Reopening of fitness facilities in region ‘absolutely wonderful’
Gyms are now allowed to welcome people back in Step 3 of reopening plan
WATERLOO REGION — As soon as his gym reopened, Jaz Pantalia was there to work out.
And he wasn’t alone. People waited outside GoodLife Fitness in Kitchener’s Williamsburg neighbourhood for the minute after midnight when the province, including Waterloo Region, moved into Step 3 of the reopening plan on Friday.
After months of being closed, fitness facilities could welcome back members eager to exercise.
“It’s absolutely wonderful that the gym’s back open,” said the Kitchener man, who usually goes six or seven days a week.
The shutdown was “absolutely terrible.”
The third stage reopened indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities with capacity limits. Previously, only outdoor fitness classes were allowed where physical distancing was possible.
Pantalia, 36, tried to find ways to be physically active at home, but it was not the same as a workout at the gym, where he sets goals and can target different body parts each day.
“It just makes you feel better about yourself,” Pantalia said.
Even his eating suffered when he wasn’t getting to the gym, but now he’s back to protein shakes and lots of veggies.
After a long absence, his challenge now is not pushing it too hard. “I’m just starting slow,” Pantalia said. “I’m just trying to get back into it.”
Finally being able to be back in the gym wasn’t just a relief for members, but also staff.
“To say it’s amazing is an understatement,” said group fitness program divisional manager Tracy Blakely. “It almost feels like we’re on that route to normal again.”
The Kitchener location was steady on Saturday, now that people can come in whenever they want for a workout with increased capacity limits for this reopening.
People struggled with finding ways to stay active especially over the winter, Blakely said. Physical activity is good for mental health as well, and the gyms are not just about exercise. “Our clubs are a community,” Blakely said.
That’s the same at Grand River Rocks, which was set to reopen its Kitchener and Waterloo locations on Monday.
“I think people are very happy to be able to come back,” said Mike Cieplak, one of the owners. Climbing is a communitybased sport, he said, and staff know many of the people who come there to climb by name.
“It’s nice to see them come back in,” Cieplak said. “It’s been difficult.”
Usually, summer is the slow season because people head outdoors for climbing, but Grand River Rocks was busy after another shutdown ended last summer. “I’m hoping that it will be the same thing this year,” Cieplak said.
They’ve used the time to freshen and change the facility, keeping the cost of any work to a minimum since no revenue was coming in during the shutdown, which started back in the winter.
“It’s kind of hard to think of it that way. But it is what it is, I suppose,” Cieplak said. “Hopefully, this is the last one.”
Grand River Rocks celebrates its 10-year anniversary next month and planning is underway for a party.
For now, they’re focused on the big first day when they can finally welcome back climbers after being closed for so long.
“We might go out for beers after,” Cieplak said.