California fitness studios make adjustments due to COVID-19

California fitness studios are working to protect gym-goers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

X-Treme Fitness owner and manager Tasha Winkler said the gym is taking extra precautions as far as cleaning and distancing go.

"We have signs up at the front entrance. We are taking extra measures, we are asking that everyone follows the six-foot rule," Winkler said. "We have sanitation stations set up throughout the gym. We have disinfectant bottles all throughout and cleaning rags all around, and they can dispose of them in a hamper easily so they don't have to use someone else's."

Winkler said X-Treme Fitness is also asking any who feel sick to avoid coming to the gym, as another precaution. Those who are still going to the gym have been helpful with keeping it clean and sanitized, Winkler said.

"As far as that goes, everyone has really done their part," Winkler said. "Everyone is really just taking the extra step to help do their part and kick in and help clean."

When using machines such as bikes, Winkler said gym-goers clean the machines before and after they are done using them.

At the moment, the precautions seem to be helping.

"So far, it works," Winkler said. "I have not heard of anyone who has been sick that has been (at the gym)."

X-Treme Fitness is not the only studio that is making adjustments due to COVID-19. Elevate Fitness is facilitating online classes via Facebook. Owner Jenny Cain said she has around 15-20 people watching the videos throughout the day.

"Every morning, I have a good 10 (people) that are on with me and typically throughout the day, the other ones will re-watch it and do it at some point," Cain said.

The transition to virtual classes was not a hard one, as Cain said she had been making workout videos before the virus came around.

"There was 35 plus videos on a private Facebook page and YouTube channel. So when all of this happened, I put all of my paying clients on this page so they could see these workouts," Cain said. "I just have everybody on that page right now and what I've been doing is instead of doing a couple of videos a week I am going live everyday Monday through Saturday with some type of a workout."

Some of the other instructors at Elevate have appeared on the live videos to do their workouts, Cain said. She said she added the Facebook live workouts because she likes to work out with her class and vice-versa, and this format still gives the opportunity for the group to work out together, albeit digitally.

"Having the Facebook live is a good way to be able to get up every morning and do it together," Cain said.

Right now, the studio remains closed, and it will probably stay closed longer. Cain said until it is safe to be in public groups again, this will likely continue to be the case.

"It is hard to even plan for a day in advance," Cain said. "I plan to do whatever our government is telling us to do. I think I was one of the first ones in town to even close my business. I made a video just stating that is what me and my family think this is the best thing to do and being a health advocate, even though this isn't physical fitness, this is still our health and this is what I felt I needed to do. It was a hard decision, but I felt that it was what we needed to do. I will follow whatever the CDC tells us to do and especially if our schools are closed. That is something that I make sure that I will probably stick to as well. Until we are through this and we feel safe being in groups again, I will probably be closed. That is not something I have been able to talk to my clients about yet. I thought we would (stay the course) of the majority of this week and see what happens with our local schools."

While everyone was upset at first over the studio being closed, Cain said the reception to the online videos has been positive.

"We were all a little upset - I was upset, I did not want to close," Cain said. "There are tons of online groups you can join, they are a dime a dozen. I wanted that in-person social place that you could come and get away and be with other women and have an empowering place to be able to all get together. When I had to close that was not a easy decision at all, but so far everyone has been appreciative that I am doing this. They tell me every morning 'Thank you so much for doing this, this motivates me, this gets me up and moving.' So I think so far that it is going well."