First Day Back at the Gym – Sabrena Jo
Fitness Friday Series with Sabrena Jo
Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I’m Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #457. Today’s show is brought to you by True Botanicals and Sun Basket Food.
The new normal was tested, at least for me, this morning as we entered Phase 2 of COVID 19 coronavirus reopening. As of Monday, gyms and fitness outlets can now officially reopen in Northern Virginia, where I live, with restrictions and many new regulations. But working out isn’t going to be the same for a while.
My gym has reopened, and I’ll say from my 3 early morning workouts, things are different but in a good way. Our guest today, Director of Science and Research Content for the American Council on Exercise, Sabrena Jo will be discussing all this and more…
That of course is our guest today, Sabrena Jo, and we’re talking about getting back to exercise, visiting your re-opened gym, and I will tell you that in my experience, the gym has changed…Visually the gym has been reconfigured so that each gym member is six feet or more apart when exercising. The studios for spin and pilates will also re-start with a reduced class schedule to make time for sanitizing pilates machines.
There are many new regulations, for example, all members, tennis players, spin/pilates class attendees will be required to line up outside, six-feet apart, and wait for an instructor to open the doors. Gym members must get their temperature read before entering, and will be getting an email [explaining] that bathrooms, lobby space, water dispensers, steam room, child care, etc., will be temporarily unavailable.
Since gyms were forced to close in mid-March, my gym has been running free classes via their web Live five days a week to keep their community engaged.
From what I can see when exercising recently is that only a small percentage of members want to resume in-person workouts. In conversation with my gym management, they found about 50 percent were eager to return, while the other half was hesitant. Northern Virginia gyms are able to reopen with 30% capacity, and I wasted no time getting in there early this morning to get my workout in and resume my new normal, hopping right back on my favorite machines, but at 6 to 10 feet apart.
What does it all mean, should you stay away, individual choices and decisions to be sure, but we’ll be joined by Sabrena Jo to discuss it…
Don’t say away, and please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show, Sabrena Jo.
Please support our sponsors:
● You’ve just got to try True Botanicals for yourself. Get FIFTEEN PERCENT OFF your FIRST purchase at TRUE BOTANICALS dot COM slash NOTOLDBETTER
Https://truebotanicals.com/NOTOLDBETTER
● Right now, Sun Basket is offering $35 off your order when you go right now to SUN BASKET dot com slash NOB and enter promo code NOB at checkout:
Https://SunBasket.com/NOB
TRANSCRIPTION:
Trump did not old better show. I’m Paul Vogel taken. This is episode number 457 Today Show is brought to you by true Botanicals and sunbasket food.
The New Normal was tested at least from me over the course of the last couple mornings as we entered Phase 2 of covid-19 coronavirus reopening as a Monday gyms and Fitness Outlet. Can I officially reopen in Northern Virginia where I live with restrictions and many new regulations but working out isn’t going to be the same for a while my gym has reopened and I’ll say for my three early morning workouts this week things are different but in a good way our guest today director of science and research content for the American Council on exercise to bring a Joe will be discussing all this and more.
I think the gyms that do a really great job at reopening will be examples for the rest of the gyms to follow and I think that there will be gyms that that do a great job. And then those that that don’t do such a great job and I think the difference will lie in how the facility caters to the experience of the customer because at the end of the day the customer has to feel safe that course is our guest today Sabrina Joe and we’re talking about getting back to exercise visiting your reopen Jim and I will tell you that in my experience the gym has changed visually the gym has been reconfigured so that each team member is six feet or more apart when exercising the studios for Spin and pilates have also restarted, but with a reduced class schedule to make time for sanitizing All of the various machines there are many new regulations. For example, all members tennis players spin pilates class attendees will be required to line up outside six feet apart and wait for an instructor to open the doors. Jim members must get their temperature read before entering and will be getting an email explaining the bathrooms Lobby space water dispensers. Steam rooms, Child Care, etc. Etc will be temporarily unavailable since gyms were forced to close in mid-march, my gym has been running free classes via their live website 5 days a week to keep their Community engaged from what I can see when exercising recently is that only a small percentage of members want to resume in person workouts in conversation with Jim management locally, they found about 50% more eager to return while the other half was hesitant Northern Virginia gyms are able to reopen with 30% capacity and I wasted no time getting in here early last couple of morning.
