FARMGIRLFIT CO-FOUNDER JENNI NIEMANN
Local gyms and yoga studios keep adjusting to ongoing pandemic
If you had just gotten back into your gym routines, the new, in-person restrictions from Gov. Jay Inslee may have thrown you a bit of a curveball. Like all industries, exercise spots are having to adjust to a new climate of uncertainty, balancing financial pragmatism with their long-term commitments to community health.
After all, we exercise to stay healthy; no one wants to pick up the virus along with their barbells. While it may be frustrating to have to adjust your exercise routine, there are many local businesses looking to assist you, and waiting eagerly to welcome you back once it’s safe for them to do so.
One of the more fascinating and uplifting elements of the pandemic has been seeing the response of local communities to rally and support one another. For instance, FARMGIRLFIT, a woman-owned gym with locations in East Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, posted their surprise when one of their members reacted to the new restrictions by designing a shirt for the business that they could sell to raise money. They also have branded masks available for purchase, as does SPOKANE BOXING GYM. Another locally owned studio, SPOKANE BARRE, has been similarly innovative, spending the past few months creating a library of video workouts for members to watch at home.
More traditional gyms have also been impacted by this yo-yo of restrictions and relaxations of guidelines. In response to the new closure, MÜV FITNESS, with locations scattered across the Spokane area, is in the process of developing virtual classes to post online.
PLANET FITNESS, famous for its incredibly affordable plans, has been doing an excellent job uploading regular content to support home workout routines, as has the YMCA OF THE INLAND NORTHWEST. Gyms like ANYTIME FITNESS are recognizing their role in providing health and fitness information that can help keep the community healthy. Other gyms, like SNAP FITNESS, have their eyes on re-opening after this phase is over. In the meantime, they are suspending all membership dues.
One exercise experience that can be harder to re-create at home is the yoga studio. Many of us go to yoga classes precisely to escape our daily routines, to settle into a place specifically set aside for meditation, focus and self acceptance. SHALA LIVING YOGA, which recently moved into a new home studio, is currently live-streaming classes. BEYOUTIFUL, a hot yoga studio with locations around the area and a connected business, HOME GROWN KIDS YOGA, is also running virtual classes which can be booked through the Mindbody app. HARMONY YOGA, a long-standing studio on the lower South Hill, is also offering Zoom classes.
Since all of these flows are happening at home, distances that might have previously kept you from a particular studio do not exist anymore. Maybe you’ve always lived in Spokane, and the trek to MELLOW MONKEY YOGA in the Valley wasn’t feasible. Now, you can stream their live classes from your house and skip the commute. On the flip side, if you are in the Valley and have been curious about the relatively new ABIDE YOGA COLLECTIVE, located near Gonzaga University, now you can stream those classes. If there is a silver lining to all this, fitness-wise, it’s that we are in a unique position to reassess our exercise routines, creating habits that work for us as individuals.
