You used the same towel you toted around the gym floor during your workout to dry off after the sauna. Or perhaps you showered off without flip-flops and walked around the locker room barefoot shortly thereafter.

Maybe you even tore open a protein bar and scarfed it down without washing your hands as you changed out of your gym clothes. Or perhaps you just forgot to pack an extra pair of socks and had to put on your previously sweaty ones after cleaning up following a serious cardio session.

We may be guilty of committing some of these gross gym crimes too, but after digging into the research about what’s really lurking in the locker room, we promise to wash up, wipe up, and improve our germ exposure game.

Here are 10 organisms you may be exposed to—and how to buffer yourself so they don’t get you sick.

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