Healthy gyms and their importance in the post-COVID 19 world
The ultimate goal of gyms is to build a healthier nation, with better habits. But, what happens when the place where we go seeking physical and mental improvement becomes a place that can make us sick?
Athletic training rooms have a high prevalence of bacteria and drug-resistant organisms, increasing in that way the risk of both local and systemic infections. Bearing that in mind, the adaptation of hygiene protocols, reorganisation and replacement of standard gym equipment would lead to a reduction in the bacterial and viral pathogen.
Why viruses spread so easily in gyms?
Gyms offer a wide range of wellbeing services so you get the most out of being a member, but gyms are tricky because it’s typically hard to maintain social distance in a relatively confined space. Although there is a lack of research that says COVID-19 is indeed spread through sweat, respiratory particles can often get mixed in with sweat.
When you have a relatively high density of people exercising and sweating in a contained space, you have conditions where communicable diseases can spread easily. Gym equipment also can be devilishly difficult to sanitize. Dumbbells and kettlebells, for instance, are made of metal and strangely shaped in many different places people can grasp.
Ultimately, in reopening fitness centres after COVID 19 people are going to have to understand and accept that there will be some risks, but there are many steps people can take to mitigate them - Wash. Spray. Wait. Wipe. Repeat.
How can we add to more clean and healthy gyms?
Whether you’re comfortable with resuming your fitness classes again or still have some inconvenience deciding it - there are a few things everyone should keep in mind when it comes to preserving health, not only after the COVID pandemic but for all the future flue seasons, viruses etc.
The most important thing when reopening fitness centres after COVID 19 is to know your gym’s rules and safety protocols before you set off to a new fitness adventure. It is most likely that the areas will be marked to ensure people keep their distance. All the equipment can be separated too, or even put out of use, ensuring fewer people attend one class or occupy one small room at the same time.
Bring water with you and make sure it’s enough to last for your entire workout. You should also bring a clean pair of sneakers and your own towel, but be mindful about where you put it, especially if you’re wiping your face with it. Also, try to minimize the time spent within the gym walls. This does not mean you have to skip classes but go in with a plan for a workout.
What is to be expected in gyms after COVID-19?
Once gyms are finally reopened, in compliance with health we can expect many changes concerning people visiting the gym and the ones in charge of carrying out the gym business after COVID. It seems like cardio, group training and conventional strength and deadlifting programs will be conducted more strictly and that greater precaution measures will be taken.
While maintaining physical distance, hygiene and tracing any form of illness between employees, fitness club owners will be “forced” to introduce other major changes to resume their business and make it more secure and sustainable than ever. Here’s a glimpse of some changes gyms are most likely to experience in the post-COVID 19 era.
1. Greater safety protocols to ensure everyone’s health
While keeping a distance is one of the major things people will get used to doing, some fitness facilities could incorporate symptoms monitoring like high temperature, distinctive coughing or sick looks all around. Soap and hand-sanitizers will be more available for visitors to wash and clean their hands at the entrance, as they walk in.
These unique health checks can allow your trainer to get to know you better, and create an individual fitness and wellbeing plan more suited to your condition.
2. Improved air quality in healthy gyms
Sometimes social distancing at the gym can be complicated by aerobic exercise. Exercisers breathe heavily and their droplets can linger in the air. The answer to this is a ventilation system that refreshes the air inside and proper gym air filtration from the outside.
Indoor gyms show high levels of airborne dust, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide delivered from different materials and equipment. In sufficient concentrations, meaning, when we are exposed to them long term, these substances can contribute to asthma and other respiratory problems.
3. Nature-friendly equipment is easier to sustain
It is very likely that the current situation concerning the coronavirus will shape the business long term, meaning that many fitness studios have already been assigned to comply with high standards of health, safety and cleanliness. For this to happen, and for ordinary gyms to become healthy gyms, it’s important to, firstly alternate, and then completely replace artificial materials prone to virus clinginess with nature-derived one, non-toxic for people and the environment.
Natural workout equipment is made from hemp, wood, ash and marble etc. The minimalist workout equipment encourages a healthy gyms lifestyle while highlighting the beauty of the natural world. The collection usually consists of a jump rope, push up barrels, dumbbells, an ab wheel and so on.
4. Futuristic healthy gyms - an open space experience
The long term impact that COVID-19 will definitely leave on many gym experiences is that the future is starting to turn more towards open space gyms and more wellness-focused spaces. Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance, while fresh air delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently during the session, maximizing the results.
Final thoughts on post-COVID healthy gyms
The ability to adapt to change renders humans as survivors. This can be also applied in business, in the fitness industry. Gyms who organise around the new realities - smaller market, more hygiene concerns, less disposable income, pervasive laziness, the resilience of specialist offerings - will be more likely to succeed.
Ultimately, a great deal of post-coronavirus activity in the gym will come down to trust - trust in the institution offering exercise services and equipment to properly maintain a sterile environment, and in your fellow gym-goers to clean up after they use that equipment and observe the guidelines of hygiene and distance that have thus far contributed to flattening the curve.
Remember, movement of any kind is good for our physical and mental health! The gym is one of the unique places to collect all the benefits of a healthy and vivacious human being.
You can be sure that gyms after COVID-19 are looking forward to welcoming you back, and that they will continue to support your health and fitness journey through a safe environment. We all play a part in keeping healthy gyms, and you can expect to be asked to follow a few rules too.