Fun(gus) Times

I hope that all of my readers need to be concerned about bacterial infections at the gym, because that means that you go to the gym. If you don't, then you have much more worrisome problems to consider, like heart disease and cancer. That will render less horrifying this article from the New York Times about "MRSA...athlete’s foot, jock itch, boils, impetigo, herpes simplex and ringworm, all of which you are rather likely to be exposed to while working out."

So, make sure that you keep your dirty clothes separate from your clean ones (and keep them in different bags, like maybe a plastic one from the grocery store), wash your hands before and after you work out, and shower off well when you're done. If you don't think you're likely to be exposed to something nasty, consider this -

"At any given time, he said in an interview, one person in three in the United States suffers from a skin disease that can be spread to others, even while in the incubation stage."

Your Flip-Flops Might Kill You

Check out this scary, out-of-context quote:

"Worst-case scenario...you die."

Pretty scary, huh? Dennis Kinney, PhD microbiologist, said that.

If you wear flip-flops around all summer, especially if you live in a city, they have like 20,000 bacteria on them. If you were to get a cut on your foot and a particularly virulent bacterium got into your bloodstream, you could have organ failure and die if you weren't treated with antibiotics.

So, you should not wear them all day long, every day in the city. This goes doubly for women, since they're not flattering the way high heels are. Even that mediocre woman from Sex and the City looked attractive because she always wore high heels, even with a tank top and gym shorts. That's the real lesson here.

Here's the New York Daily News article.

Here are some tips from eHow on how to clean your flip-flops -

1. Step 1

   Start with plain old soap and water and an old toothbrush. Remove most of the grime with a little scrubbing.

2. Step 2

   Put them in the dishwasher. Do not wash them with dishes, and use a gentle cleaner when running your rubber sandals through the wash. Add vinegar and baking soda to the wash to do double duty--cleaning your shoes and your dishwasher.

3. Step 3

   Let your tub fill with water while you take a shower. Soak flip flops to loosen dirt, and scrub with a nail brush afterward.

4. Step 4

   Use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser as an easy way to remove grime from your flip flops and bathtub.

5. Step 5

   Try an oxygen cleaner and water to get stains off your sandals. You may need to add the power of a scrub brush for maximum results.

6. Step 6

   Use steel wool pads with soap to get down and dirty with the grit in your flip flops. This method works best after soaking the sandals in a sink of water for about an hour.