Local YMCA sees steady crowds despite pandemic

The pandemic has had an effect on attendance at the YMCA, but not in the way many might think.

The age old resolution to get in shape every year keeps gyms busy in normal times, but what about now in the midst of the pandemic?

Kq2's ron johnson talked to staff at the local ymca, they say it's effect might not be what you think.

<<ron johnson reportingstaff at the local ymca say, the pandemic has had an effect on attendancewe know that covid has made an impact in how people feel going back to the gym.but what they didn't know was that it would actually lead to more traffic.

People are feeling more comfortable about coming back, they know the importance of living that healthy lifestyle.

In this time of social distancing, local y staff say more people are sticking to their gym routines.

They say they usually see peek attendance at the gym in february but now thanks in part to occupancy limits, classes are filling up.

Those staff say they're optimisticwe're pleased, if we saw some full classes last week, we're hopeful for what the next several months are going to bring.

For longtime members who've stuck with their routines even through the pandemic, they say it was important for them to stay on track.

I knew if i stopped, i'd get back into my old routine of being lazy, i ran 3 times a week and did calatentics just to keep my body going juices flowing.

Y staff say for some, being in a public environment encourages more impactful workouts.

They remain focused on safetywe've done a lot of things to ensure safety being here with our disinfecting protocol, our spacing.

They do understand not everyone who wants to work out is leaving their homes.

The ymca is rolling out new programs for people to keep moving no matter where they are.

We are exploring virtual fitness classes to give access to different types of classes to the members and they can stream them at home.

Staff admit many might have let covid-19 push their fitness goals on the sidelines.for those looking to start up again soon they have this advicemaybe just kind of start it easy and get back into those habits, you know we want you to be sticking around for a while.

Ron johnson kq2 news.

Staff say the elevated stress many are feeling because of the pandemic make it more important for them to keep up their excercise