Return to the gym - Go or no?

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are well - I know, yet again it's been a little while since I last wrote but in my defense, I haven't had a laptop for months...

So, we are coming to the 'end' of this COVID lockdown and a lot of shops and restaurants are reopening and now on the 25th of July gyms are set to re-open but how do you feel about going in the current climate? Safe? Scared? Dubious? 

I know that I am a mixture of all three, to be honest, I want more than anything to go back to the gym, to return to normality and get back to some kind of routine outside of the house but it is actually safe to do so? The short answer is it will never be 100% safe to return to the gym, with the ongoing pandemic, and with people slowly emerging from their houses who would know if you or somebody else has had it or currently has it without their knowledge? 

On the opposing side of things, if it will never be 100% safe when IS the right time to go back to the gym or back to eating out or visiting friends etc.? Should we just throw ourselves into it and hope for the best? Of course, you would take every precaution when doing so, wear a mask, spray all the equipment down after every use, social distance - is that enough though? 

This ambiguity is playing on my mind and although I won't be returning as soon as the gyms reopen I will consider going in the following weeks. 

I do enjoy working out at home but let's face it, it's just not the same, I don't have the weights I have at the gym, I don't have a treadmill, I just feel like the gym is a form of escapism where I can go and do my own thing for an hour or so and separate that from home. I already work from home and eat at home and do leisurely activities, watch TV, etc. I would like one thing separate from all of that. 

I must admit working out at home with free weights has forced me to concentrate on my form a lot more and think about how my muscles work and which ones are working at the time, this is obviously beneficial - I think I hid behind the machines at the gym because it was easy, but not anymore...maybe... 

The conclusion is this; I'm still unsure, I want to go back to the gym, but I also don't want to catch a life-threatening virus.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Too soon? Ready to get back? Let me know!