PFTL News June 2020

PFTL UPDATE – REOPENING JUNE 8

Pursuant to the Governor’s orders, we will be able to re-open on June 8.  But we will be operating very differently to ensure the health and safety of clients and trainers.  A detailed description of the new operating procedures was sent out last week.  If you want an additional copy, please contact Debora or your trainer.  A brief summary is below:

  1. No more than 2 clients per hour will be scheduled, with at least 30 minutes between sessions. Appointments only, no Open Gym.
  1. Admittance to the studio – Masks will be required for entry. Temperatures will be taken at the door. Health questionnaires and waivers will be completed and signed. Social distancing of at least 6 feet will be practiced at all times
  1. All surfaces that are touched will be wiped with a disinfectant before and after touch or use by both trainers and/or clients.
  1. Equipment that cannot be easily cleaned will not be available (e.g. cloth mats, rollers, massage tools, ankle weights, etc)
  1. Professional disinfecting cleaning of all surfaces will be done 2X/week.
  1. Water will not be dispensed from the water cooler.  We will provide small water bottles at the entrance.
  1. No items should be brought into the studio.  If phones must be kept nearby, we advise wearing a waist pack and carrying it. We will provide bags for your belongings at the entrance if necessary, but we ask that you keep most things at home or in your car.

INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE ON TODAY’S CHALLENGES

Some of you may have received this thought-provoking article, but it is worth reading again, and again. Two things stood out to me, one, an understanding of the resilience of our grandparents and parents, and two, that we cannot always control what happens in life, but we CAN overcome.

IMAGINE YOU WERE BORN IN 1900.

On your 14th birthday World War I starts and ends on your 18th birthday. 22 million people perish in that war. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until your 20th birthday. 50 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.

On your 29th birthday, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, the World GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy.

When you turn 39, World War II starts. You are not even over the hill yet. And don’t try to catch your breath. On your 41st birthday, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war.

Smallpox was epidemic until you were in your 40′s, as it killed 300 million people during your lifetime.

At 50, the Korean War starts. 5 million perish. From your birth, until you are 55 you dealt with the fear of Polio epidemics each summer. You experience friends and family contracting polio and being paralyzed and/or die. 

At 55 the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict. During the Cold War, you lived each day with the fear of nuclear annihilation. On your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, almost ended. When you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends.

Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How did they endure all of that? Perspective is an amazing art. Refined and enlightening as time goes on. We will endure this as well.”

PHYSICIANS NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT NUTRITION AND DIET (from IDEA Food & Nutrition 5/21/20)

Although diet can be a factor in many chronic health conditions, surprisingly, U.S.-trained doctors receive little or no formal training in nutrition. (Estimates are that, on average, students in medical schools spend less than 1% of lecture time learning about diet.) Staff and students at the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic would like to see that knowledge gap rectified.

In the report Doctoring Our Diet: Policy Tools to Include Nutrition Training in U.S. Medical Training, the group issued recommendations for improving nutrition education in undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education. The report says that nutrition education should be required in medical school and that physicians should be required to take continuing education courses in nutrition to maintain medical licenses. The end goal? Supporting better health outcomes for patients.

SARTORIUS MUSCLE  (from IDEA Fitness Journal May 2020)

You may not be familiar with the sartorius muscle, but you’ve no doubt flexed it during countless lower-body exercises, stretches and yoga poses.

The long, bandlike muscle runs down the length of the thigh, starting at the upper, outer edge of the hip bone and wrapping inward to the inside surface of the lower leg bone behind the knee.

As a two-joint muscle, the sartorius seamlessly serves both the hip and the knee. When acting on the hip joint, it works to flex, abduct, and laterally rotate the thigh. At the knee joint, the sartorius helps to flex the leg.

This versatility of movement is what allows you to sit cross-legged and to rotate your leg upward to inspect your heel or rest your foot on your knee (Barclay 2017; Kenhub 2020).

