After being closed since April, local gyms will be able to welcome clients back inside their training facilities this Friday.
Clients of The Weight Room on Laclie Street have been chomping at the bit to get back to the gym for months, says owner Kim Salmon.
“We’ve been closed for the last three-and-a half months, so I have to say we are pretty excited to get back open,” she said.
“By all the phone calls and texts I’ve gotten, it sounds like I’m going to have a 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. long and very busy day on Friday.”
When gyms across the province open on Friday as Ontario moves into Stage 3 of the reopening plan, COVID protocols will be in effect.
Clients will be asked to wear a mask and practise social distancing; the entire gym must be sanitized every hour.
Salmon says her clients are more than willing to follow public health guidelines in order to work on their health and fitness once again.
“I would say 50 percent of my clients are over 55-years old, and I have 80-year-old people calling me and saying 'I got to get on that bike, when can I come? When is the date?' They are so excited to get into the gym and I’m pretty pumped about that,” she said.
Salmon says the pandemic has lit a fire under many of her clients to live a healthier lifestyle.
“These people need to come in, get exercising, lose some weight, and get stronger. That way if they do come upon the virus they will be able to fight it better than someone who is out of shape,” she said.
Salmon is hopeful that her gym will be consistently busy in the coming weeks, but stressed it's been a long struggle for gyms.
“It’s been hard for us because we’ve really got nothing from the government and we are one of the last industries to open,” she said.
“I got the bare minimum of the government's grants, so I took that, and I was able to get somewhat caught up, but I’m still down quite a bit.”
Salmon is fearful that July and August could be quiet months for her gym as they are traditionally for most fitness centres.
“This is a time where people want to be outside, and if we don’t get busy right away some of us are going to have to close. There is just no way we can all survive,” she said.
“I’m a fighter. I won’t give up and my clients haven’t given up on me, which is what is keeping me going,” she said.
Over at HQ Fit Studio on Diana Drive, part-owner Stephen Roome says he is excited to welcome his clients back on Friday. During the long lockdown, HQ Fit Studio was open to some clients under the Disability Support Program Act.
“We have some clients who have epilepsy and their training is a form of therapy. The same thing goes for our clients who have fibromyalgia, it’s a medical necessity.”
While Roome’s gym was never completely closed, the core part of the business was. This Friday, indoor and outdoor boot camp sessions will be able to resume.
“It’s fantastic and we are really excited about it,” he said.
“Since April 3, the business has been very narrow. We are happy to be able to welcome everybody back to enjoy the gym and get training again.”
HQ Fit Studio is a fairly new business in town; they opened for the first time in February and have faced andemic-related challenges since Day 1.
“It’s been very tough. We’ve been able to stay afloat which we are grateful for as it’s more than a lot of other small businesses can say. We’ve had an amazing clientele who has been very supportive, but we have been very anxious to fully open up,” he said.
“We haven’t even been able to have our grand opening yet, so we have big plans for that now that things are returning to normalcy. We are excited to push this business, see what we can do with it, and have it grow," he added.
Roome is expecting lots of demand on Friday when HQ Fit Studio opens its doors.
“The interest is definitely there. People are ready to get back into a routine with their health and fitness,” he said.
Crystal Cabural, owner of Functional Fitness on Memorial Avenue, says she is itching to get back open for all her clients.
“We work with people who have mobility issues, so we are excited to get people moving again, she said.
“When you aren’t able to be mobile you lose your strength and your balance very quickly, so people have realized what they’ve lost and they want to regain it," she explained. "They are very motivated to get that independence back and stay healthy.”
Despite being able to open at only 50 percent capacity on Friday, Cabural says her gym will take a slow approach to welcoming large groups of clients at a time.
“We will ease our way into that, and we won’t be jumping into 50 percent capacity because we do a lot of personal training programs,” she said.
Despite limiting the amount of clients in the gym at one time, Cabural still expects Functional Fitness to be fairly busy over the next few months.
“I think the pandemic started good conversations and good reflection, but all the things that compete for all our time, money, and energy are still there. So, people might struggle with making their health a priority, but I am hopeful that more of us will make it a top priority,” she said.
While things are finally trending up for Cabural’s gym, she admits the pandemic has been a challenge.
“At a certain point I decided to be committed to just going all in and getting through this. I just needed to get into a state of mind where whatever happens I’d be willing to go through the struggle to get through it,” she said.
“We had challenges with everything being unknown, but I made a mental choice to stick it through because my clients are really important to me.”
One of Cabural’s clients of nearly three years, Wendy Furnish, said she is ready to get back in motion when gyms reopen Friday.
“I think it’s wonderful that gyms are re-opening. I think it’s very important mentally and physically for many people,” she said.
Furnish says getting back to the gym is especially important for her demographic.
“I’m an older adult who's had some surgery and it feels better when you are able to maintain your body and your mind as you age. Functional Fitness helps me do all of that,” she said.
“I like to work out, and I like the movement. It feels good to be able to go and exercise to what best suits my needs.”
