Despite pandemic, gym-goers find ways to work out
Batavia resident and high school coach Kevin Jensen took advantage of a transformative period to make a transformation.
Jensen admitted his weight has been an issue dating back to high school. Two years ago, his weight topped the 400-pound mark. Nearly six months into the pandemic, Jensen decided enough was enough.
He set out to change his life.
“I have struggled with my weight my entire life,” Jensen said. “Even at my most fit time in high school, I still was heavier that I should have been. The worst it got was at the beginning of the pandemic. I had gotten well over 400 pounds, so I decided to get a consultation at a bariatric weight loss center. From there, I decided to go forth with a surgical option. I had was is called ‘sleeve gastrectomy.' Basically, I had about 80% of my stomach organ removed. It went from about the size of a 2-liter bottle to the size of a banana.”
Jensen said he's not letting the pandemic restrictions nor the possible health concerns regarding COVID-19 and the omicron variant slow down his gym workouts.
This time of year is when local residents would ordinarily be flocking to their local gyms and health clubs, but for the second January in a row, the pandemic is leading to more caution and restrictions. Residents in Cook County must show a proof of a COVID-19 vaccine card to visit gyms, which has led to a surge of attendees in DuPage County gyms and other counties.
Still, many Chicagoland residents have stuck to their workout regimes to maintain a sense of normalcy and to continue healthy patterns established during the pandemic.
In Jensen's case, the pandemic helped him accomplish a lifestyle change.
Jensen took advantage of extra time the pandemic restrictions made in his schedule. As the head varsity girls basketball coach at Batavia High School, Jensen had an abundance of free time because several high school sports were put on pause at the beginning of the pandemic.
He uses that time both in the gym at group class sessions, though also works with a personal trainer.
“I have a very strict workout routine,” he said. “I work out regularly with a group run by a personal trainer and I put in a ton of running over the last year and a half. I ran over 400 miles in the last year. With the changes in food and exercise habits, the weight just flew off.”
Jensen, who has lost over 220 pounds since September 2020, said the recent surge in COVID-19 cases hasn't slowed down his workouts. He does “hit the hand sanitizer a little more often,” he said, and relies on “social distancing” during circuit training to maintain several feet from other gym members.
“The pandemic was probably the final push that I needed to do something drastic,” Jensen said. “My life has changed because of my weight loss. The pandemic might have given me the extra push needed to reach rock bottom,” he said.
“My life is completely different now due to the way I feel. I'm more confident, I'm more relaxed, less stressed. I can play with my children more now. I have gone from extreme sleep apnea to sleeping like a baby. I've given up two different blood pressure medications through this journey,” he said.
Aurora native Ed Bart said he maintains strict rules at the gym to avoid contact with other members. He has multiple gym memberships to give him access to find a gym, but he admitted the pandemic altered his workouts.
“I used to spend a long time in the gym and visit during the crowded times, like after work,” Bart said. “Now, I try and go when it's less crowded, so I can not be around as many people. It's nice in a way because I can use several machines (without waiting), which was more difficult when the gym is packed.”
Bart said the pandemic led him to change his workouts. He tries to avoid overtraining, and utilizes new exercises he learned via TikTok.
“I've gotten stronger and lost more weight because I train more efficiently,” he said. “The pandemic caused me to look at my workouts and educate myself more. I do some exercises in my routine that I never used in over three decades of training.”
Oswego native Ryan Sandrik, who works for The Cary Company based in Addison, decided to establish a workout program for fellow employees soon after the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Before the pandemic, Sandrik said he would exercise at Planet Fitness, but he elected to shift his workouts to ensure safety. He managed to find a viable solution to maintaining his workouts in a gym setting surrounded by people.
Sandrik said the lunch workouts last roughly 20 to 25 minutes, with anywhere from one to six employees attending workouts in the multipurpose room or the full-size basketball court.
“Depending on the week, and everyone's schedule, we aim for five days a week,” Sandrik said. “We do workouts, like burpees, an ab workout, leg throw downs, planks, crunches, jump squats, wall squats and walking lunges. On Fridays, we play full-court basketball to switch it up. It's great cardio.”