Staying active is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only is exercising great for your mental health, it also helps strengthen your immune system.
For those who visit the gym to exercise, COVID-19 has presented some challenges to their routine. Check out these questions to consider when making the gym decisions that are best for you.
What is your personal risk?
Are you someone who is considered at high risk for serious COVID-19 illness? If you aren’t, do you live with someone who is high-risk? If so, you’ll probably want to be cautious and avoid going to the gym at this time.
How are case numbers in your community?
Are there a lot of COVID-19 cases in your area? Are case numbers going up? Check out your local health department’s website and keep tabs on their latest COVID-19 updates. If cases are surging, it is a good idea to avoid the gym until the numbers in your area go down.
What precautions is your gym taking?
Gyms are hopefully regulating the number of people who can use the facility at one time. They should also have a strong cleaning and disinfecting policy for all their workout equipment.
Call your gym ahead of time and ask them any questions you have about their COVID-19 policies. This way you can decide if you feel comfortable going before heading over there.
How can you protect yourself at the gym?
Keeping a distance of at least six feet from others in the gym is very important. You might even want to space out more, as people tend to breathe heavily while exercising. This means their respiratory droplets might move even further in the air than normal.
Going to the gym during hours when there are fewer people there is a great place to start. Be sure to clean and disinfect any workout equipment both before and after you use it. Also, is important to not touch your face without washing your hands first. Bring a towel and use it instead to wipe any sweat away.
If you are comfortable and able to wear a face mask while working out, do so. However, be sure not to touch it at any time with contaminated hands.
Can you do your same workouts at home?
As we work to slow the spread of COVID-19, it is important for everyone to keep their space from others as much as possible. Therefore, if you have what you need to work out at home during this time, you should be doing so.
This also gives you the opportunity to try out new exercises. Maybe you’ve been lifting weights at the gym a lot recently but have always wanted to try yoga. Or maybe there are great trails by your house you’ve been meaning to run or walk on. There are many workout options you can do outside in your neighborhood or inside your own home.
Stay updated on what Bon Secours is doing related to COVID-19.
