When you do something daily for nearly 20 years, it is unsettling to be forced to give it up cold turkey. In mid-March, the state of Washington became one of the first states to shut down many businesses, including gyms. I remember that first week being especially tough. My daily routine was rocked and I couldn’t achieve the physical well-being I craved.

I tried to adjust as best I could. I did a morning routine at home and ran the track at the local high school during my lunch hour. However, it was not the same. As the days and weeks passed, I could feel the muscle mass I developed disintegrating away. But as the weeks turned to months, a weird thing happened. I started to become complacent with not going to the gym. There was nothing I could do about it and it was nice getting some extra sleep, right?

But as that thinking started to set in, the governor introduced a re-opening plan. Soon enough, the opening of gyms, under strict social distancing guidelines, was permitted.

When the governor allowed gyms to re-open, I found a new facility to go to…Snap Fitness.

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There is the psychological phenomenon of not realizing how common a certain car is out on the road until you actually buy that type of car yourself. This condition can be applied to my new gym.

It was my dad who introduced me to Snap Fitness. When Spokane reached the phase that allowed gyms to re-open, the facility that the two of us would frequent decided to remain closed. Needing to pivot, my dad knew of a gym near a neighborhood bar that was open for business. After screening the place for sound social distancing measures, my dad got us both memberships at this particular Snap Fitness. After three months of not pumping iron, I was finally working out at a fitness facility again.

I had the pleasure of going with my dad to early morning gym sessions for almost three weeks before my family moved into our new house. One of the things I did that first weekend was get my own membership at the local Snap Fitness in Spokane Valley. But you definitely have to clarify when you say the local Snap Fitness because there isn’t just one local Snap Fitness. Remember how I said sometimes you don’t realize how prevalent something is until you are actually invested in it?

I go to the Snap Fitness located on Montgomery off of Argonne.

Snap Fitness facilities are literally all over the place. There are four Snap gyms within 15 minutes of my house. The cool thing about Snap Fitness is that once you purchase a membership, you can work out at any location in the country. Thus, early last week I tested out multiple Spokane Valley Snap Fitness gyms before deciding on which one I liked the best.

The Snap Fitness located on Montgomery off of Argonne is my new fitness home. Actually, it is Sidney’s new fitness home too! I purchased a couples membership and we have a pretty good system in place. I wake up at 3:30 a.m. and get to the gym by 4 a.m. I return to the house by 5:30 a.m. and then Sid goes to Snap and does her thing, returning home well before my work day starts. Working out at the same gym just gives us another thing to connect on while staying healthy at the same time.

The Snap Fitness I go to has a studio for classes.

I wouldn’t say Snap Fitness gyms are glamorous but everything you need is provided. Cardio equipment, weight machines, free weights, classes, and more are all available. They definitely have social distancing figured out with numerous machines out of commission to prevent people from getting too close and hygienic supplies readily available. Of course, the ultimate social distancing tactic is just to get there really, really early (like me) before others arrive…yes, Snap Fitness is 24 hours.

Although I miss Iron Legacy in Myrtle Beach, my new gym is growing on me. If you are looking for a safe and accessible place to exercise during COVID times, consider Snap Fitness. Don’t Blink.