How Gym Closures Have Affected My Mental Health — and Yours

With the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was inevitable that physical training facilities worldwide would shut down for a period of timeWhile this was in the public’s best interest to prevent the spread of the virus, people who depend on gyms were left in a lurcAt face value, the gym may seem to be just a place people go to exercise, but it often serves a deeper psychological purposThough fitness facilities have reopened — with restrictions — in certain areas, they remain fully closed in other areas, driving people to find alternatives to hitting the gym.

This article dives into the effects of gym closures on people’s mental health and includes some solutions to stay active. I also provide a personal story of how I adjusted to life without gymsPhoto Courtesy of Daniel PreiMajor effects on mental healWalk into any gym and you’ll see people training for a variety of purposes. Some may be working out to become more athletic, whereas others are looking to lose weight or gain muscle and sOn the surface, hitting the gym seems mostly physical in nature, but there are several psychological reasons that people train as well. The main psychological factors surrounding gym exercise are:

improving body imabeing part of a communibeing held accountabpromoting a sense of well-beireleasing pent-up emotioWith the closure of gyms around the world, many people lost an outlet for these needs and desiresLack of communiIt’s natural to seek out the gym to be a part of a communitYou may be motivated by seeing other people working out. Some people also have a gym partner they exercise with so that each person has guidance and motivation.

When commercial training facilities closed, this sense of community was taken away. Since the pandemic hit, many people have felt lonely, including those who regularly worked out with friends or relied on a gym’s built-in support networkBody imaAnother reason many people go to the gym is to improve their body image and self-confidenceWhile this desire may seem superficial, improving physical fitness has been shown to enhance body image and self-compassion, according to various studies (1Trusted Source, 2Gym closures have left many people without this mode of improving body image.

Sense of physical well-beiPeople often hit the gym to improve their health and sense of physical well-beingWhile this sense of well-being can be linked to body image, physical well-being also involves health aspects of improving your physical fitness. This includes exercising to prevent disease, maintain a healthy body weight, and prevent bone loss, to name a fewFor those without a home workout routine, gym closures may have negatively affected a sense of physical beingLack of motivatiYet another side effect of gym closures is a lack of motivation to exerciseMany people go to the gym to be surrounded by like-minded people who are there for a common purpose. These surroundings provide structure and accountability that can help them stay motivated to exercisWithout the gym environment, some people may find it difficult to effectively train on their own.