It feels like it was only yesterday when we were stuffing our faces with food and enjoying time with our families. Last holiday season was the fourth year of being together since we had all been on lock-down from one of the world’s worse airborne viruses. Nevertheless, the weather is slowly breaking here in Maryland, and most of us are playing catch-up to get our “summer body” right. However, are we taking enough precautions to make sure that we are not sabotaging our environment and bodies in the long run?
We hit the gym to boost our health, build strength, and feel our best. But what happens if the very air we’re breathing during those intense workouts is doing the opposite? Gym air quality is often overlooked, but it plays a crucial role in our overall fitness experience and well-being. As clean as your gym may look, it is a HOTSPOT for airborne contaminates. While the most obvious culprit is shared equipment and machines ranging from the yoga mat to the water fountain, the one that you just cannot avoid is the air that we breathe.
Does your gym feel damp when you walk into it? Some people may think that it’s normal because of the locker rooms, showers, and saunas. However, it is not normal and is an easy indicator that your gym is a hangout spot for mold and bacteria. This is a red flag for your immune system. According to GymMaster.com, gym equipment can be contaminated with over 1 million germs per square inch, while free weights alone have 362 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Also, the cleaning chemicals that are sat next to the equipment, hoping that everyone will use it. Another red flag; and not just because everyone is coming in contact with it, but the harsh chemicals used to clean gym equipment and facilities can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. The last culprit that I would like to highlight is YOU. When we are doing these intense workouts, we exhale more CO2, which can build up in poorly ventilated spaces.
How do you know if your gym has poor air quality? -Monitor your own symptoms. Increased coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and an itchy throat or nose during moderate workouts are starter symptoms for long-term respiratory issues. Headaches, eye irritation and fatigue are far overlooked symptoms and results of poor air quality. Lastly, sneezing, runny nose, skin rashes or itching. You may have thought this was a normal reaction, on the other hand, your body is actually experiencing an allergic reaction. If you have experienced any of these, you should call Cosmos Air right away and give them your gym’s information. We want to know the issues you are experiencing and would be more than happy to provide the education and innovative solutions strategically fit for your gym’s size, location and crowd. Call Cosmos Air at 301-925-1604, your personal trainers in HVAC.
