Did the flu knock you off your feet last year? Count yourself among the tens of thousands hit by one of the worst flu seasons in the U.S. in the last 15 years. Still wondering how you caught this airborne virus? Probably at the gym. Yep, the place where you train dirty is also straight up dirty – so keep reading and find out how to protect yourself while you physically transform yourself.

Wipe Me Down

Did you know that your favorite cardio machine is also a hotbed for germ activity? While some of you may be like “duh!” 63 percent of regular sweat addicts do not wipe down after they get down. Hello. So guard yourself from germs and always wipe cardio machines, free weights, weight machines – shoot everything- with disinfectant before and after you use it. Are you a forgetful one? Latching one of those keychain antibacterial gels (make sure it has alcohol in it) on to your water bottle is an excellent way to remember this crucial step.

Lock It Down In The Locker Room

Norovirus – a fungi responsible for foot infections, skin infections, stomach viruses etc.- is nothing to play with. This yucky germ lurks in locker room showers, so if you must shower at the gym make sure you lock it down first. Here’s how:

1) Always wear shower shoes so you can flip and flop out of the gym without athlete’s foot.

2) Use antibacterial soap and scrub a dub dub without ringworms in the tub.

3) Don’t shave. Sorry little bugs your can’t enter my body through tiny nicks.

4) Avoid placing your bare rump on shower seats or locker room benches.

5) Just go home and bathe.

This is the best option. However make sure your commute doesn’t take forever. Chillin’ in your sweaty clothes too long is just as bad as splashing around in the gym’s showers.

Duck And Cover

Cooties are the real deal. So here are a few more tips to make sure you are all “covered.” First stop, your gym bag. While most of the germs on your “satchel designed for sweat” are yours, often times critters that transport staph, salmonella, and E.coli come along for the ride too. Therefore, be sure to choose vinyl or plastic gyms bags so you can wipe those suckas down on a regular.

Also, keep dirty clothes in a separate compartment that way when you get home you can turn that baby inside out and swab it with some disinfectant. Next, if you are a swimmer, be sure to guard your bod with goggles, a swimming cap and earplugs.

P.S. If you can’t smell the chlorine at your gym’s pool this means it is dirty. Yuck. And lastly, if you got banged up before the gym make sure to cover any cuts or broken skin with a bandage prior to your sweat session.

Sharing Is Not Caring

That’s so nice that your local yoga studio has communal mats. Not. Sharing is not always caring so make sure to always bring your own mat, towels and water bottle to the club. After each use, clean your mat with a bleach-based wipe or a 60 percent alcohol disinfectant spray and let it air-dry. In regard to your hydration bottle, avoid bottles with a pull-up spout or a built-in straw. Instead, choose a widemouthed one with a screw cap. Also, wash it daily and store it in the fridge since germs are more likely to form when the bottle is warm. And lastly, mark one side of your gym towel with a black X so you don’t get confused on what side you wiped the machines down with and accidentally wipe your face. Ultimate gym fail.

Sleep With Me

Now that you made it home from the gym germ free, plug in a Honeywell True HEPA Allergen Remover Air Purifier before you hit the sack. Representing the gold standard in air cleaning and convenience, the new Honeywell air purifiers are perfect for effectively capturing airborne pollen, dust, smoke, pet fur/dander, mold spores, bacteria and viruses. So even if you have a home gym, this healthy gadget is worth investing in. I love mine and the clean breathing I experience at home serves as awesome prep for all the huffing and puffing I do at the gym. Ahhhhh.