Are gym-goers ready to get back to working out?
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - People who walked away from gym memberships when the pandemic hit last year are now getting back on track and back in shape. I just came back starting yesterday, said Leonard Zuk of South Burlington. Gyms in our region are welcoming new and preexisting members with open arms. The pandemic was tough on the industry. Gyms were first forced to close and then reopen with restrictions. Some regular users didnt return over concerns about the spread of the virus in the closed environments with people breathing heavily. I just wanted to wait until things got back into motion, and because I didnt want to workout with a mask and things like that, Zuk said. Synergy Fitness in Williston says they were down hundreds of members at the height of the pandemic and are building back up now. The Edge in South Burlington says they had a big loss, too, but theyre starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think since the restrictions have really been lifted were starting to see more people coming off of freeze and restart their memberships. And were certainly seeing a lot of new activity come in, said Mike Feitelberg, the CEO of the Edge. All of these people are just coming out of the woodwork. Like I havent seen them in forever and theyre like, OK, were back in here to join up. And Im like, OK! said Patrick Murray, who owns Synergy Fitness. Gym members are excited to be back, too. Its nice to... get ready for summer. Its also great to see other people smiling and kind of getting things, I hate to say back to normal but doing what life is all about, said Kevin Pellon of Williston. A few things you can expect when you go to these gyms-- the showers will be open and masks will no longer be mandatory. Although if you arent vaccinated, masks are encouraged. Some gyms also took advantage of the slow period to make improvements to their facilities and hope that will pay off in recruiting new members. Copyright 2021 WCAX. All rights reserved.