{"id":6006,"date":"2020-09-14T01:00:37","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T05:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clubinsideronline.com\/news\/?p=6006"},"modified":"2020-09-20T23:44:27","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T03:44:27","slug":"medical-experts-speak-out-to-show-gyms-are-safe-and-essential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.clubinsideronline.com\/news\/ihrsa\/medical-experts-speak-out-to-show-gyms-are-safe-and-essential\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Experts Speak Out to Show Gyms Are Safe and Essential"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IHRSA:IHRSA: Success By Association<\/p>\n

BOSTON, MA<\/strong> – As negative public perceptions persist, the fitness industry is looking to further prove that health clubs are safe and vital for overall health. To do so, IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, is engaging with medical experts to get their professional opinion on the safety and efficacy of clubs.<\/p>\n

Fitness facilities have been ramping up their cleaning guidelines and safety procedures since the beginning of the pandemic, and data shows that clubs are not guilty of spreading COVID-19. Now, even doctors are perplexed as to why lawmakers aren\u2019t seeing the positive impact that fitness facilities bring to the public\u2014especially in a time when physical activity can help mitigate the worst of COVID-19 symptoms and cases.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s profoundly clear that those with pre-existing conditions, such as obesity, are at high-risk of contracting severe coronavirus and have the most to gain from health clubs.<\/p>\n

Greg Degnan, M.D., medical director of the Atlantic Coast Athletic Clubs in Charlottesville, VA, says, \u201cIndividuals who are currently at high-risk have the time, and therefore, the potential to positively impact their chronic disease states through regular exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert Sallis, M.D., director of The Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at Kaiser Permanente in Fontana, CA, agrees. Sallis recalls being \u201cdismayed\u201d as the government closed so many low-risk activities and facilities where physical activity was a factor. He says, \u201cIt’s a mistake to discount the importance of a gym to some people’s health.\u201d<\/p>\n

To his point, through contact tracing, several states have shown that gyms are not contributing to the transmission of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Those who are high-risk aren\u2019t the only ones that are impacted by current health club restrictions and closures. The doctors note that during the pandemic, social isolation and quarantine come with negative consequences\u2014which physical activity could counter.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Physical activity is] extremely essential to both mental and physical health,\u201d says Lori Deemer, M.D., medical director of Hancock Wellness Centers in Hancock County, IN. \u201cWe have to lobby our leaders…persistently and consistently, until [physical activity] is given the priority it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout these discussions, every medical expert has agreed that physical activity is essential now more than ever. And with proper safety and cleaning guidelines, health clubs should be viewed as part of the solution to the pandemic as well as for overall health in the future.<\/p>\n

IHRSA\u2019s Medical Expert Series has already garnered attention with its first three installments, featuring Sallis, Degnan, and Deemer. IHRSA is currently conducting interviews with other medical, science, and public health professionals focusing on:<\/p>\n