3 Reasons Not To Go To A Commercial Gym If You Value Your Health

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When you think about getting fit and healthy, you immediately start committing to the gym. You’ll visit the one closest to you, and sign up for a contract to keep you motivated. Commercial gyms are packed full of people all hoping to achieve the same fitness goals as you. They’re a great place to start your journey, and will certainly see you on your way to better health, right?

Well, while the idea of a gym is perfectly fine, going to a commercial one can actually be harming your health in more ways than one. Not only that, but there are loads of negative sides to commercial gyms that just don’t make them worth your time or money. Building a home gym is more ideal for various reasons. To help you understand what I mean, here are a few reasons not to go to a commercial gym:

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There Are Germs Everywhere

Commercial gyms are probably the most unhygienic places on planet earth. I’d say you have less risk of catching diseases from your toilet seat than from a gym. As I said, they’re full of people just like you, all touching equipment and not washing their hands. People leave sweat marks on benches and machines, then don’t bother to disinfect them!

The simple fact is, you can’t be certain how hygienic everyone is in the gym. Some people may pop to the toilet and return without washing their hands. Plus, who knows what they’ve been doing all day before going to the gym. They could work in a germ-infested environment and then spread all their germs around the gym. If you care about your health, then a commercial gym is really not the best place to be. Especially if you have a weak immune system and often get sick easily.

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You’ll Probably Damage Your Hearing

One thing I hate about commercial gyms is how loud the music is in there. It’s bad enough that the music is normally awful anyway, and they play the same dance tunes over and over again. But, it seems like the idea is to just play music as loud as possible, making the gym feel like a nightclub. Obviously, it would be weird if they played no music, but they can at least compromise by turning the volume down a bit. Also, if you try and put on headphones, you usually have to turn the volume up excruciatingly high to drown out the sounds of the music on the speakers above your head.

I’ve often come back from the gym with my ears ringing, struggling to hear properly for an hour or two. It can’t be good for the health of your ears, it just can’t. I mean, granted, there are plenty of nice looking hearing aid styles these days, but I don’t quite want to end up wearing one just yet! I want to leave it as late as possible in my life before needing help with my hearing, and spending an hour in a commercial gym every day is a surefire way to blast your eardrums and cause permanent damage.

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They Can Trigger Allergic Reactions

If you suffer from any airborne allergies, then a commercial gym really isn’t the best place to be. I mentioned how they’re unhygienic because germs can spread very easily. Well, they’re also not very hygienic because half of them aren’t cleaned properly. As a result, many surfaces are very dusty, which can be an issue if you have allergies. Dust can trigger an allergic reaction, while also being bad for asthma sufferers. You could end up having an asthma attack because of the poor air quality in your commercial gym.

Speaking of the air quality, it doesn’t end with dust particles. Again, we go back to the fact that loads of other people use the gym. These people could have pets and carry their pet hair on their clothes. This makes it problematic once more for anyone with severe allergies. There have also been studies that show the air quality is very bad in gyms as there are loads of pollutants present in the atmosphere.

Now, I’m not trying to discourage you from getting fit and staying healthy. There are loads of great ways you can stay fit, without needing to set foot in a big commercial gym. Also, those two words are key ‘big’ and ‘commercial’. There are plenty of smaller, private, gyms that don’t present the same problems. What’s more, you can always workout at home, or look for other ideas that take you outside too. So, you can still achieve your fitness goals, just without the health risks associated with commercial gyms. Oh, and you’ll save money on gym contracts too!