FITNESS IS ESSENTIAL: Philippine Fitness Alliance Industry Statement Depending on whose numbers you are considering, the percentage of the population who are members of gyms would be anywhere from 5% to 9%. This is a far from 20 to 25% numbers of developed countries. Fitness has evolved in the last few decades and now more than ever there is huge awareness that it is indeed of prime importance. So if it is important why is it the last business to open? Why is the fitness industry always left out? Why is it considered recreation when exercise is already an accepted modality of preventive medicine. Is there a real threat for a super spread of the COVID-19 virus in the gym? Is the gym really unsafe compared to all other personal service businesses that have been allowed to open? Thousands of fitness industry workers have lost their jobs or have reduced working hours. Hundreds of thousands of gym members indefinitely paused their workout regimen. While we fully understand the threat of the pandemic to the public, we believe that we are actually a partner in boosting the immunity of people. Now if the government really insists that we are a public threat then can our industry be given support or concessions as a distressed industry? We are aware that various sectors have requested for gyms to remain closed because they contribute to a faster spread of the virus. What is the basis of this allegation? It is clearly debunked by our experience and those of our peers abroad. The gyms we represent had more than 600,000 member check-ins in the months we were open and to date we have zero club transmissions of the virus! The great threat of the global pandemic to the future of the fitness industry led to the formation of the Philippine Fitness Alliance. The alliance represents the largest fitness chains in the country such as Anytime Fitness, Celebrity Fitness, Fitness First, Gold’s Gym, Slimmer’s World and UFC Gym. The Philippine Fitness Alliance intends to be the united voice to represent their combined interests in protecting the industry. While its role for now is to help each other successfully navigate this unprecedented pandemic, it will focus on education and public workshops in the future. Here are the individual insights of the prime movers of the alliance on the two basic statements that “fitness is essential” and “the gyms can be a safe place to boost your immunity (we are not super spreaders of the virus)”. Fitness is Essential Ryan Cheal, Chief Operating Officer of Anytime Fitness Asia: Fitness is essential because it promotes a fulfilling routine which improves your overall well-being. Getting enough exercise contributes to short-term and long-term improvements on your mood, sleep, mental and physical health. Exercise strengthens the heart, the muscles, improves flexibility and thus protects you from potential illnesses and diseases. Additionally, fitness contributes to the improvement of your overall immune system. In fact, our immune system is constantly being bombarded by various microbes without us even realizing it. Incorporating exercise into our daily lives boosts our immunity thus strengthens our chance against getting sick. Mark Ellis, Country Manager of Evolution Wellness (Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness): It is widely reported how exercise is a critical component to one’s overall well-being, physical health, mental health, and general immune response – especially at a time like this. As vaccination campaigns across the country starts, fitness also plays a big part in boosting the effectiveness of the shot. A recent study by Glasgow Caledonian University has found that a person who is active is 50% more likely to have higher antibodies after a vaccine, in comparison to someone who is inactive. Being physically active strengthens the immune system, reduces the risk of falling ill and dying from infectious disease by more than a third. We firmly believe that our industry is part of the solution and it is important that we do our utmost to support the health and immunity of our people through regular exercise and movement. Mylene Mendoza-Dayrit, Chief Executive Officer of Gold’s Gym: While the global COVID-19 pandemic is a great concern for the government, there are actually emerging pandemics that have worsened such as obesity and mental health. Obesity is projected to be 20% of the global population in 2022. Obesity leads to health problems and hospitalization. Same with stress and depression. We have seen in our practice not only members who have changed their bodies for the better but members who have won against obesity, depression and lifestyle diseases. These are life changing transformations that can not be lumped into the recreational category which doesn’t project the regularity of the regimen. Exercise is already recognized as part of preventive medicine. Doesn’t that alone make it essential? Desiree Moy, President of Slimmers World: In the fitness industry, health has always been and will always be our number one priority. We are taking every precaution to make sure our clients feel safe in our premises. Along with proper nutrition and rest, fitness has been key to ensuring the overall wellness of our body and mind. We can talk about the science of fitness but it will be a long discussion. Essentially, regular physical fitness helps strengthen our immune system which is what we basically need to battle this health crisis we are experiencing today. The benefits of exercise can be manifested in the individual’s mental and physical state. The Gym Is A Safe Place To Boost Your Immunity Ryan: The gym is a reasonably safe place for members as