COVID-19 restrictions have been drawn back in recent months, and negatively affected businesses are starting to bounce back – this includes local gyms. 

“When COVID hit we had to shut down, so we did shut down for a couple months,” Club Dauntless operations manager Heidi Bassett said. “Then they let gyms open again so we just followed the COVID protocol guidelines.”

Local gym, Freedom Fitness’ current location opened only for a short time before gyms were mandated to shut down. As a result, they were not initially hit as hard by COVID closures. In order to promote health during the pandemic, Freedom Fitness allowed members to borrow equipment for at home use. 

After reopening, gyms had to follow CDC guidelines that restricted capacity. According to the CDC COVID-19 Guidance for Gyms and Fitness Activities, “Fitness facilities may continue to operate with limited access (five people per 1,000 square feet including staff and patrons), with strong safeguards to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as physical distancing and cloth face coverings, in place.”

Now, an emphasis on sanitation still remains, but restrictions such as face coverings, social distancing, and limited access have been lifted — this has resulted in an increase in the use of gyms by the public. Since they were given the green light to reopen, some gyms have seen a significant growth in members. 

Freedom Fitness owner Jess Campbell, noted that because Freedom Fitness tried to provide as many services as they could throughout COVID-19 lock down, they didn’t see a big decrease in members and the number of members remained relatively the same. 

Campbell said that they have taken a new focus in promoting mental well-being through physical health because of the spike in mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety, due to the pandemic.

Growth in gym popularity could possibly be attributed to new awareness and emphasis on personal health. According to the CDC, going to the gym can have many benefits to people’s mental and physical health. Regularly exercising can reduce health risk, strengthen bones and muscles, improve mood and boost energy. 

 “Actually membership-wise we got back our members plus [new members]. Health is so important to everyone now that we actually gained members,” Bassett said. “I think people are more interested in their health, especially with COVID being so scary. I think people have taken a bigger interest in their health to make sure they stay healthy.”

Gyms can be a good environment for exercise because along with exercise equipment, some gyms offer group classes that can offer a sense of community and have trainers to offer assistance and answer questions.