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An at home gym can be the ideal way to stay fit as it eliminates the need to go all the way to a commercial gym, however, while commercial gyms have strict rules in place to keep everyone using their equipment safe, how safe is our at home gym?  Sadly, thousands of exercise equipment related injuries are reported every year with many of these involving children.  So, what are some safety tips to take into consideration?

Keep all barbells out of the reach of children or safely stored out of the way when they are not being used.

Although its more fun to exercise while listening to music or watching tv, you might not be able to hear if someone comes into the room such as a small child.  When installing gym equipment, position it so that you can exercise and at the same time have a clear view of anyone entering the room.

Treadmills have the potential to cause all kinds of injury if not used correctly.  They usually come with safety features such as a safety cord and key designed to turn the machine off when it senses a problem. Make sure whoever uses the treadmill knows how to use these safety features.  It is also very important to keep any safety cords well out of a child’s reach.

Children just love to play with things that they shouldn’t, and exercise equipment is hard to resist.  With this in mind, unplug gym equipment when not in use and keep them in their locked positions.  In this way a child will not be able to turn them on.  Of course, the best option would be to keep the exercise room locked when no one is using it.

Exercising should be beneficial to our health not a hazard, by following these simple safety guidelines, you will help the household stay free of exercise equipment injuries.