Action Potential

Covid Update: Nov 11

Public Statement Regarding the Operational Restrictions Across the Country In Response to the Escalating Covid-19 crisis:

At Action Potential Fitness, the health of our clients, our province, our country and our global community is our first priority.

Along with our continuous work in helping and supporting the physical, psycho-emotional, and intellectual needs of our members through training and workshops, and through fostering a deep sense of community and connectedness within our physical and virtual walls, we are also staunch advocates of public health on a larger social-advocacy scale.

We believe that health is a human right that should be easily accessed by all, and that we- as business owners and citizens- have a responsibility to do everything we can to help improve the health of all Canadians.

We actively work to reduce barriers of access for populations that have difficulty meeting their health needs, and continue to seek ways to role model responsibile and ethical fitness practices.

Covid-19 is a health crisis, the scale of which can not be denied. We mourn the lives lost, and send our solidarity and support to those who have been ill, have lost loved ones, and are otherwise adversely affected by this pandemic.

For the last 8.5 months, addressing this crisis within our business has been our number one priority. Not a day has gone by where we have not taken time to check updates, discuss our strategy, refine our policies, and challenge ourselves to do better.

We have, since the beginning of this crisis, been leaders in finding innovative ways to put people before profits.

We voluntarily shuttered our doors, two days before the government order to do so and have temporarily closed our facility twice more in the past four months as we felt that the risks of exposure in two specific situations were high enough to warrant waiting for negative results.

We have suspended all in-person social activities, providing multiple opportunities for virtual socialization and support. We have made these open to the public to help curb social isolation.

We have instituted penalty free cancellation policies, gone above and beyond in our cleaning practices and physical distancing requirements, created a "culture of care", where every member feels directly invested in keeping each other safe, and have fostered the belief that we can be "socially engaged, while physically distant."

It has been a difficult and often stressful process- not to mention a costly one- but watching our community rally around each other and continuously choose to do the right thing has been an absolutely beautiful sight.

Never before have we ever felt such a sense of solidarity, support and purpose.

We are grateful to be able to say that, to date, no member of our facility has tested positive for Covid-19.

However, we recognize that- as diligent as we have been- this is as much a matter of luck as it is of caution. With the numbers rising, we recognize that it is only a matter of time before the virus lands on our doorstep.

That is, of course, unless our Province begins to take matters more seriously and finds ways to curb the spread.

And, as a local business, we must recognize our role in that.

While our facility far exceeds the recommended safety protocols, we are increasing our vigiliance through increased measures effective November 14th, 2020:

- The facility is currently spaced to allow up to 20 bodies in it, while abiding by public safety practices. We will be voluntarily reducing that number to 12 bodies in the facility, at any given time.

- Maximum occupancy per space will be as follows: PT Studio (up to 4 bodies), Rack Room (up to 3 bodies), Group Studio (up to 8 bodies).

- Our group fitness studio is currently spaced to allow up to 8 participants with 3m of distancing apart. We will be reducing that number to 6 participants.

- In addition to our doorway sanitizing station, we will be implementing a mandatory hand sanitizing in the Training Pods that will be conducted at the beginning and end of each class. As always, individual hand sanitizers will be provided along with the symptoms checklist.

- We will be increasing access to High Intensity fitness classes online, specifially focusing on choreographed classes, in preparation for the possibility of these classes being suspended due to their higher risk level.

*Please note: we are closely monitoring the best practices across the country and may further restrict some activites in the future if it deemed necessary.

We are taking these measures not to be alarmist, but rather because we truly believe that businesses have a responsibility to do everything within their power to take personal ownership of their space.

While we hope and expect the government to take a strong stand on public safety, we are not limited to their recommendations and are opting to put our values and our mission at the forefront of our decision making.

Fitness for every body. Health for everyone.
It's about a lot more than just lifting weights.

Pound Fitness is BACK and LOUDER than ever!!!

We offer Pound Fitness classes on Tuesdays at 5pm (hybrid with CardioLIT) and now on Wednesdays at 7pm!

Contact us today try this sweat-dripping workout inspired by the fun of playing the drums!

