Should you be working out during the current Coronavirus outbreak?

A lot of countries have closed schools, cancelled sporting events and mass gatherings and some have even put travel restrictions in place.

The situation is evolving very quickly and it’s possible that new guidelines will be issued by our government in the coming days or weeks, but for now we have been advised to practice ‘social distancing’ when possible to reduce the chances of infection.

That begs the question… Should we be working out in sweaty gyms and classes?

At the moment working out is OK!

There are no extra risks than other day-to-day activities such as going shopping at the supermarket or working in the office. As long as the usual hygiene practices are being followed vigilantly, especially cleaning down shared equipment.

In fact, it’s important to stay fit and healthy so your body has a better chance of fighting off disease and infection.

Michael Knight, Assistant Professor at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Services said, “I would encourage my patients to continue getting moderate amounts of physical activity to lower their overall risk”

However, if you normally workout indoors (in a gym or fitness class for example) it can’t harm you to take your sessions outdoors for a few weeks. You could try running, cycling or an outdoor boot camp instead.

Whether you decide to workout indoors or outdoors it’s really important to follow these guidelines:

Wash Your Hands

What we know about the virus so far is that it's transmitted via droplets which are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes which can contaminate surfaces. When someone comes along and picks those up on their hands they won’t be infected at that point because the virus can’t pass through the skin, the skin is a great barrier to infection as long as there are no breaks in it, it's when they start to touch their face and the virus gets close to their mouth, nose or eyes that it can get to the respiratory tract where it will start replicating. It's therefore crucial to wash hands with soap before and after a gym class and avoid touching the face during your workouts.

Wipe Down EquipmentMost gyms have anti-bacterial or disinfectant sprays to wipe down the equipment after use. My advice is to wipe it down before you use it in case the person before you didn’t do it. Then when you’re finished, be courteous and wipe it down again ready for the next person.

No Touching

Try and keep your distance from all other gym/class members; no handshakes, high fives or leaning over each other is advised.

Sniff of a Cold?

If you are feeling slightly under the weather you should stay away from the gym and focus on your recovery. Make sure you’re eating foods and drinking fluids that are going to help boost your immune system. Things like blueberries, oranges, spinach, broccoli, ginger, turmeric and dark chocolate.

If you think that you are infected take in lots of fluids and contact your doctor for advice by calling 111 and NOT visiting a surgery or hospital.