What do people do with their rings when they hit the gym? I never really thought about this until I got engaged. I found myself at the gym and suddenly realised I was wearing thousands of rands on my ring finger. I had a slight moment of panic. Do I leave my ring in the car? The locker room seems a little risky - but so does wearing it while I exercise.
I remember thinking, 'Damn, should I have just left it at home?'
Let’s look at the risks - Here’s how wearing your ring to the gym can damage it:
Weight Training
Weight lifting can distort the ring’s shape.
Putting pressure on the side of the ring can bend it out of shape, especially if the ring is made out of a softer metal, like gold. The more the ring bends out of shape, the more likely it is to tear at its weakest point, and if you have any jewels or diamonds on your ring, the distortion of the shape can cause them to fall out.
Steel bars can wear down the metal
Softer metals, like platinum and gold, can take a real beating from the gym’s steel bars and dumbbells.
Also, the gridded pattern of the steel will wear down the ring, making it look tacky.
Sweating
Sweating can cause rings to tarnish and discolour.
Exercise makes you to sweat; if you aren’t sweating, you aren’t doing it right. This may cause your ring to tarnish, especially if your ring is silver or gold. Modern materials, such as ceramic, titanium and ctungsten will not tarnish during exercise, so are better for those who live an active lifestyle.
Sweat can cause dermatitis
If the moisture from sweating gets trapped under your ring, the minor alloys, especially in lower carat gold rings, can react with your skin.
So, what should I do with my ring while I exercise?
According to SHAPE, whether or not you wear your ring during a workout totally depends on the type of workout you’re doing and/or the type of ring you have. If you’re worried about your band getting banged up during a weight workout or affecting your grip (an extra, unnecessary safety risk), you may need to take off your ring. Here are a 2 other options to consider:
Put it on a chain
While putting your ring on a necklace may seem like a safer option, it can become annoying to have it bob around your neck; it may even flick up into your face. In fact, you should rather not exercise with other types of jewelry, like earrings, watches, bracelets, etc.
Buy a ring that you can exercise in
A simple, yet very effective tip. Your ring should match your lifestyle. Modern metals, such as tungsten, are ideal for those who live an active lifestyle. If you do not want to take off your ring while you exercise, then a tungsten ring is ideal for you.
What do you do with your jewelry while you exercise? Let us know in the comments.