Image courtesy of: www.active.com
Gym’s and fitness facilities are the most important thing when it comes to a balanced and healthy lifestyle, at Pure Motivation Fitness this is something that they live by. When the last lockdown followed the spread of Omicron, Gyms, and all nonessential stores were once again shut down. This put a huge strain on business and also people’s health. Not only did it affect people’s mental health, but it also affected their physical health. According to Harvard Medical the stats show that 39% of patients gained weight during the pandemic, with weight gain defined as above the normal fluctuation of 2.5 pounds. Approximately 27% gained less than 12.5 pounds and about 10% gained more than 12.5 pounds, with 2% gaining over 27.5 pounds. “These statistics are the main reason people need the gym more than ever” (according to Fitness Consultant Corey Rapheal). Now that Premier Doug Ford has opened up the province (which started Feb 1st) Gym’s once again will be open, but with brand new safety protocols and procedures. I spoke with Dmitri Giankoulasi who is the owner and personal trainer at Pure Motivation Fitness (1410 Major MacKenzie Dr W Unit C1, Maple, ON L6A). He specializes in training 40+-year-old parents who want to shred off that inevitable parent weight. He stated that his company is a body type-specific personal training studio that helps men and women 40+ with kids, learn how to balance exercise, lifestyle, and family. Even though he told me about his prior struggles with Covid and constant lockdowns, he is happy to be back and help people achieve their goals. Now here is the BIG issue, the biggest part about obtaining your body goals is safety. One wrong move and an injury can occur. Due to the ongoing pandemic people now have to worry about their safety when lifting weights and now worry about wiping the sweat off their face. With Covid constantly spreading, Gyms are now forced to follow all government-required mandates and safety protocols when allowing clients into the facility. When asked about the new requirements and safety procedures, Dimitry had this to say. “When you come in we have a thermometer digital temperature gauge, where it will take your temperature and take a picture of you if your above 37, which has never happened so far. We are sanitizing the front door, upon training in the area there are spray bottles, there are sanitization bottles and you’re making sure you keep your distance from people”. He went on talk about how Covid has an impact on everybody’s life differently, some take it seriously and some do. He says all they can do at this time is to let people get to their comfort zone and make sure that clients are all following rules. Dimitry also touched upon the new QR scanners which are required at any business. (full interview bellow)
This fear about Covid is a perfect transition to my next topic, What do the people think???. I spoke with 2 York University students who both had opposing views when it comes to going back to gyms. One Student showed extreme excitement when talking about his transition back into a gym and the other was stressed and nervous in regards to his safety. When asked the same question “are you nervous about being in a public gym setting” they had completely opposite answers (videos found bellow).
At this point in time the only people that can stop the spread of Covid-19 is us. With businesses open only at 50% capacity Being cautious about Covid safety is the first step into transitioning back to realty but we need to work together. Since Dimitry’s Gym is specialized and is appointment only, people who go to public gym have to be extra careful when using equipment and make sure to spray down and whip equipment after use. Let’s get fit again Ontario.
Courtesy of: Pure motivation fitness
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