GYMS have been given permission to reopen from 13 June allowing the Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest communities to access exercise facilities.

The COVID19 pandemic shut down of fitness centres was felt by the owners as well as their customers.

Rose Douglass who is a co-operative owner of the Yogis In The Nest yoga studio said,“Covid19 shut our business down completely.”

“We opened our new studio at the beginning of the year, so to see the doors close was devastating for not only us, but our amazing students.”

Lynne Guilhaus co-owner of CrossFit Tea Gardens also had to make drastic changes to their business model.

She explained, “We ran outdoor sessions at the beach and Anzac Park and we posted a daily workout on our Facebook page so people could stay motivated to exercise at home or outdoors.”

With this unprecedented health crisis Mrs. Guilhause explained it is more important than ever that the local community stay active, “Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living and as such contributes to a healthy immune system which is important in protecting against the virus.”

Ms. Doluglas added that physical activity is just as beneficial to mental health, “Our mental health is intrinsically connected to our sense of community and belonging.”

“Getting back to whatever activity you enjoy is of utmost importance. One of the lovely things with yoga practice is that it’s for absolutely everyone.”

She also highlighted how important the reopening of the yoga studio was for the older population, “We have a lot of our community that fell into the higher risk category for contracting Covid19.”

“To keep connected, we have been running free online practices, but it wasn’t accessible to everyone.”

Mrs. Guilhause explained, “Our CrossFit members range in age from eighteen to seventy-five and if you include our Strength for Life program for over fifties, increase that age to ninety-three. With our doors reopening we no longer have to exercise outdoors, in the cold and rain.”

 

By Brooke LYNCH