Philadelphia Best

Should you wipe down your gym yoga mat to avoid germs?
He says in a blog post: “Making skin contact with a dirty yoga mat covered in germs
and bacteria can lead to skin infections, acne, toenail fungus and even transfer of the herpes virus and staph and strep infections in susceptible individuals.”
Meanwhile, a study in Sexual Health, a medical journal, also found a low risk of getting human papilloma
virus (HPV), an infection which can lead to genital warts, by using unclean bike seats at the gym.
Sue Millward, Nuffield Health’s lead for infection prevention, who monitors hygiene in its 111 gyms, says staff wipe mats
and exercise equipment at the beginning and end of each day.
The best way to avoid getting ill from the gym is to accept
that you will be picking up germs during a workout – and wash your hands and kit afterwards, says hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley.
Busier gyms do get cleaned more often, but Ms Millward says Nuffield also puts
up signs to encourage members to wipe down equipment once they are finished.
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Any polite gym-goer will wipe down a spinning bike or weight machine after a sweaty workout
to stop the spread of germs, so should people do the same for communal yoga mats?
But GP Dr Rankin insists the risk of catching a more serious infection from a mat or seat is “vanishingly rare” and tells people not to worry.

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