# Gym



## sam98 (Aug 31, 2021)

Hi,

I'm thinking of going to the gym again to lose weight but am concerned going due to Covid. I've tried going for runs outside but never enjoy it and can't seem to commit to it long term. I've been trying to do a 20min workout most days of the week but still lack motivation.

Has anyone started going to the gym since Covid started? If so, how has it been and what should I expect? I'm really worried about getting Covid.

Thanks.


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## Leadinglights (Aug 31, 2021)

I'm sure that the Gyms have had to put Covid safe measures in place but have to rely on people behaving responsibly. I have just heard my son in law was sure he got covid by going to an award ceremony at his cricket club where somebody was there who said they were feeling unwell, of course my daughter got it as well. Which is galling as she had kept safe all this time despite working in the NHS. Both were double vaccinated so it just shows you. 
I would only do what you are comfortable with but don't take any risks more than you have to. Obviously it is your decision.


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## helli (Aug 31, 2021)

Hi @sam98 

I have started going back to the gym after nearly a month away. I can only speak about my gym but they have some great measures in place regarding covid protection
- as soon as you enter the gym, you are given a bottle of cleaner to clean equipment when you have used it (or I guess before you use it if you are worried) and it looks as if everyone is using it. 
- there are still less people in the gym than usual so social distancing is easy to maintain. I have been going at the weekend and there are less than 10 people in the main area doing their workouts
- whilst class sizes seem to be back to usual size, they use the larger studio and still have their 2m x 2m grid on the floor. I have attended the Spin classes and bikes are placed in diagonal squares so they are at least 2m apart.

I have been able to maintain my exercise regime during lockdown but it is great to be amongst others (albeit fewer than per-covid) and have more variety than just a bike or running.

No one can guarantee a gym (or any other place) is covid free. I recommend visiting your gym to have a look around and see if you are comfortable with the provisions they have in place. If you don't like it, you have only spent 5 minutes there so the risks are very low. If it is ok, you can start to get the motivation you need.
This is the approach I took as I decided I had nothing to lose by it.


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## Chris Hobson (Sep 7, 2021)

I think that you need to look at the numbers of people who have contracted this disease and the number of people who have died from it and put that into the context of a population of around seventy million people. The odds of you getting Covid let alone dying from it are far lower than you imagine, doing some basic research and arithmetic will bear this out. Cycling through Hull today I was almost taken out by a KCom van, we face similar risks every day. This thing isn't going to go away any time soon, are you going to spend the rest of your life cowering under your duvet or are you going to keep living?


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## Leadinglights (Sep 7, 2021)

My daughter and husband both fully vaccinated caught Covid a few weeks ago, hubby went to an event at his cricket club and caught it there, he thinks and then my daughter got it, galling as she had kept free of it despite working in the NHS in the pharmacy. Fortunately it was only mild and more like a heavy cold.
So no it is not going away, yet anyway with nearly 40,000 more cases today.


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## Chris Hobson (Sep 8, 2021)

Being diabetic makes us higher risk due to our immune system being compromised. I have tried to find out from various health professionals what this actually means in practice but no one seems able to enlighten me. I'm really not prone to getting cold and flu bugs at all, the last time that I succumbed to a flu like illness was spring 2019. I would suspect that, if you tend to get colds a lot you would be a greater risk from the Covid bug but I don't know. The only people that I know personally that have had Covid are my daughter and her housemate. Both got it working in schools.


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## helli (Sep 8, 2021)

I too have been told that I am more susceptible to illness and injuries should take longer to heal 
This has not been my experience (I was diagnosed in my 30s so remember what it is like without diabetes).
Regarding Covid, my understanding is the risk of severe illness is greater if overweight and with high hba1c. Going back to the original topic of this thread, exercise helps manage weigh and hba1c. So, for me, if the gym is managed well, it reduces the risk from Covid.


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