Gym goers pumped for exercise spots to reopen — but will have to wait another week

Instead of relying on free weights at the gym, Cathy Jeffrey has kept up her fitness routine by playing Frisbee with her kids, going for runs on the trail and relying on tree branches to get in her 15 sets of five pull-ups.

Gym goers have been trying to find ways to get in a workout after COVID-19 made its first appearance in New Brunswick in March, forcing all gyms to close.

"I miss the gym terribly and I can't wait to get back," said the 47-year-old.

"However, I am a little nervous. I want to make sure it is safe to go back. I don't know what that means in the environment of the gym."

Gyms, yoga and dance studios were expected to reopen this coming Friday, after the province moved into the yellow phase of its COVID-19 recovery plan last week.

Following a cluster of six active cases in the Campbellton region this week, Premier Blaine Higgs announced Thursday that the reopening of gyms will be pushed back until next Friday.

"This will allow for the time required to determine the extent of the current outbreak," Higgs said.

Other activities that will be put on hold until next Friday include:

• Outdoor public gatherings of 50 people or fewer.

• Indoor religious services, including weddings and funerals, of 50 people or fewer.

• Low-contact team sports.

• Swimming pools, saunas and waterparks

• Yoga and dance studios

• Rinks and indoor recreational facilities

• Pool halls and bowling alleys

Jeffrey exercises at least six times a week and has had up to four gym memberships in Fredericton at one time: Synergy Training Center, where she soon plans to take her two kids, Sweat Club Inc., Goodlife Fitness and Fit4Less.

"Sports are just a big part of our life. And going to the gym is just an aspect of that."

The local athlete started playing tennis at the age of eight and has been working out at gyms since she attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute as a student.

Getting gyms up and running

Although the gyms might look a bit different once they reopen, Jeffrey intends to continue supporting local Fredericton gyms, especially after they've been closed for so long.

"We want these guys to succeed. We are just so lucky to have them here. And to have access to that kind of quality gym here," she said.

"We need to get them up and running again."

Gyms were forced to close after Premier Blaine Higgs declared a state of emergency in March, giving the province broad powers to enforce business closures and physical distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

"The hardest part was not knowing … is 2020 going to be a writeoff?" said Omar Ali, owner and founder of Formula 4 Fitness Fredericton.

"Are we even going to open again?"

The future of physical fitness

Ali is getting his staff together this week to go over the proper safety precautions before reopening and contacting clients about coming back.

He plans to reopen the local gym on June 1.

He said it will be interesting to see how many of his 500 clients return.

Clients have already been sending emails and messages on Facebook to the local gym , saying they won't be returning because they don't feel it's safe to come back.

"We've dealt with people who are so eager to come in and we've had some people, not so much."

Each day Formula 4 Fitness Fredericton will be scheduling three bookings per hour, which will include three personal trainers at one time.

And physical distancing will still be required.

"That is going to be a challenge because we're going to have to dial that back for the time being," he said.

Clients will be required to sanitize their hands before and after they come into the gym. Equipment will also be cleaned after being used.

"At the end of the day everybody's safety comes first," he said. "It takes it one notch further."

Gyms 'in survival mode'

Smaller gyms and fitness studios are some of the final businesses that will be allowed to reopen in New Brunswick.

Cara Hazelton, owner of Precision Pilates, said government needs to do more to help businesses like hers reopen earlier if a second wave of COVID-19 were to hit.

"In the first phase of yellow, spas and salons are open," she said. "So I can go get my bikini line waxed and I can go get a tattoo. But my clients can't come take a pilates class."

Many of her clients are recommended to her from physiotherapists, psychologists and physicians because they have back issues, are cancer survivors or recovering from surgeries. She said many of her clients are also over the age of 60.

"I would consider myself pretty critical to the patients of those physiotherapists who are relying on me to help them with their physical rehab," she said.

She's hoping government will allow businesses like hers to reopen in the earlier orange phase, which was slightly more restrictive than yellow but still allowed businesses to open.

"When you look at a province like New Brunswick that's the least healthy province in the country, it needs all the help it can get."

Hazelton said the closure of her studio has been challenging but she's been trying to find ways to follow Public Health guidelines and keep her clients safe.

She plans to reopen next week. Studio group classes will be 45 minutes long to accommodate physical distancing, as well as proper cleaning of equipment and common spaces.

She's asking clients to come dressed for class if possible and leave unnecessary belongings inside their vehicles or at home.

She will also be offering online and in studio classes.

"I'm in survival mode."

Gym closure was 'scary, sad'

Laura Clendenning, owner of Sweat Club Inc. in downtown Fredericton celebrated her business's first birthday by learning her boutique-style gym could reopen.

"It was scary, it was sad, it was frustrating. It was all of the emotions."

Since Clendenning's gym closed in March, clients relied heavily on online classes and training.

"My goal was to create a community and support people just to have a place to hang out online and give them workouts," she said.

She's hoping to reopen her business on Monday.

But before that can happen, staff have been either shifting or removing equipment to create more space to work out.

She has also taped the floors of her gym, to indicate the correct distance clients must maintain.

"They will have their own little bubble area that they're allowed to work in," she said. "There will be no moving around the gym."

Every taped station will also have its own hand sanitizer.

And trainers will be monitoring the small group of people for symptoms before coming in. People will only be allowed to take part in classes or one-on-one sessions if they have appointments.

But she's hopeful the Fredericton gym will come back stronger than ever.

"I would have never anticipated something like this happening in our first year of business."