Gym Update: COVID19

Dear Evolve Fitness Clearwater Members,

We want to communicate with you all updates at the gym regarding the COVID19 pandemic including:

  • What precautions our team is taking for your health
  • What measures you can take at home and at the gym
  • Our contingency plan in case we are required to temporarily close the gym
  • Any and all updates at EFC regarding COVID19

Your health is our priority.

Our goal as coaches, always, is to keep you healthy and strong. In a pandemic such as the one we are currently facing; we are taking extra measures to:

  1. Keep our facility as clean as possible to reduce the risk of transmission.
  2. Keep our doors open so we can continue to serve our awesome EFC community.

It is a stressful and uncertain time, and one of the best things you can do to manage stress is take care of your health. Exercise, a clean diet, and adequate sleep to manage stress and boost immunity have never been more important than now. Be proud and confident in the fact that you have taken action to live a healthy lifestyle to get ahead of sickness and disease.

We will not be cancelling classes, unless we are required to do so.

As of now, there have only been two confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Pinellas County. We are very thankful that we have not been severely impacted, but our team is working hard to create a full-proof contingency plan in case we are unable to hold classes at the gym. Even though Pinellas has been relatively unaffected, we are still being overly cautious and doing everything we can to keep the gym a safe, clean environment. As we have seen in other regions, things have the potential to change quickly due to the rapid spread of the virus.

Our goal is full transparency, and consistent communication with our community.

All updates will be provided early and often. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us. We will communicate in our EFC Family Facebook group regularly, as well as provide email and text updates.

WHAT OUR TEAM IS DOING TO PROTECT YOU:

  • Performing more frequent disinfecting of equipment, floors, bathrooms, and any surfaces that are likely to receive contact.
  • Informing our entire staff so that we are all on the same page regarding our precautionary efforts and can communicate them to our members in class.
  • Creating a contingency plan IF we are required to cancel classes, so that we can continue to serve our community and keep you working towards your goals.
  • Communicating any and all updates promptly to keep our entire community informed and working together to create the safest environment possible at EFC

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS:

  • If you are sick or symptomatic, stay home. Seek medical attention if needed, get tested, and self-isolate (do not risk infecting others). If you are sick, please advise a coach so we can best protect our members from getting sick.
  • Wash your hands before and after your workout.
  • Wipe down ALL equipment after use. We have antibacterial wipes in white buckets throughout the gym
  • Do not fist bump, high five, or make contact with others at the gym. Opt for air fives and finger guns – or the occasional “blow a kiss and wink.” With the lack of hand contact, make up for it by clapping yours louder cheering for the athletes around you.

COACH’S TIPS TO KEEP HEALTHY:

  • Exercise regularly. As long as you feel well and are getting adequate sleep and recovery. If you are tired, overstressed, or do not feel recovered – a high intensity workout may be counterproductive. In that case, you can still move but back off the intensity and do not do anything too strenuous. If you are sick or symptomatic, do not work out.
  • Eat well and drink plenty of water. In a nutshell, “Eat real foods, not too much, mostly plants.” Avoid sugar, alcohol, and junk food. Good gut health is crucial to a healthy immune system.
  • Get adequate sleep. Aim for 7+ hours a night. Lack of sleep contributes to elevated cortisol, insufficient recovery, and a weakened immune response.
  • Get sunlight. Get outside under the sun, with as little clothing as possible, without sunglasses. Sunlight provides Vitamin D, which strengthens your immune system. Sunlight regulates your circadian rhythm, which in turn regulates hormonal function, hydrates your cells, and keeps your immune system strong.
  • Regulate Stress. You can do this through a combination of all of the above. You can also mitigate stress through mindfulness and breathing exercises. 
  • Questions on any of these tips? Ask a coach, we are here to help!

CONTINGENCY PLAN:

If we are required to close our doors due to the spread of the virus and/or mandated orders, your coaches have a plan to keep you on track towards your goals.

We will be offering personalized, online coaching. The process will look like this:

  • You will schedule your first online meeting with your coach: A Goal Review.
  • Based upon your personal goals, your coach will put together a plan specifically for you.
  • You will receive 3-5 personalized workouts per week from your coach, that can be done at home with no equipment. If you have equipment available, your coach will modify your workouts for you to use it.
  • You will have daily accountability check ins from your coach.
  • You will have weekly video check ins with your coach to assess progress.

IF we are required to cancel classes, our goal is to not only offer you the same value through that time – we want to over deliver value. This is a stressful and uncertain time for everyone. We want to ensure that you continue to have an amazing experience at EFC as a member of our community, and do not have to put your goals on hold. 

We applaud our coaches, who have been more than willing to step up and do whatever they can to help during this time.

Full disclosure – we have been working on an online coaching program to offer at Evolve BEFORE the pandemic. We are fortunate to have had a blueprint to help us put together a plan quickly. The value in this program is above a regular membership at a $249/ month price point. However we will not be charging anything (of course) besides your normal membership to continue if we need to resort to online coaching temporarily.

IF we are required to resort to an online contingency plan, more details will be released at that time.

RECAP:

  • EFC is still open, rockin’, and will be unless we are required to do otherwise!
  • We are taking extra precaution to make the gym a safe, and clean environment.
  • You can help us by doing your part to keep clean and reduce risk of transmission.
  • If you are sick, do not come to the gym and alert a coach.
  • Use the coach’s tips to boost your immunity and stay safe.
  • If required, we have a contingency plan in place to keep you on track.
  • We plan to communicate regularly and are available for any questions/concerns.

If anyone does have concerns about coming to the gym, we understand. Please contact us so we can work with you to find the best option. If at any point you are considering cancelling your membership, please follow the necessary steps to do so. Email info@evolvefitnessclearwater with requests, and you will be advised to schedule an exit interview so we can collect feedback to help us improve.

We ask that you consider the effect that excess cancellations may have on a small business like ours. We are dependent on our loyal, paying members. With excess cancellations, we may be unable to support our coaches, or keep the gym running. It is our intention that IF we are required to close our doors, that it is a temporary closure. We are prepared to take all the appropriate steps to continue to serve our members at the highest level possible through any scenario. We encourage you to support any and all local businesses that may be impacted in the area due to the pandemic. 

Please let us know if you have any questions/concerns! Our team is here to help. 

Thank you for reading and staying updated. Together we can do more to keep our gym clean, safe and continue to #EVOLVE. Until more updates arise, we will see you at the gym!

Sincerely,

Sebastian, Tommy and the Evolve Team