As many of our members are fully aware, Fitness Nation temporarily shut their doors due to the ongoing global pandemic that is plaguing not only our state and country but the entire world. After first emerging in a food market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019, a novel coronavirus, which is now officially being referred to as COVID-19, began to spread outside of Chinese borders and into neighboring countries. Before long, COVID-19 began to spread further across the world, crossing oceans and reaching far away continents. Due to this swift spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic in early March 2020.

This pandemic continues to threaten the lives of millions across the globe. To stop the spread of this virus, government bodies all over the world have had to make difficult decisions. Officials made these decisions to protect the health and safety of their communities. However, many of these decisions have affected the lives of many in other ways. Many governments have issued stay-at-home orders and have banned gatherings of ten or more people.

Due to these unprecedented circumstances, Fitness Nation has temporarily closed its doors for the foreseeable future. We are closely following the situation as it progresses, and we intend on providing our members with as many updates about our services as possible. Today, we will explain what COVID-19 is and how it has affected gyms around the country.

Understanding COVID-19

COVID-19 is the most recent in a family coronavirus to plague the earth. These viruses are zoonotic, which means they travel from animals to humans. Once contracted, the illnesses you can develop can be as mild as the common cold or become serious life-threatening diseases. Before the spread of COVID-19, SARS and MERS made their presence known first. SARS emerged in Asia in 2003, claiming the lives of almost 800 people, while MERS started in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2012, leading to the deaths of over 800 people. COVID-19 quickly surpassed both viruses.

At the time of this writing, COVID-19 has already led to:

• Over 1.4 million confirmed cases globally
• Over 80,000 confirmed deaths globally

If you wish to stay up to date on the spread of this virus, visit WHO’s Coronavirus Dashboard. Additionally, it’s crucial that you be aware of the common symptoms of this illness, so you can isolate yourself if you experience them. These symptoms are:

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Tiredness
• Aches and pains
• Nasal congestion
• Runny nose
• Sore throat

We must also remind you that the incubation period for COVID-19 is anywhere from 1-14 days, which means you may not experience symptoms right away if you have contracted the virus. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a guideline to determine who needs testing and how you can get tested. Be sure you contact a healthcare organization as soon as you recognize your symptoms.

Texas’ Response

We mentioned earlier how many government bodies around the world have made difficult decisions to protect their communities and slow the spread of this virus. The state of Texas is no exception. Texas Governor Greg Abbott originally issued an executive order that would ban the gathering of ten or more people, prohibit the eating and drinking at restaurants and bars, close gyms, and temporarily close schools. This order was initially supposed to end on April 3. However, Governor Abbott extended the statewide order through to April 30.

While Abbott declines to refer to this executive order as an official shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order, he does advise all residents to remain in their homes unless they must leave for essential work or essential errands, such as going to the grocery store or going to the doctor. Unfortunately, gyms and other fitness centers do not count as an essential business, so Fitness Nation will remain closed for the foreseeable future. We will continue to post updates on our social media accounts whenever there are changes to the current situation, but until then, we urge you to practice good hygiene and social distancing.

Staying Active While Self-Isolated

We understand how inconvenient not being able to go to the gym to work out and break a sweat can be at a time like this. After all, the entire world is experiencing the same level of stress, frustration, and fear together, and we all know how much of a stress reliever and distraction working out can be. However, even though Fitness Nation is temporarily closed, you can still exercise while you are self-isolating. Take advantage of the free time at hand to get in a solid at-home workout.

Go for a Walk/Run

While orders have been put in place to avoid people leaving their homes, it still allows people to leave their homes to go on runs or walks. All they ask of you is to practice social distancing and remain six feet away from others.

Banded Workouts

Resistance bands are some of the best ways you can still do resistance training without needing to go to the gym. While the weight isn’t nearly as intense as you would find in a gym, it can still burn calories and build lean muscle. There are countless different exercises you can do using resistance bands that focus on your entire body, including:

• One-arm bicep curls
• Banded flyes
• Banded front squats
• Lying hip abduction
• Glute bridge
• Overhead triceps extensions
• Bent over rows
• And much more

Resistance bands are easy to find and come in varying resistance levels to ensure that anyone can use them, regardless of their strength or fitness level. You can find several different exercises with bands all over the internet.

Yoga

Yoga is one of the easiest ways to stay active during self-isolation. Not only does it help your body stay fit, but it helps you practice mindfulness, reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety, which is needed at a time like this. You can find thousands of prerecorded yoga instructions on YouTube and more. You can even find several different livestream yoga classes that have a yoga instructor teach a class directly all at once.

Bodyweight Exercises

Even if you don’t have bands at your disposal, you can still get a good workout in using only your bodyweight. While you won’t get the same level of resistance as you would at the gym or with bands, you only need to increase the reps to feel a deeper burn. Like with yoga and resistance bands, you can find several different exercises online to help you get a workout using just your bodyweight.

During this stressful time, Fitness Nation is doing everything we can to ensure the health and safety of our members, staff, and community. We are closely following the current situation and will be providing updates whenever there are any. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.