, but you’ve touched something else and you can contaminate that,” Troisi said.
She recommends washing or sanitizing your hands frequently to stay safe at the gym. If you do wear gloves, you should avoid touching the outside of the gloves when you remove them. Keep in mind, throwing dirty gloves in your bag may spread germs to the rest of your belongings.
“Maybe the best thing to do is throw a plastic bag in your gym bag that you can keep your gloves in,” Troisi said.
Ideally, you throw soiled gloves away. If they’re reusable, you should wash them. The most important step is washing your hands with soap when the gloves come off.
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