Get my workout in and resume my new normal hopping right back on my favorite machines. But at 6 to 10 feet apart. What does it all mean? Should you stay away individual choices and decisions to be sure, but we’ll be joined by Sabrina Joe to discuss it. So don’t stay away. Please join me in welcoming to the not old better show via internet phone Sabrina. Gel Damita Jo welcome back to the program great to talk to you. It’s be here again. Hear your voice again. Yeah good to hear your voice to first of all, let’s let’s get this right out the way. How are you doing? How is your family? How’s your team doing? You know how you think trainers are doing right now members of gyms are returning to exercise opening-day. What what’s on your mind about some of this and most importantly, how how are you doing? I am well my family is doing great the team that I work with at the American Council on exercise. We’re all still working from home and everyone.
Doing well. We are all experiencing various levels of reopening in our different states and that that looks different from one Community to the next and so it’s really interesting hearing about how people are coping and in different people’s experiences with not being able to exercise at their favorite gym. Yeah. Well, it will good good place to start. So tell us maybe have a couple story to share with us about some of these places every gym is a little bit differently. You’ve given us this wonderful quote about, you know, kind of looking at your gym specifically finding out what’s you know, what you’re comfortable with what’s safe, what’s appropriate and proper? What do you think the new normal is going to look like for exercising some of these Genesis. They’re reopening a good question because every single place I mean let alone state or Community, but every single place I think will be different as well and one of Places that I’ve seen that that I think in my opinion is doing a great job at is one that is his reopened a couple weeks ago here and they I’m here in the Midwest. So we saw some re-openings and one gym, I noticed was reducing class size. So they were limiting their maximum capacity 200 maybe about 10 to 12 participants to really keep that 6 feet of social distancing in place and then no one is sharing any equipment. So once the person comes in there their equipment for the day is kind of already set up and place and has been cleaned by the staff.
And this is a group exercise setting by the way, and they have a on the floor taped off with you can imagine blue painter’s tape but taped off on the floor a square that allows each person to actually, you know, feasibly maintain that that is physical distance and yet still exercise in the same room same space. So I think from what I can tell things are going well and people are you no signing up the it’s a mandatory that they sign up ahead of time so that the owners can understand. You know, how how do you actually set up the space for each class? And I think it’s going pretty well, but the people are excited to be back at it and there, you know sharing stories of cash. It feels so good to be with my friends again moving and working toward a common goal is a physical fitness. So that’s kind of an example of One place. I think he’s doing a good job. Thank you for that. You guys are some guidance out there that these gyms are getting is everybody just kind of all over the map and trying their best to figure this out or what what are gyms where Jim’s looking to get a sense as to what they should be doing right now?
Guidance for gems per say. We were you note asked by Ace to come up with a A list or a guide for reopening just to help people understand. What are some best practices in the truth is the CDC hasn’t really release anything specific to Fitness facilities. So we’re all trying to wrap our heads around.
How to give some people some reassurance and some safety guidelines without some some real strict guidance from leadership at the highest government levels. So what we’ve kind of come up with is a checklist based on cleaning and sanitation and not physical distancing that can be applied in the fitness center setting and we actually have a ace collaborated with the Coalition for the registration of exercise professionals and week lab rated on a reopening died. So some of the facilities in this Association are using this a guide to successfully to to help reopen in and IT addresses things such as facilities how to keep people safe how to clean how to reorganize the equipment how to Keep High touch Services constantly cleaned even some you know, some some guidelines around exercising with a mask. If you you’re doing that, which has its own challenges, so it’s really kind of unknown, but we’re doing the best we can as an industry to keep people safe.
We’ll be right back with more from Sabrina chilling. We’ll talk about what it really means to get back to your gym. Stay tuned. Wanted to take a minute and tell you about our sponsor is true Botanicals and sunbasket food right now. Are you normal is all about delivery product delivery package delivery in importantly food delivery. If you are looking to reduce unnecessary trips out and trying to avoid sold out grocery stores and check out sunbasket our sponsor day. It’s a perfect and delicious solution for the times. We are living in sunbasket is the premium meal delivery kit. This is great food because it’s certified organic and it strives to Source organic produce 100% of the time sun basket is also dietitian approved and the meal plans like paleo lean and clean gluten free vegetarian Mediterranean and more make healthy eating easy plus sunbasket gives back to their communities through feeding.
