0820_AUG Comstock's Magazine 0820 August | Page 39

FITNESS AND WELLNESS
Exercising and
Staying Healthy
Is More Important
Than Ever
by Randy Karr
As with many other industries, in
mid-March, the coronavirus pandemic
brought California’s fitness industry to
a halt, threatening the livelihoods of the
roughly 180,000 fitness professionals
at more than 4,000 facilities across the
state, including 1,300 employees at our
19 California Family Fitness locations.
The abrupt closure meant I had to temporarily
lay off nearly my entire workforce,
and our 100,000-plus members no
longer had an outlet where they could go
for their daily workouts.
To ensure the fitness industry could
work toward reopening as soon as safely
possible, I joined other fitness providers
to form the California Fitness Alliance,
which includes health clubs, boutiques,
studios, fitness professionals, manufacturers
and suppliers, and individuals
representing all regions of the state. We
have nearly 2,000 individual members
and more than 100 partners.
Randy Karr is president and
CEO of California Family
Fitness, which has 19 locations
in the Sacramento region. Karr
is also one of the five founding
partners of the California Fitness
Alliance.
CFA worked with Gov. Gavin
Newsom’s administration to develop
statewide reopening guidelines that
prioritized the safety of employees and
members while still allowing people to
receive the positive benefits that fitness
provides. With those standards in place,
the fitness industry reopened in many
parts of California, including the Sacramento
region, in mid-June. Thousands
of Californians were back to exercising
daily, supported by professionals trained
in accordance with the state’s guidelines
to ensure facilities are safe and clean.
Even though no COVID-19 outbreaks
were traced to a fitness facility, on July 13,
Newsom unexpectedly ordered indoor
fitness facilities and many other industries
in 30 counties to shut down again.
During the brief time we opened,
workouts did not look the same, yet
thousands of members came back to
our clubs, and we welcomed many new
members. We followed CFA requirements,
including enforcing capacity and
hours restrictions, cleanliness protocols,
employee training and the use of masks
by employees and members. When Newsom
mandated masks be worn in public
places, we enforced the proper use of
masks inside our gyms at all times, even
during exercise.
Staying active to improve well-being
The longer the pandemic lasts, the more
crucial fitness is to people’s physical
and mental health. About half of U.S.
adults report that stress associated with
COVID-19 has caused them to experience
at least one negative effect on their
mental health, such as problems with
sleeping, eating, increased use of alcohol
or a worsening chronic condition.
Exercise improves mental health and
reduces stress and symptoms of anxiety.
Exercise has proven to prevent weight
gain, boost the immune system and
improve sleep. Additionally, our industry
plays a crucial role in preventing chronic
diseases, which account for 86 percent
of health care costs, according to the
National Institutes of Health.
Exercising for 45-60 minutes three or
more times per week can also help treat
chronic depression. This is especially
important now, as suicide-prevention
hotlines have been receiving a surge in
calls during the pandemic. Crisis intervention
workers at WellSpace Health,
which is based in Sacramento, received
a record number of calls in March,
peaking at 4,713, compared to 3,350 in a
typical month.
The World Health Organization recommends
adults get at least 150 minutes
of physical activity each week. Although
many fitness facilities offer workout
alternatives on various social media
platforms, not everyone has adequate
access to exercise effectively from home,
plus the hot summer temperatures make
it difficult to exercise outdoors.
Using fitness to fight COVID-19
Cal Fit is working to continue to meet
our members’ needs. Since indoor fitness
is temporarily halted, we’ve moved
some equipment outdoors at several of
our locations, allowing members to still
work out in the gym atmosphere they
enjoy. We are also offering equipment
rentals to members, realizing they
might not be able to — or want to —
purchase equipment. We will continue
to work with state and local leaders to
demonstrate the importance of personal
health and the integral role California’s
fitness industry plays in keeping
people healthy.
Early studies show fitness is essential
in the fight against the coronavirus. The
risk of a coronavirus-related hospital
death almost doubles for people with a
body mass index of 30, the lowest level of
obesity, and more than doubles for those
with a BMI of 40. And, among patients
hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S.,
mortality rates were more than four times
higher among those with diabetes and/or
uncontrolled hyperglycemia.
Expanding access to fitness
As we await more clarity regarding the
governor’s orders, we will continue to
work with CFA, the governor and local
governments to make this disruption to
our members and our employees as brief
as possible. The more people can benefit
from the mental and physical benefits
fitness offers, and the sooner our employees
can get back to work, the better
our region can be prepared to recover.
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