towels at the gym?

[Anonymous]

how many of you use the towels at the gym? i am not a germ phobe or anything, but my cousin recently had a MRSA infection and now i am worried about these kinds of things. also, i take dd swimming at the gym and now i am concerned that i shouldn't use the towels for her. but then i think--if i bring my own towels, maybe they will pick up whatever germs are floating around the gym....

[Anonymous]

Yes, you are going to get germs from others in those types of environments.

Just shower immediately after working out.

The towels should be fresh from the laundry, right? I wouldn't worry about them as much as the sweat left on the machines...

[zumbamama]

I use them. An important thing to look at when joining the gym is how active their cleaning staff is. I have to admit, at my gym, customer service is lacking, but the cleaning staff is awesome. They are always wiping down equipment, folding freshly washed towels, wiping down sinks, etc. I think as long as you shower with soap, you'll be ok. There's probably way more germs on the metro....I'm more weirded out about germs there.

[Anonymous]

I am not a germaphobe, but MRSA does scare me after seeing a friend battle through several horrible infections (but none gym-related). The gym cleaning people do their job, but there is only so much they can do.

I bring my own towel, but it's just a preference and not because of germ concerns specifically. I have MRSA concerns about the mats, machines, and hand grips, which are totally gross and get sweat spots - but my little towel doesn't and can't prevent all contact.

So instead I am super careful about not touching my face and then washing my hands with soap and hot water before I leave the gym. The rest I just hope my immune system will take care of (plus, of course, never having any exposed cuts). And the risk of getting the flu or a cold from the gym is obviously far more likely - all those people huffing and puffing, coughing, etc. in a closed space. But like a PP said, it can't be much worse than the metro!