America and local food banks and employee program we in the not old better show audience really appreciate all this for us. My family. We are all together now send basket delivered a big box of healthy delicious meals straight to our door. The boxes are filled with fresh delicious food and then make it easy and convenient. We all can get there together in the kitchen and prepare this and everything is pre-portioned and ready to prep and then cooked so you can enjoy a dinner full of organic produce and clean ingredients in as little as about 15 minutes no matter how much experience you at in the kitchen and I’ll tell you we are all at home now. So there’s a bunch of us in the kitchen at once and we’re just all getting together and cooking this sunbasket food, which is fantastic. So each week sunbasket offers a wide range of recipes to choose from so if you can try personalized mouth-watering dishes for my family, we have enjoyed the roasted salmon and the miso-glazed eggplant. Wow.
Fantastic stuff and sunbasket distilleries have the highest levels of food and employee safety. That’s something that we’re hearing all about in the news today. And that’s something that’s really important to me really important or not old better show audience are reinforcing these strict adherence has to their existing standard operating procedures and increasing sanitation frequently in their distribution centers, in order to protect you and your family Sun basket saves money save time and offers you healthy delicious personalized meals delivered right to your door, which is exactly what we want right now. And right after sunbasket is offering $35 off your order when you go right now to sunbasket. Com n o b and enter in the promo code nov at checkout that’s sunbasket. Com in OB enter the promo code nov a check out for $35 off your order remember?
Sunbasket. Com nov and enter promo code nov. Plus there’s a 100% mouth-watering guarantee. We want you to love your sunbasket soak a hundred percent money back guarantee on all food is offered. We’re not happy unless you’re happy. So remember sunbasket. Com in OB and enter the promo code and I’ll be don’t wait order it out. Thanks.
When will quick sponsor message in Epsom true Botanicals our lives are challenging these days they’re full of tough choices and trade-offs. So make your daily Remington Beauty regimen and what you put on your body a great choice with no trade-offs, you know, like me you likely already wear organic cotton on your body. You probably eat organic food we do here. Why do you use skin care products that are a cornucopia of chemicals with natural and organic ingredients true Botanicals skin and body products deliver results without toxins. So you can feel good while working from home. This is why I true Botanicals skincare refuses toxins and uses natural ingredients that are safe pure cotton and proven to work and this is why Britain I use true Botanicals products true Botanicals uses both the latest scientific advances and centuries-old.
Mechanical extracts to create all natural formulas in their products like their hydrating face cleansers their face oils for aging and breakout prone and sensitive skin and nutrient-packed serums are perfect for your at-home self care Beauty and grooming routine and talking about aging skin. Yes. I am talking right to are not old better show audience true Botanicals and like most non-toxic product to Botanical Solutions actually work to repair aging skin and true Botanicals work with researchers at leading universities including Carnegie Mellon and Cornell to identify nourishing Botanical extracts rich in antioxidants vitamins and essential fatty acids to develop a formula that work better than leading Beauty Brands look given what’s going on in the world when I focus on your skin and your health right now true Botanicals products can be calming I need stressful times and they’re delivered straight to your door. You just got to try true Botanicals for yourself. Get 15% off your first purchase at true Botanicals. Com not old better get 15% off your first purchase at true Botanicals. Com not old better. All of this is going to be in the show notes. That’s true Botanicals. Com not old better really appreciate. I want to shift gears and talk for a second about the idea of wearing masks and those of us that are reentering the gym. What is that look like for us? What does it mean to wear a mask while exercising because it’s not it’s not necessarily a comfortable process. There’s a hole that you know, almost a barrier there between you never really breathing properly and in oxygen and end. So what do you think about actually wearing the mask while you were on the elliptical machine for example?
I will personally.
If I were to have to wear a mask while exercising I wouldn’t like it. I mean it’s hard enough when you’re really pushing hard and and breathing heavily do to your physical exertion just to get in enough oxygen to really feel that that exercise. So one thing to keep in mind it if you are going to wear a mask during exercise that your ability to consume and then distribute and use that oxygen throughout your body will be limited. It’s not going to feel like a normally does and so one thing that you might want to try as is this you are in a facility that is requiring the use of masks, which I think some of them are even during workouts just to give yourself some time to ramp up to adapt to what it feels like to work out with a little bit less oxygen coming in and be aware of warning signs of kind of like the lightheadedness.
