Go to the gym, they said. It keeps you healthy, they said. But does it? Sure, regular exercise is essential and getting in 30 minutes or more a day can prevent heart disease, strokes and excess weight. It's flu season though, and while there are more germs around than usual, the gym is a pretty germy environment on any given day. Making sure to wipe down equipment after you use it is just proper gym etiquette but not everyone does that. Recently, the Today show looked at the typical places in gyms where germs are waiting to attack
Using swabs and a meter that detects bacteria, one famous gym had dangerous levels of bacteria on the free weights and the floor mats. Gyms present a two-fold hazard, one is the presence of bacteria from sweat and skin contact, and the other is the fact that most people will wipe their eyes, touch their nose or mouth, and then the germs make their way into the body? Which machine was the worst offender for bacteria? The treadmill. Since it has handles and lots of buttons to control it, everyone who uses it touches it in several places. The bacteria level on the machine in this video was more than 20 times the acceptable levels. Maybe taking a walk in the park would be better?