Gyms like Lifetime Fitness shutdown until further notice due to Province's State of Emergency (File Photo/Josh Ryan)

By Josh Ryan

Skip The Gym Indefinitely

Gyms closed until further notice

Mar 19, 2020 | 10:13 AM

Battlefords area residents hoping to burn calories and reduce stress at the gym will have to find homemade solutions, after the Saskatchewan Government shut down all fitness centre’s and gyms Wednesday. Casinos and bingo halls are also closed until further notice, after the Province declared a State of Emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Miranda Wiese, owner of Pipes Fitness in North Battleford, is already working with staff to adjust to the shutdown, after she suspended operations on Sunday. While a difficult move, she said she had the full support of her staff in trying to protect them and gym members in the coming weeks.

“Definitely a hard decision as a small business, but I think if we all take a couple weeks, or months, whatever it is, we can all get out of this together,” Wiese said.

Limiting exercise to within the home is another difficult adjustment for many residents during this pandemic, but it’s even harder on facility staff, who face a unique shutdown. Every day is filled with uncertainty for Lifetime Fitness Owner Brent Kauth, who’s facility operates 24-7.

“At this time, we can just hope for the best and hope that members understand,” Kauth said.

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Kauth can’t remember anything in the past that compares to the challenge ahead.

“We’ve never even had a water line shut us down, like a water line break or anything you know, and being a 24 hour business, it’s a very strange thing,” he added.

Getting through the coming weeks and months likely means difficult days ahead, but where there’s adversity, there’s also opportunity. Wiese is using this time to focus on expanding her business online, by streaming classes and posting short videos of various workouts. This is an avenue that most local gym owners can focus on to maintain relationships with clients, as well as use as a resource in the future.

“We’ve just switched to zoom as well as Facebook videos, just posting videos for our kids classes, so they can still have something to reach to that’s local,” Wiese said.

Wiese believes this shutdown will last at least four weeks, but she hopes community wide adherence to mandates laid down by health organizations will result in a best-case-scenario.

“If everyone can cooperate and do their part, hopefully it will shorten that gap,” she said.

And Kauth agrees, adding that he and his staff, “can’t wait to be back up and running once everything corrects itself.”

“By doing this, hopefully it helps reset the world a lot quicker by everyone completely shutting down,” he said.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports