Whether it’s pushups or crunches, running outside or using your pet as a weight, many people have had to rely on at-home workouts and creativity for the past few months to maintain their health.

This week, fitness enthusiasts and members at local gyms will be allowed to once again head back to their facility to work out after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s latest executive order, but don’t expect every piece of equipment to be occupied like the start of a New Year’s resolution. There will be several limitations and various protocols implemented starting Wednesday when gyms and fitness clubs are given the OK to begin reopening.

In Marshall, fitness facilities are happy to get back to their routines, whatever form it would be. Marshall YMCA Executive Director Tom Bolin said they’ve been ready for a couple of weeks and were excited when they got the go-ahead to reopen. The Independent also reached out to Anytime Fitness and the Fitness Center at Southwest Minnesota State University, but neither were available at press time.

“It’s exciting for us and for our community. It’s been about 2 1/2 months since we closed, but we’ve been ready for a couple of weeks just waiting for the governor’s orders,” Bolin said. “There’s just a lot of excitement all around.”

Despite being closed for the past couple of months, Bolin said they have still been busy with keeping members active by offering virtual fitness classes as well as emergency child care. But like every other business that has been impacted by COVID-19, financial stability has been one of the most challenging issues people have faced. Bolin said since they are a nonprofit organization, they rely on their members and was pleased to see the level of support they’ve received during this time from the community.

“One of the biggest challenges has of course been remaining financially stable. We’re a nonprofit and a lot of our income depends on membership dollars, so it’s been a little problematic,” Bolin said. “But we’ve seen that our community really cares about us; 72% of our members maintained their memberships and that was important for us to continue to operate. The community support was a make-or-break for us and we’re glad to see the community really support us.”

Starting Wednesday, Bolin said the YMCA will enter Phase I of their reopening plan, which will last until Friday. During those days, the facility will be open from 5 a.m.-7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the facility will be closed, but will reopen on Monday for the beginning of Phase II. There, Bolin said they will begin group exercises outside with a limit of 25 people as well as reopening the aquatic center.

The facility will also only be open to active members, with no guests or nationwide members being permitted. There will be a capacity of 36 members at a time and workout time may be limited in the facility. Masks are suggested for members in the general area of the facility, but won’t be required while working out.

Bolin added that a big change members can expect is a screening test with temperature checks upon entering the facility as well as closed locker rooms.

“The one big one will be the screening at the entrance and then we moved some equipment around. Some doors will be latched open so there is less touching of the handles. The locker rooms are currently closed and when we reopen those, we will probably zip-tie five lockers in a row to create some distance,” Bolin said. “We’ve talked with other YMCA facilities that have opened and they haven’t had an issue with a capacity cap. We feel confident in our sanitation system and keeping our members safe.”

Members will also need to disinfect equipment before and after its use and maintain a minimum of 6 feet of distance. Open gym and child watch will remain closed during Phase I, as the space is being used by summer camp programs. Bolin added emergency child care will continue, but will be different than normal.

As the summer gets underway, Bolin said programs at the facility will be happening in some capacity while staying within the guidelines of the CDC and the governor’s office. Summer camps will have a capacity of 48 campers per week and check-in and check-out will be done at separate entrances. Bus usage will be limited for camp transportation and all campers will have their temperature checked both at check-in and mid-day. Any camper that has a temp above 100.0 will not be allowed to return to the facility for two weeks and can only be readmitted with a signed note from a physician or a negative COVID-19 test.

Camp groups will be limited to a 2:8 ratio and campers will eat and complete activities with their camp group only. All campers must bring their own refillable water bottle and all personal items must fit in a backpack.

Bolin said their camps are up and running but there is a wait list for registration. When it comes to youth sports programs, Bolin added that programs such as tee ball and soccer won’t be happening yet, but swim lessons will be held privately.

“We’ll be having modified private swim lessons and we’re hoping to expand the group lessons to have four parents and children in the pool and spaced out with the staff member on deck providing the lesson,” Bolin said.

Virtual classes will also continue throughout the remainder of the summer and potentially forever. Bolin said they are also working with an app that will help people use their memberships to access online fitness classes.

“We will continue classes online and we think they are here to stay forever. That was one good thing that has come out of this pandemic; we’re using Facebook Live and YouTube for classes, but we sometimes run into problems with it,” Bolin said. “We’re switching to this app called MotionVibe where members can stream classes and we’ll have classes available in a digital library on the app or a live class for them to use that will work with their membership.”

As they head into their first week back, Bolin said they’re looking forward to just seeing their members again and reforming relationships.

“Just seeing the people. While people know that we are a fitness facility, we’re so much more than that. We’re a social service organization that operates around relationships and people and seeing our members,” Bolin said. “We’ve been doing some Zoom meetings with members and staff and we’re just trying to rekindle those relationships.”