Gym
UK adults are being prevented from getting fitter and healthier due to a lack of confidence and understanding about how to behave in a gym or exercise environment according to new figures released today by Nuffield Health.
The new research on Fitness Etiquette reveals that almost three quarters of UK adults have personally experienced or witnessed bad fitness etiquette – such as exercisers leaving equipment out, poor hygiene when exercising in the gym or pool or whilst using the changing rooms and generally ignoring the rules.
Worryingly, almost a quarter said they were put off going to the gym, swimming pool or exercise classes due to something easily avoidable, like excessive nudity in changing rooms.
Sarah Marsh, Professional Head of Fitness and Wellbeing at Nuffield Health, said: “The success of this summer’s Olympics has inspired people to get fitter and healthier. We don’t want them to be put off doing exercise just because some people are unsure what is and isn’t the right, safe way to behave when exercising.
"We’ve compiled this guide in response to gym goers’ feedback to help build their confidence in what they’re doing when exercising and to help make exercise environments as supportive and enjoyable as possible. We want to encourage everyone in the UK to take control of their own wellbeing by helping tackle the barriers that can prevent people getting fitter and healthier."
The research findings based on a survey of 2,000 UK adults who use exercise facilities, at least occasionally, also show that exercisers act like stereotypical Brits when they encounter bad etiquette while working out – despite it turning us off exercising, we tend to grin and bear it.
Fitness etiquette violations – such as not cleaning fitness equipment after use and treating the facilities like a hotel – annoy 83 per cent, but more than three quarters lack the confidence to tackle them.
The biggest annoyances highlighted were: unnecessary or excessive nudity in the changing rooms; people hogging machines and swimming lanes; personal space being invaded by other exercisers, and having to move to a different part of the gym or class due to the overwhelming body odour of another exerciser.
Sarah Marsh continues: “We want to encourage people to think about the health implications of their exercise behaviour. Yes, it’s unpleasant when the person before you hasn’t wiped their sweat off the machine they’ve been using, but the health implications of this and the other hygiene issues our study revealed may be much more wide ranging than this.”
While sweating is a normal part of exercise, helping the body cool down, when sweat is transferred onto fitness equipment or between exercisers it can lead to the spread of common infections. Nuffield Health fitness and health professionals recommend exercisers take action to reduce the risk of infections spreading, including wiping down equipment after use, washing gym and swimming clothes between every workout, and not sharing items like towels, water bottles and soap.
Helen Smailes, part of Nuffield Health’s Athletes in Residence programme which supports high-performing, inspirational amateur athletes, said: “I’ve been put off training due to bad fitness etiquette in the past. In a gym I used to go to I repeatedly had to speak to the management about people’s behaviour in the changing rooms. They would hog the benches, even when they weren’t actually in the changing room, spreading all their kit out so there was no space for anyone else. I complained and signs went up but nothing changed. It had a big impact on me – I stopped going to the gym when I knew it would be busiest and in the end I stopped going all together.”
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