Hey clients!
As many of you are probably aware, Governor Inslee has mandated masks to be worn in all indoor, public locations starting Monday August 23rd, whether you are vaccinated or not, to help stop the recent surges in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations.
First and foremost, your health and the health of our community has always been and always will be, our top priority. We are in constant communication with our industry leaders to assure we take the safest approach to all aspects of managing the studio and taking care of our clients. We feel the risk at the studio is far lower than your risk at any large retail outlet that thousands frequent every day.
We will continue to operate the remaining aspects of our safety plan including:
- Enhanced hourly cleaning, ongoing disinfecting of all equipment in between clients, and frequent handwashing and sanitizing
- Reduced, by-appointment only access to the studio
- Physical distancing and individual workout stations
- We will continue to operate our group classes online, outdoors and live indoors when space is available. Please refer to our group schedule for all details.
- Daily staff health and temperature checks
- Increased HVAC and ventilation to maximize air quality and air turnover.
We continue to stand firm to the belief that in addition to the recommendations by our health officials, your best defense to all disease is a strong immune system. Research is conclusive that exercise and healthy nutrition lowers your risk for all illness including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, various cancers, and Covid-19. A healthy lifestyle does not mean that you won’t contract Covid-19, but it does indicate that you will be less likely to be hospitalized and die as a result. Research also indicates that vaccinations work better when you are healthy. The message is clear, health is essential and should be our priority, now more than ever! Do not let this recent mask mandate detour you from focusing on your health and fitness.
Remember, depending on your comfort level, you have three options to continue training with NWPT including at the studio, outdoors or online. We are here for you! If you choose to train inside the studio, you can remove your masks briefly for water or if needed to catch a quick breath or when showering or grooming as needed. Just be sure you are 6 feet away from others when you do so.
Here is a link to my column in the Columbian newspaper from June where I discussed which type of mask is most effective during exercise and how to adjust your workouts effectively when wearing a mask.
Note: Your NWPT team will be wearing masks. You may notice them without masks when they are on screen conducting virtual sessions or when in an office alone or eating. Please maintain distance in those circumstances.
What should you do if you see someone not wearing a mask? Nothing. Some people have conditions or circumstances that would make wearing a cloth face covering difficult or dangerous. Just wear your mask and stay six feet away.
Please note that this is an ongoing and evolving situation and the CDC and State of Washington mandates may change and our policy may need to be updated. We continue to ask for your patience, cooperation, and support as you have given us over the last 21 years, and especially over the last year and a half. We would not be here today if it wasn't for you!
We hope that none of this is offensive to any of you. That last thing we want to do is cause more division in our community. We love you all and please understand, we are doing the very best that we can under these very challenging times.
We will continue to keep our clients, team members and our community’s health at the forefront of all decisions we make, while following public health advice and applicable laws. If you have any questions or concerns, please call 360.574.7292 or email me at [email protected]
Stay safe, healthy and strong.
Yours in health and fitness,
Sherri McMillan and your NWPT Fitness Family