Dizziness or really rapid heartbeat at exertions that normally wouldn’t cause you to you don’t be so winded or what to be so fatigued because you literally are restricting the usual amount of oxygen that you’re used to consuming during activity and you can overtime he with the body can adapt. I mean think about like exercising at altitude. I mean your bias and you can adapt but that could take weeks. So just give yourself a break in terms of if your if your will for two things give yourself a break number one. If you’re returning to the gym after having been gone for several months you your body might not be in the same kind of shape it was before so give yourself some time to you know, regain some Fitness and then number two if you are wearing a mask It’s going to be more difficult to get in at oxygen and use it. So again, just I guess the bottom line to those two points is perhaps give yourself a break give yourself a little bit of time to regain some of the fitness and allow your body to adapt and that could take a couple weeks. So you get back in there and really steal like you’re exerting yourself and Performing like the way you used to before this all started. Yes. Thank you. I think you know the adage that you know have a little patience. I know there might be a little bit of you know, you might be doing some of this so although I know that trainers are back in the gym certainly they are available at at the gym that I go to locally but classes are necessarily some of the programs aren’t necessarily available. The locker rooms are closed. Some of that stuff just has not fully returned yet. You might have to be a little DIY, but you might really need to think about just be On your own a little bit in the gym and not necessarily looking to others but being prepared to just exercise in a Solo base station that you have to make and there’s certainly no partner type of workouts going on a different story. So yeah, just just be on the lookout Inn in and again be patient and kind with your fitness facility because they are trying to figure this out as well. And from what I’ve seen most are doing a great job of taking everything into consideration and the bottom line is we just we don’t know because we’ve never been through this type of thing before one thing that I think is helpful is if you do end up going back to a facility, you’re lucky enough to do that.
Perhaps think about purchasing and then using your own personal equipment for family yoga mat or yoga block like bring those things with you every time so it’s not a shared public situation with the equipment and then and then you don’t have to worry about getting it cleaned or or wonder who’s cleaning it in between also, I noticing that many clubs are decreasing perhaps the number of classes. They offered to allow more time in between classes so that the cleaning that the sanitation process can get in there and then happens prior to the next class. So that could be a thing that you’re seeing. So just again, I think patience you said it a little earlier but patience is going to be key during this phase 3 openings making my way to my gym, which is Come up at the high-rise and has an underground parking garage set up in the underground parking garage was an outdoor outdoor Beano outside perhaps outside of the gym exercise layout so Matt’s some kettlebells were strewn about you can see that there were some elastic bands. And so it looked like they were even setting up some outdoor spaces that people could go and exercise if they wanted to maybe get some instruction, but the gyms are I think being creative and so I guess my my question to you here in in my final question is how are you in terms of optimism about all this return you think we’re kind of in the right direction or we processing the right way in order to return to exercise and and how do we how do we how do we make it as members easier on staff and trainers to get back into exercise?
For the most part, I’m optimistic. I think that we are creative we will figure this out and I think people are craving that social connection and they they they like their gyms. They like their trainers. They want to see them be successful in and do well. So I think we are coming up with ways of figuring it out. So I am hopeful and I think it’s probably going to happen is that facilities that are offering classes and private trainings or just you know, use of the facility will do that with you no interfaces, but with important measures in place to protect people and then I also think that we will see a hybrid approach. So I think trainers group fitness leaders and gym owners will provide not only a physical space for people to come together with the appropriate safety guidelines, but they’re also going to provide online and virtual or streaming type of services.
and I think until we kind of get over the Did the pandemic you know situation completely, but once we really figure out how to get around living with this virus and doing it safely until then. I think the hybrid approach is what just going to have to be in place because we’re going to have to remain connected with the people who lead us through exercise and help us with our health, and we’re going to have to do it safely.
So I see I see those two things as being important going forward scream Joe’s always great to talk to you first director science and research content the American Council on exercise would really value what you had to tell us today, and we got to give it some thought and act on it because I do think it’s important to get out. I do think we’ve got to you know, all of this self isolation has been important to kind of flattened that curve, but is a time and a place I think for us to get back out and be with one. Another is something that we’re all crazy in this thing, I think so, it’s wonderful to be with your family, but it’s all so wonderful to have those other connections, and I think slowly we’re starting to figure out creative ways to to make that happen in and make it happen successfully will thank you. I really appreciate your time today Serena Joe. My thanks to True Botanicals and send back the food for sponsor.
Today’s episode. I think especially to the American Council on exercise has Sabrina Joe who is the director of science and research content for spending time with me today. She’s always so generous with her time. We appreciate it and value. I also value and appreciate your time. I know you’re busy and I very much value the chance to spend a little bit of time with my familiar voice reaching out to you. Thanks again. Please remember to practice safe social distancing be well. Be safe be healthy and remember let’s talk about better and not old better show. Thanks everybody.