Wigan fitness centre pleads for rethink over gym closures

John Boland, owner of JSBeFit in Pemberton, believes restricting exercise will have catastrophic impact on people’s health.

He said: “I can deal with the fact that we will take a financial hit but not the implication from a health point of view.

“Physical training is beneficial to your immune system and your ability to fight off the virus or not become seriously ill. The most important thing is that you’ve got good cardiovascular fitness, especially for a respiratory virus.”

Mr Boland has also spoken out on the mental health benefits of being able to use a gym, especially in winter.

He said: “Us coaches do this with people day in, day out and can see how important it is for them. Their exercise is going to be cut down, their motivation is lower and that goes into psychological aspects.

“People create a routine and pattern that associates a positive with improving their health and fitness, which helps how they feel about themselves.

“The fact they can’t do that, especially with the time of year as well, with seasonal affective disorders. It triples or quadruples that lack of exercise on someone’s mentality. It’s a massive psychological burden.”

Mr Boland also argues the gyms are safe, as his centre has followed all the Covid-safe protocols and “not had a case”, even with 200 members.

A petition online which urges the government to reverse their decision on gyms has gathered over 500,000 signatures nationally.

Mr Boland said: “If people stand up more for what they believe in and what they think is right then it has to be heard.”

But PM Boris Johnson has defended the decision to close fitness centres in the new national lockdown, saying “it is difficult to take out one part of the Jenga block without disturbing the whole package.”

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