A pandemic success story

The mainstream media has done it usual job of emphasizing the doom and gloom of the past year - and capitalizing on the misfortune of society. Upbeat stories about COVID-19 have been few and far between. We have to depend on leaders such as Governor Bill Lee of our state to keep us upbeat and moving forward.

Also, I don't mean to jinx the YMCA of Middle Tennessee and especially the locations in downtown Nashville and East Nashville where I work out regularly. But they deserve credit for getting back off of the ground after being forced to close last spring, getting their employees back to work, and getting clients like me back to healthy habits - like spending time in their facility exercising.

Gyms, like bars and restaurants, have suffered in reputation and perceived importance during the pandemic. But how about the ability to socialize and exercise safely? To take care of one's body and to prioritize one's mental and physical health in a time of a major health threat? These are important, and the YMCA and other gyms play an important role in our society.

For a time last spring, gyms were able to reopen outside of Metropolitan Nashville. The Y was great to instantly shift to allow members in Nashville to work out at places like the Maryland Farms YMCA just over the Williamson county line in Brentwood.

A short time later, Nashville advanced to a phase where gyms could once again function under safety guidelines. And function we have. The gym is perhaps one of the most sanitary and safe places I go to each week outside of my home. 

At the beginning is a temperature check and questions designed to remind you that you should not go to the gym if you have been exposed to the virus or if you are experiencing symptoms yourself. Then - required to "mask up" until you enter the workout area. Best of all - spray bottles and towels issued to clean all equipment after use. 

Mix in crowd limits, six feet of space, and protective screens in between the individual treadmill machines, and you have a safe workout experience - including for group exercise. I have wondered out loud if it is even possible to contract any disease while in such a clean and regulated environment.

And I really don't mean to jinx it. COVID-19 is obviously an urgent health problem. But finding ways to move forward safely and to maintain other aspects of our health is important, too.

James A. Rose

Publisher