Make no mistake, we are far from through living with this global pandemic. COVID-19 is here to stay for the foreseeable future. How we as a society choose to co-exist with the coronaviruses has yet to be seen. “The New Norm” will take some time for all of us to adjust to. Yes, most countries around the world are in the midst of re-opening businesses, expanding social circles, and gradually relaxing on previous restrictions. And although I personally am relieved to see and hear this, it would be naive of me to think that the worst is over.

Here in Vancouver, British Columbia, we remain in a State of Emergency. And like many other Vancouverites, I believe we will remain in this state for a prolonged period of time. With that said, I’m extremely grateful to live in a Country (and especially a Province) that has handled the first wave of COVID-19 so well. I’m also exceedingly thankful and appreciative to all of our Health Care Workers that have worked tirelessly to protect us and keep us safe these past 4 months.

As a Small Business Owner, I would be lying if I said that COVID-19 has not had a significant impact on our business. However as I mentioned in a previous post earlier this week, as a company, we are incredibly fortunate to have such a loyal and long term clientele base that has supported us through this entire pandemic so far. The majority of our clients have continued to work with us, both online and in person. In fact, we’ve even had new clients reach out to work with us now that their own gyms have re-opened, because they themselves don’t want to deal with crowds and making reservations online in order to use the gym.

But regardless if you are working out at a Commercial Gym or a Private Gym, the question remains – Is It Safe To Go Back To The Gym?

Assess YOUR Comfort Level

Everyone has handled the Coronaviruses Outbreak in their own way. Some people are scared, some people are in denial, some people are confused, some people are sad, and some people are having the time of their lives sitting on their asses watching TV while collecting EI or CERB. We shouldn’t judge one another for the way that each individual responds to a global crisis. There are no overreactions and there are no underreactions. There are simply just reactions.

How you yourself decide to move forward during and after COVID-19 is up to YOU to decide. If you don’t feel comfortable going outside without a mask, then wear a mask. If you don’t feel comfortable taking public transit, then take your car. If you don’t feel comfortable going to a gym, then stay home or go exercise outside. It’s not the responsibility of others around you to assure you that everything is safe and will be okay. If you are immunocompromised or elderly, than it’s recommended that you continue to work from home and refrain from going into heavily populated areas unless it’s absolutely necessary.

ASK QUESTIONS

As I mentioned earlier, most of our clients have worked with us throughout COVID-19. However within the past couple of weeks, almost everyone else that left during the first initial outbreak in the province, have now returned to our Training Facility. And despite the fact that we are doing everything to the best of our ability to keep our Training Environment clean and in order, we cannot and will not make promises that we cannot guarantee.

Therefore we don’t tell our clients that it’s safe to come back to the gym. And we won’t sell our clients on the pretense that the “best way” to avoid getting the coronaviruses is to exercise and workout. And we can’t give our word that you won’t get infected with the virus the moment you leave your household.

What we can do is answer questions. And what you as either a client or member of another gym should be doing is asking questions.

Has your gym installed additional hand sanitizing stations?

Has your gym limited the amount of people that can use the facility at any given time?

Has your gym kept up with regularly thorough cleaning throughout the day and into the evening?

These are just some of the questions that your gym should be able to answer quite easily and with a simple yes.

THE COVID COMPLAINER

Finally, just remember that nobody likes a complainer. If the gym or training facility that you belong to is not living up to your expectations, then simply cancel your membership and leave. No one is forcing you to train at that gym. I’ve heard of commercial gyms making people book their time slots online. I’ve heard of commercial gyms making people wait up to 45 minutes in line to get in. I’ve heard of commercial gyms limiting workout times to 60 minutes max (from arrival to departure). And although all of this might seem as an inconvenience to you, it’s necessary for them to do at this time.

One of the luxuries of training at a Private Facility with a Personal Trainer is that you don’t have to deal with any of the above. But then again, that itself will come at an additional cost. A cost that many people will budget for because their time during the day is limited and their workouts are important for them to get in without any headaches.

DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO THE GYM?

So perhaps instead of asking yourself if it is safe to go back to the gym, you might want to ask yourself – Do I want to go back to the gym?

How does exercising make you feel both physically and mentally?

Will working out on a regularly basis again make you feel happy and productive? Or will working out in public gyms make you feel anxious and worried?

At the end of the day, only you can assess your level of comfort and only you can make that decision as to when it’s time to go back to the gym.

“Don’t Find Fault, Find a Remedy.”
Henry Ford

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance