[solved]usingGym

From what I read, if you are most often barefoot you have a lower risk of contacting any fungal infection from taking root on your foot since inside a dark damp environment is where these germs like to breed. But it really doesn't matter if they are right or not. It is there gym and it would be very hard for you to convince them that you are safe and so is everyone else. Even if you did convince them, if they got complaints it would be losing one member you, to losing the handful that are disgusted with bare feet in public. In my first barefoot encounter in a public store a man believed I was spewing fungal disease and other nasty germs all over the place and he could not move away from me fast enough when I tried to engage him in a discussion on the matter.

So, sorry to hear of your gym's policy. Maybe overtime you can change how they view bare feet. Let them see you walking to and from the gym barefoot and eventually they may see you as a safe barefoot person. In the meantime just win them over with kindness.
 
Noah policies are what they are and the owners make the rules based on customer perception. there is no risk to anyone of getting fungus from the track. it tends to hang out in places like the showers in public places....therefor shower flip flops are the vogue. there is a brand of "shoes" that look like shoes from the top but have no bottoms....trying to remember name. so this is sneaky but may help you :)
 
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Thanks to hikerdana and Dr. Mark for the responses!

The manager said that if I could bring evidence to my case, he would likely change the rule for me. So if anyone is aware of any studies on the dangers of barefoot disease transmission and statistics of the likelihood of cutting ones feet running on flat surfaces, please post them. If there aren't any then there is nothing I can do.

On the issue of others complaining, I wont have to worry about that. Almost nobody uses the track, so its unlikely patrons will be calling me out.
 
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There is a Dutch study in school children dismissing the risk of barefoot gymnastics:
Warts in primary schoolchildren: prevalence and relation with environmental factors
Authors
F.M. Van Haalen,
S.C. Bruggink,
J. Gussekloo,
W.J.J. Assendelft

Only risk is other Family members. For fungal infections, shoes are the inportant risk, numurous studies on that.

Probably is reasoning not going to workshop by the way; Just buy something minimalist.
 
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