Keep it clean

The point of going to the gym is to get healthy, not sick. However, when you take into account what types of germs and viruses are stuck to gym equipment (from respiratory syncytial virus to strep bacterium), one can't help but wonder if being fit is worth not being healthy.

Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to make your gym visit safer. No, I'm not talking about refraining from making a crack about the gigantic guy in the MC Hammer-style balloon pants -- although, keeping your opinion to yourself will definitely make things safer. Rather, I'm talking about much more pedestrian ways of safeguarding your health, such as cleaning each workout station before and after using it. Most gyms provide spray bottles of disinfectant and paper towels for this very purpose.

Another option is to carry around a clean towel with you and use it to create a barrier between your body and a piece of equipment. For example, you can drape it over a bench before lying down to perform a set of presses. Just be sure to dump this towel into the laundry basket -- along with your gym clothes -- as soon as you get home from the gym (providing that the towel wasn't the property of the gym, in which case you've just stolen a towel ... a dirty one, at that).

Staving off germs and infection at the gym requires a little extra work, but all said and done, it will barely impact your workout. What it will impact greatly, however, is your overall health, which is why taking the extra couple of minutes to protect yourself is so very worth your time.