With the swine flu hysteria circulating the world right now, we have doctors reminding us to wash our hands. Hmmm…dare comment? At the core, however, is a reminder to be mindful of keeping the good hygiene that our parents taught us: wash your hands before you eat, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze (better to do that on your sleeve than hand, though), keep your hands away from your eyes, ears, and nose, etc.

This is also a great time to remind ourselves or introduce ourselves to proper gym etiquette:

1. Don’t go to the gym, if you are sick. You may feel like you need to “sweat it out”, but be considerate of the people around you. Sweat it out where you won’t risk infecting others, even if you think you are not contagious.
2. Wipe down the equipment after you are done using it. Many gyms have bottles of Simple Green or disinfecting wipes for you to wipe down the (specifically, cardio) equipment before/after you use it.
3. Bring a workout towel if your gym does not provide them. You may lay it on the seats/pads/mats of the equipment you are using. (I have a very bad/gross memory of skin irritation on my back that, incidentally, cleared up after I stopped using the common gym mats.)
4. To prevent infection, avoid touching your face while working out; wash your hands first.
5. Wash your hands when you are finished exercising.
6. Wash your workout clothes between wears. Workout clothes should not be “recycled”. You should have a fresh set every time you go to the gym. (It’s true, some people need to be told.)
7. Although this tip does not apply to hygiene, it’s an often forgotten rule of etiquette-leave your cell phone in your locker. If absolutely necessary, take your phone call outside.

If you have more to add to this list, I invite you to comment below.

Also, Noelle Katai, of Vim Essentials has a great recipe for a non-toxic hand sanitizer that kills only the harmful bacteria on contact. Check out her blog at http://www.vimessentials.com/vimblog.