Covid, Health and Exercise

[eytonxav]

This article talks about the health aspects of exercise, impact on the immune system, and returning to the gym safely. It's pretty general, but not bad advice for the more serious workout community:

https://dr-muscle.com/coronavirus-exercise-health/

 

[gerntz]

With walking, jogging, & home exercises, pretty straightforward to maintain fitness w/o a gym imo.

 

[eytonxav]

With walking, jogging, & home exercises, pretty straightforward to maintain fitness w/o a gym imo.

All forms of exercise are a good thing.

 

[Moemg]

My gym sent me the new rules .Reservations are required , masks are required , only open at limited times , Must stay a machine apart .
I will pass for a few months and keep on exercising at home .

 

[Turbo29]

With walking, jogging, & home exercises, pretty straightforward to maintain fitness w/o a gym imo.

With a refrigerator, some utensils, an oven, & a stove, pretty straightforward to prepare food w/o a restaurant imo.


That doesn't mean that restaurants are an unneeded business nor does your comment mean that gyms are unneeded.

 

[W2R]

My gym sent me the new rules .Reservations are required , masks are required , only open at limited times , Must stay a machine apart .
I will pass for a few months and keep on exercising at home .

Our gym is re-opening tomorrow. We are going, but we have no idea what to expect. The gym is a huge, wonderful facility and members are mainly older people. Going there and seeing all those old folks doing their best, really motivates me to work out more and longer! It is owned and operated by the hospital so there will probably be a huge number of safety requirements regarding COVID-19. On the website they mention distancing and signing up for classes that previously did not require signing up.

The website says we all need to fill out new contracts now, which annoys me. For years I have been "grandfathered" into a $42/month fee instead of the $60/month fee that new members have been charged. I suppose this means my bargain basement $42 fee is now history. Also maybe this means we have to get yet another doctor's approval signature too. If so, we won't be able to use the gym tomorrow.

 

[pacergal]

The article contains information for athletes regarding avoiding extreme training, getting good sleep, and other things to help your immune system.
Interesting information for anyone.

 

[eytonxav]

My gym is open, but I am waiting to go until next month for them to install some virus killing technology made by AirPHX. They still require masks, gloves, disinfecting oneself when entering, and before and after using each piece of equipment, and social distancing. Anyhow, the AirPHX just provides a little additional peace of mind.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I found that I couldn't keep up a routine that required me to go out to a gym. I needed low to no barrier, so walking worked, then an elliptical machine in the house. Now I've never been so glad that I get my exercise at home! It was also something of a LBYM thing for me; for the price of less than a year's membership at a gym, I've been working out on that machine for almost 2.5 years now! Woohoo!

 

[friar1610]

Mass. Is coming back slowly (fine with me) so no gyms open yet. I had been going regularly - 2 days a week of spinning classes and 2-3 other days of weight machines, rowing, elliptical or some combo thereof. Also a fair amount of walking/hiking separate from the gym. I've found that, except for the social aspect of BS-ing with other members, I don't really miss it. And I'm reluctant to go back to anything other than the spinning classes. With 10 or so weight machines in a typical workout it seems like I'd spend more time cleaning the machines (in case the person ahead of me hadn't adequately or out of consideration for the person after me) than I would exercising. That wouldn't be so burdensome with a spin bike, a rower or an elliptical that I'd use for 30-50 minutes but could get really old with multiple resistance machines being used for a few minutes each. So I think for our beautiful New England summer I'll stay away from the gym and concentrate on outdoor activities, using my older basement machines/weights and continuing with some great on-line exercise videos that I've discovered. Reevaluate after Labor Day.

 

[Amethyst]

I'm anxious to get back to using weight machines. I can literally see the muscle mass loss, especially in my arms. Little 5-pound weights don't do much, and substitutes for dumbbells (e.g. gallon jugs filled with water) are just that - substitutes.

But the thought of being in a room with other people's huffing and puffing - even though the cardio machines are farther apart from each other, and probably 10+ feet from the weight machine rows - gives me the willies.

 

[Badger]

With walking, jogging, & home exercises, pretty straightforward to maintain fitness w/o a gym imo.

