Back on the old treadmill? Fitness fans divided on return as gyms reopen
Coach on how exercise can ease the strains of strange times as sports centres open and members weigh up when to return
For months now, with treadmills at a standstill and rust gathering on dumbbells, the only bunnies at our local gyms have been dust.
But from tomorrow, sports centres and swimming pools will be able to reopen their doors as lockdown continues to ease, allowing fitness fans to take their first spin, yoga and Zumba classes since March.
However, with the popularity of online work-outs soaring during quarantine – Joe Wicks’ Youtube classes, for example, racked up more than 80 million views alone – and strict new social distancing and cleaning measures now in place, not everyone will be running back to the gym.
Lyndsey Roberts, 33, owner of the Strong Like A Mutha gym, in Glasgow, says a dedicated space to exercise can be a crucial escape, easing the stresses and strains of these strange times.
Lyndsey knows more than most the power of work-outs – but it was her own personal experience of depression and anxiety that inspired her to set up a safe space where people could exercise their bodies and their minds.
She set up Strong Like A Mutha in 2016, after giving birth to son Henry, now four, and has seen first-hand the impact a welcoming gym environment can have on people of all ages – something she believes wasn’t fully recognised over the long months gyms have been shuttered.
She said: “I don’t think the impact of having places like ours close was considered, especially in terms of mental health. Obviously, I was completely behind the Scottish Government’s decisions, and
I believe what they’re doing is in the best interest for people’s health. But it was difficult to understand [the reasoning] when other sectors started to open back up.
“People come to us initially because they want to change something in their physical body, then they stay because of the effect it has on their whole life – their mental and their physical health.”
Now that her gym can reopen from tomorrow, Lyndsey has put a range of measures in place to ensure the space is Covid-compliant, which has required a significant investment. But she says it’s worth every penny to ensure she can welcome back her regular clients.
“We’ve now completely changed our business model so that we will operate in small-group personal training sessions, with four participants to one coach,” she explained. “We’re very fortunate that, unlike a lot of independent gyms, we
have a lot of space, so we’ve been able to utilise that really well.
“All of our sessions have to be booked in advance, you can’t just walk in. Previously that helped us provide a better service, whereas now it helps us to be compliant with safety measures.
“We’ve also split the gym into little ‘pods’ or mini gyms with all the equipment you would need for your session, so no one has to share.
“We know the advice is to minimise the sharing of kit, so we will be adapting all of our programming to make sure that can happen. Everyone will have their own cleaning station, so they can keep their kit clean before, during and after. And we’re asking people to arrive on time and dressed for their sessions. Plus, we’ve also upped our cleaning regime, so we’ve got another professional company to regularly deep clean, and do extra cleaning protocols for us.”
She added: “As a team, we’ve been experiencing lockdown as well, so we are keen to get back to our routines and doing what we love. But at the forefront of our minds, we want to make sure everyone is safe, and we want to do everything we can to make sure we’re being compliant – and that we are sticking to our core value of putting our community first.”
Here, we speak to two women – a fitness fanatic and a new 5k runner – to get their thoughts on the reopening.