Wednesday, January 23, 2013

At last! A good reason not to go to The Club.

Image Credit: naturallyfreerd.com
For years I have been searching for a good excuse to skip working out. I finally have my wish, but would not with it on anyone else (not even my EX!). My 24-Karet excuse is the flu. If you have it stay home. In fact, stay home for at least 24-hours after your fever is truly gone, not simply controlled by Aspirin.

The flu virus can stay on surfaces for a few minutes or up to 24-hours, according to WebMD. And MayoClinic states that hard surfaces such as stainless steel or plastics keep germs longer than soft surfaces such as paper or cloth. A study in 2007 found that 60 percent of healthy volunteers picked up a cold virus from hand contact an hour after it had been swabbed onto a light switch. Eighteen hours later, the transmission rate was cut in half. Oh no! Does this mean we should stay away from The Club until flu season is over in March or April?

For those of you who are still flu-less, or clueless like I was in catching the virus, there are ways to keep healthy while working out at The Club.

The virus can be destroyed with several cleaning solutions such as chlorine bleach (4 TBSP / gallon), a 2 percent concentrate of Hydrogen Peroxide, or a solution of more than 60 percent alcohol. Baking, boiling water, UV rays, or soap and water are also effective. The cleaning solution we use in The Club and place in containers for your use are The Club will also kill germs on contact. It contains safe chemicals often used in hospitals to sanitize implements and surfaces.

When we hand you a cardio towel at check-in, put some of the cleaning liquid on your towel and wipe any surface you are going to be touching such as the handles of treadmills and buttons on screens. Wipe surfaces again after using the equipment. Do not, however, wipe the sweat off your face or body with our red towels. Instead, bring a personal towel.

Our cleaning solution kills all bacteria. There are thousands of different species of bacteria. Only about a hundred of them are harmful to humans. The other, much larger group, is needed to help us stay healthy, and staying healthy is the most important reason we come to the Club and work out.

If you are suffering with a cold or flu, there are some helpful things to do to keep your loved ones from coming down with it.
  • Assign a sick room and stay in it.
  • Do not let others in.
  • Set up a hand sanitizing station at the room's entry.
  • If you must share space with others, wear a mask.
  • If you are lucky enough to have two bathrooms, assign one as your "sick bathroom".
  • Use disposable utensils, dishes and glasses. Most dishwashers do not reach the temperature required to kill viruses, says Frank Singleton, Director of the Lowell Health Department.
  • Do not share the same tube of toothpaste.
  • Do not use bar soap and sponges, but do wash your hands! Handwashing is the most important thing you can do. Do it often and be thorough. The viruses can live on your skin for hours.
  • Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth, vulnerable entries into your system.
Rest and join me again at The Club as soon as your are well and able. No Excuse! The sauna and steam room are great after our Group Active or Group Core class and will have you feeling like a million bucks. In this economy, that's priceless. Just don't let the gov. know or he'll find a way to tax it!