Don't Forget The Equipment. Be sure to use Defense Equipment Spray on the following items.

 

Having a clean room is also a necessity but a clean room is more then just mopping the mats. There are many more surfaces that we come in contact with other than floor mats. Consider cleaning the following:

 

1. Wall mats.

2. Takedown dummies. (Remove the clothing and launder it and wipe down vinyl surfaces.)

3. Throw dummies.

4. Crash pads or throw mats.

5. Fighters, wipe down your bags, bag gloves and your hands after wearing bag gloves.

6. Fungi like to live in damp and dark places. Make your room light and dry. A dehumidifier can pull moisture out of your room.

7. Battling skin infections is more then just topical. Diet can play a huge role in how healthy our skin is and healthy skin is harder to infect. Here are a few diet and skin care tips:

8. Keep your blood sugars under control. Aim for blood sugars of 80 mg/dl to 120 mg/dl before meals, and 100 mg/dl to 140 mg/dl at bedtime.

9. Keep your Hemoglobin A1c at 7% or less (a 3 month average blood sugar test). This prevents dry skin.

10. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Of course when cutting weight we all would love to have eight glasses of water however we just cannot do this. Applying lotion to the skin will help keep it moist.

11. Eat whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and small amounts of lean protein rather then sugary or fat laden foods. Keep a balanced diet even when cutting back.

12. Rest to increase your body’s resistance. You will catch infections easier if you are worn down.

13. Once infected, proper care is required to rid you of the infection and promote healing.

14. Do not touch the infection. Wash your hands immediately if you do touch an infection.

15. Consult your trainer or physician with all possible infections. The sooner you treat an infection the less established it would be. The infection will be easier to clear up, creating less damage to the skin.

16. Use medicine completely and as recommended. The infection may still be present even though it may not be visible.

17. Use the proper medication for each infection. Using the wrong medicine my make the infection worse. An example of this is using cortisone creams on fugal infections, which help fungus grow.

18. Many of us train for hours a day for competition, some are coaches and some just want to stay in shape. Whatever reason we have to be on the mat or in the ring, we all share the common threat of skin infections. Preventing, treating and curing skin infections can be made easier with a little education on the topic.