Health and fitness goals regularly top the lists for New Year’s resolutions, making this a popular time of year for people to head to gyms. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, stopping in for a workout can feel more intimidating, especially with the larger crowds.

“The beginning of the year is definitely our big time to shine," said Mike Hasenauer, Planet Fitness Buffalo assistant regional manager. "We do get busier, definitely in the beginning, just for everyone’s New Year resolutions, but we are extremely spaced out with all of our machines. We have very large locations in the Buffalo area, so I don’t think we’ve ever had an issue where you’re waiting to use a machine. We’ve never had an issue where you’re directly next to somebody.”

At Planet Fitness, there is a distance of seven feet between each piece of equipment. Cleaning stations to ensure cleanliness of equipment are located around the gym locations and a mask requirement is enforced to comply with regional guidelines.

For those experiencing symptoms of depression, Hasenauer said a trip to the gym can help, as exercise is beneficial to both the body and mind.

“I think what we kind of look over is the benefit of mental health," he said. "With everything going on in the world, I think it’s huge for everyone to start exercising to help out with depression, help out with seasonal depression.” 

For safe fitness both in-house and at home, the Planet Fitness app has features like the crowd meter, which shows in how crowded a member's preferred location is, a QR code for touchless check-ins and instructional exercise videos members can follow from anywhere.

A tip for following through on fitness-related resolutions: Bring a friend to the gym for support and to influence a cycle of healthy habits.

“My big tip for everybody is to get a workout buddy," Hasenauer said. "I think that’s the biggest way to motivate yourself to actually come to the gym, or even doing an at-home workout with a fitness buddy. And we do have our Black Card membership. It allows you to bring a friend with you every single time you come in for free, and every membership allows you to use our fitness trainer completely free and unlimited. And your workout buddy can do classes with you, too.”