Rock Out with The Only Cardio Jam Session | About POUND | POUND Rockout. Workout. For the Fitness REBELS, Game CHANGERS and Noise MAKERS…this is for you! POUND® - Rockout. Workout. is the world's first cardio jam session inspired by the in...

We are GROWING!

We are over the moon excited to introduce you to our newest team member: Genghis Barranda (aka Mr. G or just plain "G", as Zita calls him!)

Genghis is a graduate of the NAIT Personal Fitness Trainer Program and has been a CSEP Certified Personal Trainer/NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist since 2013. He holds multiple other credentials and designations to compliment his education, and comes to us after many years as AFL Coordinator/Personal Trainer for the YMCA of Northern Alberta, where he will be sorely missed.

Genghis has always been passionate about fitness and exercise. Growing up, he fell in love with the martial art of Judo. This sport allowed him to develop a high sense of discipline and hard work, qualities that would ultimately lead him to compete at the National level.

Today, he focuses on being an "every day athlete". You can now find him rocking out on the bike, sweating up a storm in a HIIT class, monkeying around on a climbing wall, or simply attacking a good set of stairs.

As a trainer, Genghis believes first and foremost in establishing a solid foundation that incorporates elements of strength, stability, mobility, endurance and power. He believes that all bodies have the potential to thrive when they are given the tools they need to do so, and that being consistently persistent in pursuit of your goals can set you up for a healthier body, mind and spirit. He takes great pride in his ability to encourage, motivate and inspire others to get out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves, physically and mentally.

When not training, Genghis loves listening to music, playing board games, and having an afternoon nap.

His quote to live by is: "Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise." F. Ocean

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING COVID-19:

As most of our in-studio members know, we recently made the choice to voluntarily close our studio doors while we both underwent Covid-19 testing. We did this after learning that we had been exposed to an individual whose family member recently tested positive for the virus.

Though there was no indication of Covid-19 being present in our studio at any point, we felt the secondary exposure conditions were significant enough to warrant investigation.

While we understood that the risk of exposure was rather limited and that we were under no legal obligation to cease operations, we also recognized that we have an ethical responsibility to do the right thing and to go above and beyond when it comes to keeping our facility and members safe.

As such, all classes and training sessions were immediately postponed and the studio was shut down until tests could be performed and negative results confirmed.

This was not an easy decision to make from a business perspective. Shutdowns like this one are very expensive and we are still recovering from having almost four months of lost revenue. However, it was an incredibly easy decision to make from an ethical perspective, and we knew it was the right thing to do. Acting with transparency and integrity has always been at the centre of our core values.

We received our negative test results today, after three days of closure. We are extremely grateful to the front line workers diligently committed to getting information back to Albertans as quickly as possible. Your work is so important.

We are also extremely grateful to our members for their support and patience over these last few days. You are, truly, the best fitness family we could hope for.

It is true that keeping Covid-19 at bay is about saving lives.

It is about protecting our vulnerable populations, those who are at the greatest risk of death and complications. It is about keeping our population healthy and strong, which is at the heart of our mission and mandate as an organization.

But keeping Covid-19 at bay is also about community stewardship, about the very essence of what it means to be a part of a society.

It is about recognizing that every single member in our studio has families, employers, colleagues, friends and loved ones who will be impacted by tiny decisions that are made largely without their knowledge.

It is about understanding that we all have to trust each other to do the right thing, the civic minded thing, even when it is hard. But that we all also have to be worthy of that trust for it to exist. That we don't get to opt out of taking care of each other, while expecting others to take care of us.

It is about recognizing that everyone around us has something on the line, and that- for most of us- those somethings extend far beyond the fear of getting sick. It is about understanding that we are all dependent on other people doing the right thing so that we can continue to take care of the millions of other things that require our attention, even during a pandemic.

Parenting our kids. Running our businesses. Celebrating loved ones. Grocery shopping. Going to work. All our every day activities. These things require us to be healthy. These things require those around us to be healthy.

The "new normal" isn't about mask laws, and physical distancing guidelines, and symptom lists. Those are procedures that (as we've seen) may change at a moment's notice, for better or for worse.

The new normal is about flexible perseverance, and about learning to adapt to the world around us.

It is about empathy and understanding and recognizing the impact that we all have on each other.

