Florida is now in phase three of its reopening plan following initial COVID-19 strict lockdowns during the summer, allowing for residents of the Sunshine State to get a sense of normalcy back. During this time, small businesses, such as gyms, can operate at full capacity.
“The mental wear and tear came from not knowing when the quarantine was going to end. I’ll be honest if there one more month of being locked there may not have been a gym for people to come back”, Derik Oslan admitted. He owns FAM, a gym in Tampa.
For gym-goers, mental health is just as important as physical health and the thought of the inability to workout can take a toll on many, like Air Force veteran and FAM personnel trainer Jerad Perera, who explained the direct correlation between mental and physical health.
“If I couldn’t exercise, that would absolutely break me down. This is my release,” Perea explained.
Bodybuilders who workout at the gym had many problems during the quarantine because it put employees out of work and affording food became hard.
Front desk manager and competitor Oliva Nase touched on her own experience as cases began to rise dramatically in Florida.
“All of my clients canceled on me because they were afraid of going to the gym,” she said.
Florida passed a total of 1 million COVID-19 cases on Dec. 1.
