5 Hygiene Habits You Need to Follow Before and After a Workout

You seem to have everything worked out well when it comes to exercising. You have a proper nutrition and workout plan in place. You are a stickler for pre and post workout hydration and nutrition. You also get adequate sleep, you are doing everything that’s essential for a strong immunity, yet you often catch cold and have skin problems? What could be going wrong?Daniel Vaz, marathon coach on NIVEA Men Expert Panel, explains, “It could be that you are unaware of some simple post workout hygiene mistakes that you’ve been making. There are microscopic organisms lurking in workout areas that are potentially unhealthy. These germs and fungi cause painful skin conditions like athlete’ foot, ring worm, jock itch etc. Besides, allergens and the cold virus have a larger presence in the closed quarters of workout spaces. Also with sweat streaming down your body and drenching your clothes there are bacteria that feed on sweat, causing body odour. “He suggests five tips on how to safeguard against unhealthy environments in workout spaces.

1. Use a towel to wipe off sweat from your face and hands instead of using the back of your hand. This reduces the probability of germs entering your nose, mouth or eyes. Also use this towel to lay out on benches or seats before you lie down or sit to exercise.

2. Your water bottle should be made from metal and not plastic since plastic holds on to bacteria. It should also have a screw on lid so that the rim surface that touches your mouth is unexposed at all times. Don’t forget to wash your water bottle with warm water and soap before you set it aside for the next day.

3. When taking a shower use an anti-bacterial gel to ensure any bacteria that you may have picked up, get killed.

4. On reaching home from your workout, I have found great benefit in using a Neti-Pot to do a nasal wash with warm water. It ensures that any allergens or viruses that you’ve picked up are cleaned out from the sinuses keeping you safe from colds.

5. While strong fragrance deodorants may make you smell good initially; it is post workout body odour that will overpower everything. Look for deodorants or preferable roll-ons with a formula that provides long lasting body odour control. Use them directly on your underarms because that’s the actual source of body odour. What I personally recommend are roll-ons that contain specially formulated Silver-Ions Technology that are known to effectively reduce up to 99% odour-causing bacteria. Your best bet against odour after a thrilling workout session, is having a wash with an anti-bacterial shower gel that would also give instant freshness post shower.