It's about doing the right thing, even if it is inconvenient, hard, scary, or uncomfortable.

It's about asking for help, and offering it where and when we can.

It's about recognizing that individual health is now, and *has always been*, a public matter- and vice versa.

So we promise to do our part and to continue to do the hard and scary things.

We will continue to offer a penalty free cancellation policy for Covid related illness.

We will continue to honour our members with honesty and transparency about our own health.

We will continue to pay our team members for classes that have to be cancelled for reasons beyond their control.

And we will continue to be leaders in the fight to barrier free access to essential health and fitness programing, which are the most effective way to promote public health.

"Fitness for every body. Health for everyone."

This is who we are, and who we will always be. It is our mission and our vision.

And it starts with each of us taking personal ownership and accountability for our role as community members.

Thank you again to the many people who showed us an outpouring of support through this, and over the past many months. We are eternally grateful to each and every one of you.

Yours in health,
Toni Harris and Zita Dube-Lockhart

Do you have a few quick minutes to spare to help us fill out this simple survey exploring the possibility of offering Covid-Safe Child and Youth Fitness programs in our facility.

Comment on this thread to let us know you did it, and we will be offering up a FREE Personal Training (Studio or Virtual) session!

Covid-Friendly Child and Youth Fitness Programs Thank you for participating in this short survey exploring possible options for providing essential health, fitness and physical activity programming to our children and youth.

Hello friends!
You may have noticed that we have made some "changes" to our page!

This is part of our process of formally merging Generate Fitness and In Your Boots Fitness, and is an exciting step forward for us.

We look forward to serving you as Action Potential Fitness!

Change is in the air as Generate Fitness begins its formal amalgamation with In Your Boots Fitness to become Action Potential Fitness Community.

Come read what Zita Dube-Lockhart and Toni Harris have been up to these past few weeks!

We have a LOT of updates!

Discover what Toni Harris and Zita Dube-Lockhart have been up to this week,
including launching our BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Learn more in our newsletter!
https://mailchi.mp/a8d661f11a68/we-are-back-in-business

Coming soon to a studio parking lot near you!

Your safety has ALWAYS been our first concern, and that's why we have been working in close consultation with governement officials to ensure that any resumption of services meets and exceeds all current rules, regulations and recommendations.

That's why we are so excited to begin the soft launch of our Personal Outdoor Delivery Stations (PODS)

These four 10'x10' dedicated training spaces with spacer curtains, indivudal equipment, and cleaning stations are perfect to help us ensure safe physical distancing and the very highest standards of safety and cleanliness for our clients!

Personal, Partner and Semi Private training launches this week, with small group training beginning at the end of the month.

We can't wait to see your faces again!

💕 Toni and Zita

AN OPEN LETTER TO YourAlberta (Government of Alberta)
RE: The future of the health and fitness industry in our province

Dear Premier Jason Kenney,

Like most Albertans, we have been anxiously waiting for updates as to the lifting of restrictions on Alberta businesses due to COVID-19. As a small Edmonton-based studio specialising in personal training and small group fitness, we were part of the first cohort mandated to close our doors back in March. Since then, we have been working virtually non-stop to find ways to sustain our operations until our doors can re-open, in a safe and sustainable manner.

For us, the past 7 weeks have been a careful balance of actively wanting to prioritize the immediate health and safety of our clients and fellow Albertans in regards to this pandemic, while simultaneously recognizing the critical role that studios such as ours play in the larger scheme of public health and social wellness.

Like many locally-owned and operated studios, ours caters primarily to populations that are unable to access mainstream fitness options for a variety of reasons. We also house Diversifit, a non-profit dedicated to supporting families of children with disabilities with their physical fitness needs and gross motor literacy. It provides free of charge workshops, education programs and fitness events to promote general health and wellness, and has been a vibrant part of Edmonton’s fitness community since it opened its doors. It is much more than a ‘gym’ to our members. Most small fitness studios are.

Throughout this crisis, the government has categorized all gyms, regardless of their size, as public recreation and/or leisure facilities, categorizing us alongside bars, nightclubs, recreational facilities, arenas and swimming pools. Under the current plan to lift restrictions, this would place all fitness facilities in the very last phase of re-opening, denying the public access to meaningful, in-person support for their physical health.