Here are more facts to stitch up your knowledge of the sartorius:

  • Its name is derived from the Latin word for “tailor,” since the hip and knee movements it facilitates mimic a tailor sitting cross-legged to work (Barclay 2017).
  • The sartorius is the longest muscle in the human body (Barclay 2017).
  • Strengthening exercises for the sartorius include standard squats and lunges, lateral step-ups, lateral band walks, plié squats, and clamshell exercises (Williams 2020).

PFTL ReOpening June 8 !!

DEAR VALUED CLIENTS,

We are planning to re-open on June 8.  We are looking forward to welcoming you back; however, we will be operating quite a bit differently than before.  We will be taking many precautions to ensure that the studio is a safe place to resume your training.  If you do not feel comfortable returning at this time, we totally understand and will try to work out some arrangement which may include virtual training, outdoor sessions, or just staying touch for the time being.

The following describes some of the precautions and new procedures we have established for studio training. 

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS:

1. A complete disinfecting clean-up of the entire facility was done this week. Professional disinfecting cleaning of all surfaces will be done 2X/week.

2. Hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes and gloves will be available throughout the workout areas

3. Mats, straps, ankle weights, yoga blocks, massage tools and rollers will not be available, as they cannot easily be washed between usage.

4. FOR THE FIRST MONTH, NO MORE THAN 2 CLIENTS PER HOUR WILL BE TRAINING, WITH AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BETWEEN TRAINING SESSIONS.

5. Upholstered chairs have been replaced with metal folding chairs for easy cleaning.

6.  Only those with appointments will be allowed in.  No Open Gym for now.

ADDITIONALLY, ALL CLIENTS AND TRAINERS MUST ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Masks will be worn at all times

2. Social distancing of 6-10 ft will be in practice

3. Temperatures will be taken at the entrance., and questionnaires about current health will be completed each time. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms will not be admitted.

4. Hand sanitizers will be used before entering the workout area

5. Anything that is touched will be wiped down before and after use by the trainer and/or client; this includes all equipment, restroom surfaces, door handles, fans, etc.

6. Water will not be dispensed from the water cooler.  We will provide small water bottles at the entrance.

7. No items should be brought into the studio.  If phones must be kept nearby, we advise wearing a waist pack and carrying it. We will provide bags for your belongings at the entrance if necessary, but we ask that you keep most things at home or in your car.

8.  No more than 2 people will be allowed in the entranceway at one time. Others should wait outside until only one person is there.

THINGS FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT:

Whether you come to the studio or not is a personal decision. Ask your doctor if you’re not sure what’s best for you. If you’re at high risk, such as over the age of 65 or have a high-risk medical condition like lung or heart disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system, you may need to postpone coming to the studio at this time.

If you decide it is time to come back, here’s what you need to know to stay as safe as possible.

1.Social distancing is still a must. Ensure that you do not use cardio machines that are right next to each other. There should be at least 6 feet between you and your any treadmill or bike buddy. The staff at the studio can’t totally protect you; they may remind you, but personal responsibility is big here. It’s up to you to stay away from others. Don’t use a machine next to someone else – remember, 6 feet at a minimum.

2. Wear a mask all the time as it adds another layer of protection for you and others. While it might be tough when huffing and puffing in an intense workout, wear one anyway.

3. And remember, don’t touch your face! The main way the virus spreads is directly from person to person from someone close by. But the other way is when someone breathes, sneezes or coughs the virus onto a surface, you come along and touch that surface, then touch your face, and the virus gains entry through your nose, mouth or eyes. Sometimes wearing gloves will remind you not to touch your face.

4. And lastly, when you’re done with your workout, wash your hands! Use the hand sanitizer or wash up in the gym bathroom; use a paper towel or disinfectant wipe to turn off all faucets and open all doors until you’re out of the gym. Toss it in the trash.

This is a new world for everyone, we will be monitoring and changing procedures as necessary to insure the health and safety of everyone.