Fitness centers keep serving members despite closures
Fitness from a distance
Staying fit and healthy under the best of circumstances can be difficult. Throw in a deadly pandemic that closes your local gym and forces you to self-isolate and hunker down at home, and staying active and eating right suddenly take a back seat to easy-access junk food and binge-watching television.
Katrina L. Cox, a Pawtucket-based dietician, says people confined to their homes during the coronavirus outbreak should continue to make exercise and nutrition a priority.
³Regular exercise and proper nutrition are important to supporting a healthy immune system,´ says Cox, who specializes in women's health, non-diet weight loss and family nutrition.
“The big thing is to contin ue to have a structured meal plan and eat your meals the same way you always have,´ she says. “Pack a lunch in the morning as if you were go ing to work. The problem is that people go into a different mindset when a crisis hits and before you know it they’re off their exercise routines and mindlessly eating.´
The fitness industry has been hit hard by the corona virus pandemic. On Sunday, 5hode ,sland *ov. *ina 5ai mondo ordered all gyms, fit ness centers and other “close contact´ businesses to close effective Monday afternoon as the state works to prevent spread of CO9,D . 5ai mondo announced the new measures on Sunday, saying the state needs to be “more aggressive´ in its response to the virus.
Planet )itness, including the new , sTuare foot
P) gym in the :alnut +ill
Plaza shopping center in :oonsocket, is closed and is now live streaming at home workout routines for its mem bers.
All Planet )itness mem berships have been frozen and members will not be charged fees during this time, according to a statement from C(O Chris 5ondeau.
“Together we are experi encing unprecedented times, and the CO9,D situation is changing rapidly every day,´ 5ondeau said. “As we navigate these uncharted wa ters as a global community, the health of our team mem bers, members, and neighbors is our number one priority.´
:hile their gyms remain closed, Planet )itness mem bers can download an app for access to more than exercises, and can also tune into )acebook Live for daily workouts with trainers and special guests. :orkouts are also available to view on both the Planet )itness )acebook page and YouTube channel after the broadcast is over.
The %oard of Directors
of the YMCA of Pawtucket closed all five of its branch es across the state, including Pawtucket )amily YMCA and +eritage Park YMCA (arly Learning Center in Pawtucket MacColl YMCA in Lincoln :estwood YMCA in Coventry and :oonsocket YMCA.
Members and the public at large have been told that YMCA staff is attempting to provide as many virtual ser vices as possible, including online classes via YMCA
www.ymca .org , which offers online exer cise, fitness, wellbeing, and youth sports classes. YMCA instructors are also offer ing live streamed classes on YouTube and partnering with MOSSA, formerly known as %ody Training Systems, on choreographed classes.
,n Pawtucket, the Paw tucket )amily YMCA is reaching out to senior citizens to coordinate outdoor walks of no more than four or five people.
“Our focus is to keep ev eryone moving and to stay
positive during this difficult time,´ said Kristin 4uinn, executive director at :oon socket YMCA. “:e don’t want people to feel isolated. :e want them to feel con nected and engaged. That has always been our mission.´
The YMCA, a not for profit, is also urging its mem bers to continue their mem berships until the crisis is over. Anyone who elects to have their membership dues paused can make a formal reTuest in writing to a branch membership director via email or mail.
“:e hope our members will stick with us during this time because as a not for profit it’s the only way we can sustain our community partnerships,´ 4uinn said. “:e really need that contin ued support.´
Kyle Sutcliffe of Cumber land, owner of *et )it %oot camp in %ellingham, says he is encourging his mem bers to do a minimum of three
minute workouts a week at home “Must to keep moving.´ Like other gyms and fitness centers, *et )it %ootcamp is adapting to the crisis by offer ing a daily home workout on )acebook, which members can participate live or at their own leisure. The routines are mostly body weight exercis es and light dumbbell work outs.
To ensure his home bound members continue to eat healthy, Sutcliffe’s three trainers have been reaching out by phone to offer advice and encouragement and make sure their eating habits are on track.
“:hile we’re closed we are focusing on being as pos itive as possible and to keep challenging and encouraging our members,´ he said.
As a registered and li censed dietition for the past seven years, Pawtucket’s Cox provides virtual nutrition counseling via a telehealth platform. Katrina Cox 1utri tion, LLC offers a variety of nutrition counseling packag es, including one on one nu trition coaching and individu alized meal plans.
“A lot of gyms and fit ness centers are live stream ing workouts right now,´ she says. “(ven though you can’t use your local gym now you can still take advantage of these virtual services to stay positive and healthy.´