While this categorisation might well reflect the reality of some of the larger fitness facilities, particularly franchised or nation-wide centres, it simply fails to address the breadth and scope of the fitness industry as a whole, and ignores the differences between these large-scale operations and smaller ones that cater to more specialized populations and programs. Additionally, this classification belittles and disregards the very real role that exercise professionals play in public health. Exercise is absolutely recreation and leisure, but it is also a critical aspect of health care.

Exercise specialists, including Physiologists, Athletic Therapists, Corrective Exercise Specialists, Certified Personal Trainers, and Certified Fitness Instructors, provide ongoing exercise management of chronic illness, injury prevention/rehabilitation, and physical and mental health. Research has repeatedly shown us that ‘exercise is medicine’, and that the best way to ensure long-term protection against future flare-ups of COVID-19 and similar pandemics is to ensure an active and healthy population. Beyond this, a well-structured and supported fitness program is a powerful tool for combating stress, anxiety and mental illness, something which should be at the forefront of our considerations when exploring the long-term effects of the pandemic.

What this categorization fails to recognize is that those most likely to be negatively affected by COVID-19 are exactly those most likely to seek out exercise specialists to support them: seniors, those living with diabetes/asthma/cardiac and respiratory conditions, and/or other chronic health conditions placing them in the high risk categories. Many of these populations require very specific exercise prescriptions, as well as the support and supervision of professionals, to be successful in improving their health outcomes.

While online support is possible, and most facilities have worked hard to offer our services virtually, there are simply some aspects of our work that can not be done effectively over zoom calls or virtual classes. Movement and fitness assessments, especially with medically fragile or physically compromised people, really should be done under close supervision of professionals in order to prevent injury and minimize risks.

It is difficult to comprehend how services that cater to individual aesthetics and grooming are seen as a higher priority than those that literally provide life-saving and quality of life altering supports. We can only conclude that there is a misguided belief that most people are able to care for their physical needs independently. However, any thorough examination of public health literature will indicate that the vast majority of the population struggles with self-efficacy when it comes to their physical activity needs, and are already under-active by health standards. We have absolutely no reason to believe that this struggle will be lessened by COVID-19, and every reason to believe that it will be exacerbated.

It is our sincere hope that the government will reconsider its all-encompassing definition of ‘gyms’ to recognize that different fitness services require different levels of social contact and exposure. The same arguments that can be made for reopening massage therapy and reflexology should no doubt apply to one-on-one exercise training, and arguably even small group training.

What we are asking is that the government add the following to Phase 2 of its Relaunch Strategy, along with other similar industry models such as massage, reflexology and physiotherapy.

1) That Physiologists, Athletic Therapists, Certified Personal Trainers, Certified Corrective Exercise Specialists and Certified Group Fitness providers may resume services as long as they are provided in accordance with all health regulations and adhere to all physical distancing standards.

2) That exercise and physical fitness facilities offering one-to-one training and small group training of less than 10 participants may reopen provided that they adhere to the physical and social distancing regulations and measures in place, and do not exceed a total capacity of 15 people within the facility at any given time.

Should the government fail to recognize the nuances within our field, and the distinct differences between large centres and smaller ones, I believe that I can safely say that the majority small studios and fitness professionals will be completely wiped out by the time we are able to open. We are simply not able to provide the quality and types of services that make us distinct and vital contributing members of Alberta’s economy online or ‘curbside’. And while this would be a great loss for Alberta’s economic and business scene, it would be an even greater loss to our public health system and to those who rely on our professional services in order to maintain functional fitness and a baseline quality of life.

Sincerely,
Zita Dube-Lockhart (BA, DIP HS) CSEP CPT/ NASM CES/ AFAA GFI
Owner, Generate Fitness

Toni Harris (DIP HS) CSEP CPT/NASM CES
Owner, In Your Boots Fitness

Don't let social isolation keep you from feeling healthy, strong and physically active! If you are struggling with moving your body, we can help!

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Action Potential Fitness is led by CSEP Certified Personal Trainers and NASM Corrective Specialists Toni Harris and Zita Dube-Lockhart. All programs are designed to be accessible to every fitness level, and inclusive of all people, regardless of their age, ability or background.

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