The amount of people who DON'T shower after the gym is shocking

Hands up if you're a soap dodger?

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

The hardest part of going to the gym is the going part. Once you're there, you realise it isn't really that bad. Sure, there's now this pill that could be the secret to getting fit without exercising, but where's the sense of achievement in that? Even if you're not overly pleased with how your time spent on weekly exercise compares to the average, once you get into some seriously sculpting leggings and don your brightest boldest Nikes you're ready for as many burpees as your sadistic instructor can dish out.

But once you're drenched in sweat, feeling like a greasy, slippery mess and your FitBit is pretty much screaming 'YES GIRL', it's time to get to the changing rooms pronto and get showered. Right?

Well, apparently not. An absolutely staggering number of people have admitted that after a sweat sesh they don't shower.

Bathroom and shower experts, Showerstoyou.co.uk, asked 1,000 gym-goers about their post-gym shower hygiene and it's pretty shocking. A whopping 73% of participants confessed that they don't shower straight after exercise (with 43% admitting they don't even take their socks off for hours after a workout), and 18% just don't wash. At all.

And it doesn't stop there. A third of people said that they will use their gym gear three or four times before giving it a wash.

We are pretty sure we don't need to explain why this is a terrible idea, but just in case - when perspiration is left on your skin it can irritate your body, causing bacne, bum spots and creating the perfect breeding ground for funguses (that yeast infection you don't want). As for your gym gear, bacteria and yeast end up on your gym clothes after working out and if left unwashed it can multiply.

So, you know. Wash your gym stuff. And most definitely wash your body after a workout too.