If you’re anything like me, you spent quarantine at your parents’ home in the suburbs with plenty of room to run, stretch, and do yoga without coming into contact with anyone. Now that you’ve moved into an apartment in a populous city for classes that were moved online two weeks into the semester, you need a bit of a stress reliever. Exercise! In the current state of the world, going to the gym is a much more daunting task than usual and should probably be avoided if possible. But, if you truly have no other means of exercise and must go to the gym, you should be prepared for a change in gym etiquette.
- Social Distancing
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It has already been established that using an elliptical directly next to another gym patron while there is other equipment available is a gym faux-pas. COVID-19 has heightened this type of discomfort. In my gym, a lot of the exercise equipment has been roped off in an effort to enforce social distancing. While some patrons have torn off the ropes in order to use the machines, this can make people feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Even while walking around the gym, try to keep your distance from others. My gym is small, but I appreciate it when people walk a different route to give me my space.
- Wear a Mask
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Honestly, I hated working out with a mask on at first, but I got used to it. I don’t think anyone actually enjoys wearing a mask, but I think everyone enjoys being healthy. If you care enough about your physical health enough to go to the gym, then you should care enough to pull your mask up over your nose. When I wear a mask, people can’t see the embarrassing faces I make while exercising. The mask muffles my heavy breathing, and if it doesn’t do that well enough, I can contribute my breathlessness to wearing a mask as opposed to my general lack of athleticism.
- Wipe down equipment
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Most gyms have wipes and hand sanitizer dispensers available for free. Use them. Even in ordinary times, gyms are cesspools. Clean everything from weights, to yoga mats, to door handles. You don’t know if you’re cleaning these things of your own germs or someone else’s, but a gym should be a community of people, not bacteria. If you contribute to this community mindset, it’s likely others will follow your example.
- Avoid the gym
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This may seem counterintuitive, but if you want to exercise you should weigh the pros and cons of going to a gym. If you have a yoga mat, you can follow YouTube tutorials in your apartment. Look for a green space on campus where you can do some cardio. Find a non-busy route where you can run. Look for as many alternatives as you can. Some people have limited options, and that’s understandable. You can still be responsible while going to the gym as long as you use good judgment and proper etiquette.