Can I take a shower after working out in the gym?

There is really no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The core depends on when you wash and at what temperature. As long as you avoid the minefield of bathing immediately, taking a bath after exercise will be more comfortable and hygienic.

When I first applied for a card two years ago, I stepped on a trap. After half an hour of high-intensity interval training that day, I was so sweaty that I could wring out the water from my sports clothes. Taking advantage of my youth, I rushed to the shower room and turned on the cold water. That night, I had a headache and stuffy nose, and a low-grade fever that took three days to recover. Later, after asking a friend who is a rehabilitation therapist, I found out that it was not the fault of the shower itself, but the timing of my shower.

I had seen two big brothers arguing over this matter in the locker room before. One of them said that you should never take a shower after working out. The moisture will get into the pores and your joints will hurt when you get older.； Another person said that after a workout, he was covered in sweat and smelled of gym equipment. If he didn’t wash it off, would he go home with the smell? In fact, both of them are reasonable, but neither of them has the correct premise.

It is said that it cannot be washed. The fear is that right after exercise, the blood vessels throughout the body are still in a state of expansion, and the pores are open to perspire. If you touch cold water at this time, the blood vessels will contract rapidly. The heart rate will be high after exercise, and it is easy to cause dizziness and insufficient blood supply. People with basic cardiovascular diseases may also cause accidents.； Even if you don't use cold water, you won't be able to use water that is too hot. It will continue to dilate the blood vessels, which may lead to fainting due to insufficient blood supply to the brain. But if you wait until your physical condition is stable before washing, you won't have these problems at all.

As for what you say you must wash off immediately, you are indeed right. The sweat is mixed with the oil metabolized by the skin, the dust on the equipment, and is suffocated by tight-fitting fitness clothes. People who are prone to acne on their backs are prone to folliculitis if they are suffocated for a long time, and it is easy to leave odor. However, there is no need to rush into the shower right after training.

In fact, I just need to wait an extra three to five minutes. Now every time I finish training, I first walk twice slowly in the rest area, drink half a cup of electrolyte water, and talk about the training that I didn’t do well today. When the sweat is almost gone, I feel the pulse and it drops below 120 per minute. It's totally fine to wash it. Just adjust the water temperature to be about the same as your body temperature, around 38 degrees. Don't be too cool and don't make your skin red. Just wash it for seven or eight minutes and rinse it off. There's no health risk. You'll feel fresh and refreshed after washing, and you'll feel comfortable catching the subway or eating a fitness meal.

Of course, if you have basic diseases such as high blood pressure or coronary heart disease, you should wait a little longer and wait for your heart rate to completely drop back to your usual resting level before washing. Don't worry about those ten minutes. There is no harm in being steady.