Despite a recent surge in the omicron variant of COVID-19, area fitness centers are busy as many people made New Year’s resolutions to get in shape and get their health back on track.
Daniel Cronauer, co-owner of 10X Fitness in Fairview Twp. and Taylor, sees many gym goers who make being healthy and losing weight a priority especially since studies show obese people experience greater health issues when they contract COVID-19.
“They are being proactive,” Cronauer said. “They go to the gym to work and do everything they can to be as healthy as they can.”
“I’d like to tell those people we are open 24 hours and people can spread out in the gym if they are nervous,” Cronauer said.
He said business is better than last year when Gov. Tom Wolf ordered gyms to close Dec. 12 through Jan. 4. When they reopened in last January, they were initially only permitted to operate at 50% capacity.
Cronauer said he doesn’t believe that closing fitness centers was justified since many people rely on them for their physical and mental health. He said gyms were mislabeled as being “superspreaders” although studies show COVID-19 rarely spreads on surfaces.
Sanitizing and cleaning stations are set up throughout the fitness centers and staff cleans every night, Cronauer said. Gym goers can decide for themselves whether or not they want to wear masks, he said.
Some members are in their 80s and they enjoy exercising, coming out to talk to other members and being healthy after feeling drained by quarantine and isolation, he said.
“You have a better chance of surviving COVID if you are healthy,” he said. “People can control working out and being healthy. People are coming in saying, ‘Enough is enough. I need to get back to the gym’.”
