IHRSA Develops National Letter of Support for Health Clubs
The Medical Science & Health Advisory Council is currently being formed, and a national letter of support for health clubs to be deemed as vital and essential businesses has been developed. And right now, it's gaining high-profile signatures and momentum. We're going to have this letter available for you to use as well, of course, and you can use it in your state as is, or you can supplement it with local physicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals that you feel will be worthy to sign a letter and that may have some credibility and status within your community.
Average COVID Case Rate Across 18 Fitness Clubs is Negligible
I've shared several times recently that the research and data available clearly demonstrates that health clubs really pose a very slight risk of transmitting COVID. So, based on the business-to-virus ratios in case rates reported, and studies from several independent states in the U.S., nationwide throughout the U.S., as well as research done across Europe, Canada, and Australia, I asked the team just to give me a rough calculation of the average case rates across everything that we have. These included 18 fitness club markets around the world.
Now, in truth, there's some overlap in some of the U.S. studies because we did state and national, and there's also some studies that only reported members as opposed to members and staff, and how they responded or if they got COVID.
So, my intention is simply to paint sort of a very general overall cumulative picture by taking all [this research and] averaging [it] together, so it's not a scientific analysis. But I keep telling myself, "Well, we have a lot of research, so let's look at it collectively.”
[All] of these research studies have been reported on earlier and separately in […] Take 5. If you're interested, you can go find the supporting organizations responsible, research parties, details, and methodology in previous Take 5s, and of course online at IHRSA.org.
But, here's the great thing. And this is the sort of rudimentary findings. Collectively, all these have total visits of 180.9 million, [with only 1,996 testing positive for COVID, making the average case rate across 18 fitness club markets 0.0011%].
ClassPass Releases New Findings
ClassPass just released a new report based on the responses of 2,185 professionals from 19 countries. And here are their findings:
- 92% of professionals hope to return to fitness studios and gyms in 2021.
- 25% of professionals are exercising more now than at the start of COVID-19, with 1 in 5 using their previous commute time back and forth to work to exercise.
- 80% of professionals say fitness activities have been crucial to them establishing a new work-from-home routine.
- And finally, 89% say they feel more productive during the work day after exercise.