Scary News about MRSA Superbugs, Part I: Protect Yourself

Ten Tips for Protecting Yourself from MRSA

MRSA, the Superbug strain of staph infection, previously found in hospitals and healthcare facilities, has now made the leap to other public places like schools, gyms, locker rooms and indoor pools. MRSA has been sweeping the news in recent weeks with fatal cases in New York, Virginia and elsewhere -- causing logjams at the pediatrician's office as nervous parents drag their kids in to have each bump, pimple and reddened scratch looked at.

Before worrying if you've got MRSA, let's worry about how to protect yourself and family from coming in contact with MRSA in the first place. MRSA, like many contagious diseases lying in wait in locker rooms and schools, is passed on by skin to skin contact or from contact with an object that has been touched by another's infection -- like sharing workout equipment or machines, towels or uniforms. Taking normal precautions is the key to staying healthy. Follow these ten tips to protect yourself:

Protect Yourself from MRSA at the gym and beyond

1. Just like your mother told you, wash your hands frequently with soap & water, or use sanitizers if you can't wash.
2. Don't pick your nose. Sounds crazy? Most people have staph bacteria naturally in their nose and on their skin. If the bacteria get into an open wound, that's when it can turn into an infection. So keep exploring fingers out.
3. Cover up cuts and abrasions to protect them from touching infected surfaces.
4. Wipe down sports equipment at the gym before and after use -- preferably with a spray cleaner. Always keep a towel between you and the bench or bike seat.
5. Don't wipe your face during a workout with a towel that you put on the bench or on the floor. Similarly, don't dry off after a shower with a towel that has touched the floor.
6. Don't share -- not toiletries, uniforms, towels or anything that comes in contact with your skin.
7. Take basic precautions: wear flip flops in the locker room and shower; bring your own toiletries, yoga mat and headphones; and bring your own towels if you're concerned about the cleanliness of the linens at your gym or school.
8. Wash your gym clothes and towels in hot water after use (and include your sneakers frequently, as well). If you carry your sneakers to the gym with your clean clothes before a workout, keep them in a plastic bag or separate compartment so that bacteria from the shoes does not transmit to your clothes.
9. Clean your water bottle with soap and hot water after each use or run it through the dishwasher, if possible. Swishing water in it to rinse after a workout is not enough to keep colonies of bacteria out.
10. Stay home when you're sick. No one needs you coughing all over the gym and spreading your germs to others. And please don't blow your nose in the gym's towels (note to the Doctor at my gym who does -- that's disgusting AND unsanitary).

This is pretty basic stuff, but well worth remembering these days. Stay tuned for Part II in my next blog, "How Your Gym, School or Pool can Protect You from MRSA."