long as it strictly adheres to the safety protocols and guidelines that helps to mitigate any risks of spreading COVID-19. These guidelines include measures such as physical distancing among members, upkeep of hygiene via constant sanitization of equipment, having sanitizers conveniently placed around the facility, and diligent body temperature checks before entering the gym. With risk mitigation and cleaning protocols in place, fitness facilities are safe for members, the community, and staff alike. In fact, a recent data published from New South Wales, Australia stated that out of 7.31 million check-ins across 546 gyms, there has been zero reported cases! Overall, health and fitness clubs are not hotspots or uniquely contributing to the spread of coronavirus. There has been up to 188,044 visits (in our gym network) with zero on-site transmissions. The data itself is testament to how safe gym facilities are during the pandemic. Mark: Since the beginning of the pandemic, Evolution Wellness Philippines introduced a set of protocols which are already among the strictest compared to other industries, to mitigate the risks of contracting the virus in our clubs. This includes increasing the frequency of cleaning within our clubs, providing hand sanitizers and additional disinfectant sprays, asking members to ensure they wear a mask at all times, and wiping down equipment with disinfectant before and after use. We worked closely with the local authorities as well as our other industry counterparts to develop a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the fitness industry such as proper social distancing, operating at limited capacity and no group fitness classes – all of which have been implemented in our clubs upon reopening last September 2020. With the right protocols in place, and when these are adhered to closely by all members and staff, exercising in a gym is as safe as it can be. From the time our clubs reopened last September 2, 2020 until March 2021, there have been over 211,000 check ins across our network of clubs in the Philippines. From this number, there have only been 13 Covid-19 positive cases reported among our membership base – which translates to about 1 reported case per 16,200 member check ins. There is also no evidence to date of any transmissions within our gym environment, whether to other members or staff, and we attribute this to everyone’s cooperation in adhering to the health and safety guidelines. Our data is consistent with several other studies from around the world including Fitness Australia, ExerciseNZ and Sheffield Hallam University, which demonstrate that with the right precautions and protocols in place, attending a gym can be regarded as relatively low-risk. Mylene: We registered 120,000 check ins with only 40% of our locations open. We did not open all since the restrictions against group exercise (defined by the government guidelines as one instructor and at least two members) already limits the percentage of the members who will go. Thankfully, we do not have a record of any club transmissions. We do know of a few staff or members who had the virus but because of the strict monitoring procedures and self awareness they do not go to the gym. As Mark said, we have all agreed to follow even stricter protocols than the basic ones the government issued. Since our gyms tend to be bigger we were even willing to increase the space between members if the group exercise classes will be allowed. Being safe is a personal responsibility as well as a social one. You have to always act as if you have the virus (in case you are asymptomatic) or as of the one nearest to you has it. You have to be guarded and always protect yourself. As little as thirty minutes of a good exercise done regularly will help boost our immunity and prevent illnesses. Experts advise that it is best to limit your time inside an enclosed space to less than an hour. With all our safety precautions and the individual’s mindfulness of his own safety precautions, the gym like any other place can be a safe venue for normal life to proceed. Desiree: Our fitness centers have proper health protocols installed with stringent sanitation and aseptic procedures. It is a controlled environment where proper supervision and monitoring of exercise activity. Establishments like groceries, hospitals, and gyms can only provide maximum protection by setting up strict health protocols but the bottomline is that one’s safely is always dependent on the persons actions. Being safe in this time of the pandemic should be the responsibility of each of us. As individuals. With all the safety protocols in place, It is highly unlikely that the transmission of virus happening in the gyms thus we are not a super spreader. All of our branches follow the Tracking System imposed by the LGU and thankfully, there has been no reported cases of transmission in all of our branches. This reflects how we are careful, safe and serious in ensuring our client's safety with strict precautionary measures to avoid contraction of the virus. We are confident that we can handle strict monitoring of clients in terms of following our set protocols. With the pandemic, the question heavily lies on is it safe to go out to the gym for fitness? And we say, in Slimmers World, definitely yes. The key is to be cautious and constant in practicing proper hand wash, maintaining safe distance and wearing of masks wherever we go and whatever we do. For any questions or clarification, you may contact the alliance through Ms. Anne Constantino at Anne.Constantino@evolutionwellness.com.ph #FitnessIsEssential #PhilippineFitnessAlliance #StrongerWithGolds