Gym owners are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel as the industry, hit so hard by last year’s pandemic, is again at a standstill.
Owner of F45 training Parramatta CBD Desi Stavrakakis says she was still feeling the impact of last year’s financial burden and fears for what lockdown round two will do to her business.
“People just think you lockdown and lose business for four weeks, but it’s detrimental for months,” she said.
“Understandably there is a fear attached to everything but because of this, when we reopened last year it was skeletons and we essentially had to rebuild from scratch.
“We haven’t been able to receive any monetary assistance as of yet, we needed government support from the get-go.”
But it’s not just businesses keeping afloat that is a concern, as so many Parramatta residents rely on physical activity for their mental health.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in March and June 2021, one in five, or 20 per cent of Australians experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the previous four weeks.
Ms Stavrakakis said her F45 is a real community, beyond just physical activity.
“People are jumping on our Zooms just to see each other,” she said.
“Last year they used our Zoom catchup to do a trivia night and a cooking class together, it’s a real sense of community here and everyone is trying to support each other through this period.”
The importance of staying active or at least getting outdoors is paramount to anyone’s sanity during this time.
Whether you’ve got a backyard or live in a small apartment, Ms Stavrakakis said make sure you dedicate some time to looking after yourself.
“Fresh air and going for a walk is the best thing you can do for your day and why not call a friend to check in while you’re doing it,” she said.
“Focus on what you do have, maybe it’s a set of stairs; you can use what you have to do different exercises to get the blood pumping.”
NSW and Federal governments recently announced a joint $17 million mental health package aimed at supporting people affected by the greater Sydney lockdown.
Eligible businesses can now apply for up to $15,000 from the first of the NSW Government’s 2021 COVID-19 Business Support Grant.
Further assistance via the JobSaver program is also available.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.