 Hygiene
When practicing yoga, Pilates or other barefoot activity, our focus should be on form, balance and breathing. The last thing on our minds should be wondering whether the floors of a gym or studio have been mopped, vacuumed or swept in the past few days. Often, we forget that our exposed skin is in contact with these surfaces. Researchers say more than 35 million people are affected by some sort of foot problem, such as toenail fungus, athlete’s foot or warts. We know your local studio or gym does its best to provide a safe and sanitary environment for your workouts by cleaning and disinfecting equipment after each use, but there may be germs still lurking. This is why many studios and fitness clubs require socks or other footwear. But, as an individual, we suggest being proactive by wearing ToeSox.
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Sock Only Studios While we know your studio is clean, there still may be germs lurking on the floors, equipment, and your clients' feet that you are not aware of. This is why there are a growing number of studios implementing SOCK ONLY policies - requiring clients and instructors to wear Pilates socks and yoga socks during class to maintain the highest standards of hygiene. So join the Foot Revolution and turn your facility into a sock-only studio to stop the spread of germs.
Learn more about how to make your studio a SOCK-ONLY fitness haven with ToeSox. Contact us today at
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| What our SOX ONLY STUDIOS are saying: | "My clients are appreciative that we require socks for sanitary reasons and I'm really happy that I don't have to touch and smell "not so clean" feet! Thanks ToeSox!" - Natalie Walker, Owner of Enhanced Health and Fitness
| "It became obvious quickly that we needed to implement a sock-only policy. Regular socks fixed the sanitary problem, but slipped on the apparatus. I tried other brands of non-slip socks, but was always disappointed. ToeSox was my greatest discovery that grew quickly in popularity." - Lariesa Bernick, Owner of Pilates of Eastlake
| "We adopted a sock only policy when one of our clients contracted a foot fungus on her face. This happened when the client first touched the foot bar with her hand and then touched her face," said one studio owner (asked to be unnamed).
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| INFO TO KNOW |
How to help prevent the spread of foot infections:
- Keep your feet clean & dry. Warts and fungus thrive in moist, sweaty environments.
- Do not walk barefoot in a public locker room, shower facility or gym. Whenever possible, wear some sort of foot covering such as shoes or socks.
- Wear socks that absorb moisture (preferably cotton) if your feet sweat heavily. Change your socks often.
- Do not wear another person's shoes or socks.
- Avoid touching the infected area of the foot.
- When sharing exercise equipment, clean surfaces with an antibacterial solution before and after using the equipment.
(information gathered from WebMD)
| Article of Interest:
A 2006 article in the New York Times, Communal Yoga Mats: Beware of Germs, discusses communal mats, yoga and the rise of foot health issues. "Gyms have long been hothouses for unwanted viruses, fungi and bacteria, a result of shared equipment, excessive sweat and moisture in locker rooms..." [Read More...]
| Foot Facts: Athlete's foot (also known as ringworm of the foot) is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itch of affected areas. The fungus infection may spread from person to person in communal showers, bathrooms or in other moist areas where infected people walk barefoot. Avoiding walking barefoot combined with good foot hygiene can help reduce the spread of the fungus. Source: www.wikipedia.com There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day. Source: www.foot.com
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