+1 I ride a recumbent trike I ride in the early mornings, have light weights and elastic bands/tubes, and a stationary bike when the weather is bad. I tried gyms a few times over the years and each time eventually got tired of the drive, the inconvenience, and the waste of my dollars. The recumbent has been used for more than 2 decades and the stationary bike was a birthday present years past so they have easily paid for themselves a long time ago. The rest of the equipment was also bought a number of years ago while I was doing PT after surgeries. So no new costs. I can work out in the sunroom while I watch the birds and squirrels in the backyard or watch Netflix/Hulu on TV. Don't need a gym. Save my money for beer and pizza.



Cheers!

 

[frayne]

I use to go to the my local Planet Fitness three to four days a week before the covid outbreak and subsequent shelter in place that occurred in mid March. I scored a nice exercise bike about the same time and upped my walking routine plus bought some weights. Been able to maintain and even lose a little weight and seriously don't know if I will renew my membership at PF. I'll probably wait and see how this pandemic plays out but definitely not going to work out at PF simply because of the downside of being inside with recirculated air that others are breathing and exhaling. Simply not worth the risk at this point in time.

 

[Midpack]

DW and I are exercising at/from home more than ever - weights, rowing, walking and riding bikes. If anything I’ve lost up to 7 pounds.

Unfortunately DW has been locked out of the fitness club she joined since March, still paying $125/mo on an annual contract. The owner was offering Zoom classes 3/week, but she plans to reopen as soon as the government allows (was 5/22, but postponed). DW isn’t comfortable going back yet, so she’ll be paying $125/mo for nothing until she chooses to go back. It’ll be interesting to see if she renews, Aug I think.

 

[W2R]

Yesterday was the first day our gym was open since the lockdown, so of course we went!

There were several people in line (perhaps 6-8 people, six feet apart), and luckily only two were ahead of us; the staff was taking about 1/2 hour each to get each of us back into their billing system. Nobody has been billed for the past couple of months. Much to my surprise, I was still "grandfathered" into the cheaper deal of $42/month that I got a decade ago, instead of the present rate of $60/month! I know, I could afford more but this made me feel very happy. Despite what their website said, we did NOT have to fill out the form and get our doctor to sign. I just had to sign at the bottom of a blank form.

Then, we got to work out! I thought I did a light workout but I am SO SORE this morning. I guess that means that I really, really needed to get back to the gym and my somewhat scant home workouts just weren't enough.

All but one in that line were wearing masks, and of course all the staff wore masks. But while working out, only about 30% left their masks on. Like the others, I took my mask off while working out so that I could breathe better. Then I put it back on while leaving since I would be walking by others.

The machines were already widely spaced, and then they had put signs on half of them saying to choose another machine (farther from other machines). So, I was probably 15 feet from the nearest person while working out, and once he finished his workout I was probably 40-45 feet from the next nearest person. (It's a very large gym.) The gym has 30 foot high ceilings and powerful A/C and fans so it is not close or stuffy but more like the outdoors.

 

[RAE]

DW and I are exercising at/from home more than ever - weights, rowing, walking and riding bikes.

+1, same here. I have never been much for going to gyms anyway, so I have just continued my home/outdoor exercise regime. I do chin-ups, squats, lots of walking up and down hills with my dog. And I am working in my vegetable garden lately and mowing plenty of grass (with a push mower), so I figure I am getting enough exercise overall.

 

[athena53]

I'm anxious to get back to using weight machines. I can literally see the muscle mass loss, especially in my arms. Little 5-pound weights don't do much, and substitutes for dumbbells (e.g. gallon jugs filled with water) are just that - substitutes.

Have you tried a TRX? Probably hard to find in stock anywhere now, but I got my seldom-used one out of the closet and it's been great. It's a V-shaped strap that you mount in a doorway, with a metal plate on the other side of the door keeping it in place (use a door that locks firmly!). There are plenty of exercises for this on YouTube, most far more torture than I'm willing to endure.

My state is allowing gyms to open but mine (Planet Fitness) still isn't opening and has given no date. I do know they're open in Iowa by appointment. I'll be visiting DS and DDIL there an a couple of weeks but may just bring my bicycle and my TRX- don't want to bring new bugs into their home.