Modern society has provided a wealth of consumer goods, but have also changed the very nature and structure of our lives with some unintended consequences. While there's no longer a need for all of us to farm or do manual labor, the result has been an explosion of obesity and a need to increase physical activity.

This of course brings us to the growth of the health club phenomenon. There's no doubt that a health club is a popular way for many to increase the activity in their lives. Unfortunately, they also have been responsible for increasing the incidence of many foot borne conditions such as athletes' foot and toenail fungus.

This isn't to say that there's a direct relationship between going to the health club for exercising and a foot fungal infection. You can contract both athletes foot and/or nail fungus from many places. It should be recognized however that public areas such as those found in many health club locker rooms and showers are ideal places to pick up these very common problems. You may want to follow the link below to learn more about nail fungus and treatment options.

Both tinea pedis (athletes foot) and onychomycosis (nail fungus) are the result of contracting a fungus that grows on your skin and nails. These conditions are much easier to pick up in public shower and locker areas if only because there is more opportunity for you to come into contact with others who may already have the problem. This fungus can be transmitted from one person to another in that almost perfect environment found on many public shower and locker room floors.

One indicator of the potential risk is mold. If the shower area, shower curtain or even the ceramic tile floor appeared to have black mold growing, it's a good indicator that these areas are not being cleaned effectively.

A person with athletes foot or onychomycosis can innocently spread the condition by walking around in the locker rooms and shower areas with bare feet. You can then pick up the fungi, which will develop into either or both of these conditions in the dark, damp and sweaty environment of most athletic shoes.

It's possible to limit your exposure to this potential risk by using that high-tech footwear known as the flip-flop. If your feet do not come in contact with the public floors, your risk of picking up any foot related condition will be minimized. Flip-flops are great because they dry quickly and can be worn even in the shower area.

Another suggestion is to be certain to dry your feet and try not to use the same footwear for exercising as you do during the day. Remember that fungi like dark and damp. By keeping your feet dry, you're less likely to provide an ideal growing environment. By using a different pair of shoes, your feet won't be bathed in the sweat and moisture created from exercising.

If you do come down with a case of athletes foot or toenail fungus and realize that both are very common and unfortunately chronic in nature. It's important however that you take action as soon as the fungus is noticed as it will continue to grow and become quite unattractive and even painful. There are many treatment options for a fungal infection that you may want to consider. These range from very expensive anti-fungal prescription drugs to more natural solutions.