Unmasking the Truth about COVID & Fitness Centers

It’s time to Unmask the Truth.

Take a look at this video from a recent Today Show. It’s about an open letter that 60+ fitness industry leaders sent to America’s governors on July 7.

We laid out the facts: Available science points to personal health as our best available vaccine against Covid-19. Gyms, studios and personal trainers are essential parts of our collective mental and physical health.

I’m grateful for Today’s coverage, but wasn’t impressed with what happens at the end of the story. The hosts—Carson Daly, Craig Melvin and Hoda Kotb—try to be funny, and that’s fine, but their flippant and mocking reaction to exercise is a perfect example of our strange (and now deadly) cultural aversion to health and fitness. 

The state of our health isn’t funny, and if we want to beat Covid, we need to immediately unmask these 5 truths:

Truth #1: Obesity kills. If we think Covid-19 is deadly, consider these numbers from the World Health Organization: At least 2.8 million people are dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Obesity increases the likelihood of a Covid-19 hospitalization 6-fold, because it spreads Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stress, depression and hypertension.

Truth #2: Two in three Americans are overweight or obese. Two. In. Three. It makes me wonder, if 2 out of 3 Americans were illiterate, would TV hosts mock them for going to the library?

Truth #3: Americans are gaining weight, and physical activity has declined. In a survey of 2,000 members, Nutrisystem found that 76% have gained up to 16 pounds during the quarantine, and wearable data shows that physical activity is down over 20%. 

Truth #4: Gyms are safe, and positive Covid cases are not tied to gyms.

• Research from the University of Oslo found no Covid-19 transmissions associated with fitness centers. As a result, Norway reopened its gyms.
• A recent survey of 135 clubs with nearly 3.5 million check-ins found 0.004% of positive cases reported as of June 30.
• Though Covid cases are spiking in Arkansas, contact tracing shows that only 0.3% of newly infected people visited a gym.
• Our brands—Anytime Fitness, Basecamp Fitness and The Bar Method—as well as the fitness industry, have vastly expanded their safety protocols to meet stringent health guidelines.

Truth #5: Exercise is medicine. Time after time, even moderate exercise has been shown to strengthen our immune systems. Yet with notable exceptions like Dr. David Katz, public health experts have not used this health crisis to emphasize the effectiveness of exercise, diet and sleep. Health experts should be talking about the importance of personal health, not just Covid-19. 

Here’s the bottom line:

When it comes to Covid, the fitness industry isn’t the problem, it’s the solution. Our members make a conscious decision to improve their mental and physical health by working out.

Aren’t they worthy of having access to the gyms, clubs and studios?

Aren’t we all?