Gone are the days where we miss going to our favorite gyms and fitness centers as the government has recently announced the return and reopening of select gyms as per the new directive for areas that are under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), so here’s a little checklist on what you should do to ensure a safe and worry-free workout days.
According to the report by CNN Philippines, Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases spokesperson Harry Roque has announced last Wednesday, July 29 that gyms will be allowed to reopen. And aside from gym and fitness establishments, event sports facilities will also be allowed to operate at a strict 30% starting on the said date.
What does this mean for you and how are you going to prepare for this?
Working out and exercise is general is good for your physical and mental health, but with COVID-19 cases surging across the country, exercising indoors with other people could increase your chance of infection. So, as gyms reopen across the country, here are some things to consider before heading for your workout:
Make A Self-Risk Assessment
You have to make your own assessment of how risky it is based on knowing your medical situation and whether you are someone who’s at high risk for an infection. Remember that people who are 65 years and older are at a higher risk of acquiring a severe case of Coronavirus. So if you fall in a high risk category, including people with underlying health conditions such as diabetes, heart or lung disease, or immuno-compromised, it may not be worth the risk.
And remember that even if you are completely healthy, you also have to consider the members of your household.
Continue With Workout Alternatives
If you are a gym instructor, a gymrat, or a simple fitness enthusiast, you might have already considered doing exercise indoors since the start of quarantine. The rules does not change: it’s still safer to do it at home.
Or you can do your routines outdoors. When the weather is nice, I do my jogging at the deck of our condominium as exercise outdoors is a good low-risk alternative because when you are outside, it’s much easier to control how close you get to other people.
If You’re Really Going: Assess Your Gym
Should you proceed with going to you gym already, there are things that fitness gyms can to to help mitigate the risk of infection. So make sure these are on the checklist:
- Are they taking the temperature?
- Are you seeing them regularly clean equipment?
- Are staff and clients in the gym wearing a mask?
- Is there a limited capacity to help the gym from being crowded?
- Do you see new signs that reinforce hygiene and physical distancing?
In fact, that should be the number one thing on your checklist: Is there at least six feet of physical distance between everyone who is working out? Even more would be better.
Finally, Stay Far Far Apart
This would really need repeating — try to stay at least 6 feet away from other people when you are doing your workouts. When people are exercising and exerting a lot of effort, everyone around you are going to be breathing out and breathing in more than they normally would, and so the potential for being infected or spreading the infection would be much much higher.
According to Doug Reed, an immunologist and aerobiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, “That’s because we don’t know exactly how far virus particles travel when people are breathing heavily”. So remember that!
Official guidelines for how gym should proceed would be finalized soon. So stay tuned as we provide more updates on the resumption of operations for gyms right here on Pinoy Fit Buddy. What are your thoughts? Share it on our thread at the official Philippine Bodybuilding & Active Sports Community on Facebook.
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You cannot wear a mask while doing vigorous cardio or weight training exercise on gym equipment. Simply stated, you can die from a heart attack or stroke. This applies to people of all ages, not just people over 65 or those with underlying health conditions. I strongly suggest you put this information in your next article.