Those who are feeling fried on their home workouts will be looking forward to getting back to the atmosphere of their favourite gym.

On Tuesday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced that gyms and fitness facilities were included in phase 2 of the provincial relaunch which kicks off June 12.

Gary Piper, President of G3 Fitness in Okotoks, says while he feels they were given short notice he is excited to welcome back his gym family.

Piper says cleanliness and sanitization are an easy measure to maintain for smaller private facilities.

"A lot of the protocols that they're requiring we had in place prior to this ever happening. Everyone had to schedule appointments and reserve space at G3 Fitness before this all happened and now we just have to step it up a notch," he explains. "It's not like we're a public gym where you open the doors on Friday and you have this big rush of people coming through the door."

He adds a majority of the protocols the government is requesting he already had in place at his facility prior to the COVID-19 closures, such as sanitization measures and a limited number of people.

Aside from physical distancing measures and stepped up sanitization, a Plexiglas sneezeguard has also been ordered for Piper's facility.

Piper says for those who are feeling apprehensive about resuming their gym routine after three months away, he recommends easing back into it.

"When people start a fitness program it's like they dive into the Boston Marathon day one and then they hurt so bad for five, six, seven days it doesn't give them a huge desire to come racing back to do it again. We really want to crawl before we walk and walk before we run. How fast we progress is very individual."

To learn more about stage 2 of the provincial relaunch click here.

 

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