Is it safe to work out in a mask? Some Vancouver spin studios stay closed until mask mandate ends
As of Tuesday, high-intensity group fitness classes can resume indoors in B.C., but some businesses are not rushing back just yet.
Natasha Lowe is the owner of Cadence Cycle and Movement Society. For the past few weeks, spin classes at her studio have been taking place outside on the driveway, under a tent.
Even though spin classes are now allowed indoors, Lowe says she won’t be bringing them inside while the mask mandate is in place.
“We just don’t feel that it’s safe to bring our clients or our team inside to do high intensity with masks on,” Lowe said.
Instructor Jenny Chessa also isn’t keen on the idea of wearing a mask while trying to speak over the music.
“I’m still projecting and leading a group right so it’s not ideal with a mask on,” Chessa said.
Another studio, Spin Society, is also holding off on bringing indoor classes back until July 2. Owner Dominik Desbois told CTV News Vancouver his clients were also concerned about wearing masks during high-intensity classes.
As part of B.C.’s reopening, masks are mandatory inside public spaces in Step 2. In Step 3, as early as July 1, masks become “recommended,” though it’s unclear if that will apply to group fitness.
Is it safe to do high intensity training in a mask?
Dr. Scott Lear is a professor of health sciences at Simon Fraser University and has been researching the effects of mask wearing during exercise. He said according to lab studies, there are “no health and safety concerns,” even at peak exertion.
“The muscles that help you breathe are going to be working a bit harder,” Dr. Lear said. “But these are very minimal and for most people they’re not really going to notice the difference.”
Dr. Lear added some people may not be able to intake as much oxygen as they can without a mask, but adds “this is micro amounts, so one or two or three percentage points. Elite athletes may notice it but most of us won’t notice it.”
He said the extra layer across the face may also make you feel warmer while exercising.
Dr. Lear suggested people wanting to return to indoor fitness for the first time with a mask should go easy, or continue exercising outdoors until the mask mandate is lifted.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Nine suspects arrested in $24M gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport: Peel police
Nine people have been arrested in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year, Peel Regional Police said Wednesday.
MPs summon ArriveCan contractor to the House to be admonished in rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
'Enormous sum of money': Actor Hugh Grant settles privacy lawsuit against tabloid
British actor Hugh Grant has settled a lawsuit against the publisher of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, over claims journalists used private investigators to tap his phone and burgle his house, he said on Wednesday.
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
U.K. plan to phase out smoking for good passes first hurdle
The British government's plan for a landmark smoking ban that aims to stop young people from ever smoking cleared its first hurdle in Parliament on Tuesday despite vocal opposition from within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.
O.J. Simpson was chilling with a beer on a couch before Easter, lawyer says. 2 weeks later he was dead
O.J. Simpson's last robust discussion with his longtime lawyer was just before Easter, at the country club home Simpson leased southwest of the Las Vegas Strip. About a week later, on April 5, a doctor said Simpson was 'transitioning.'
Some of the winners and losers in the 2024 federal budget
With a variety of fiscal and policy measures announced in the federal budget, winners include small businesses and fintech companies while losers include the tobacco industry and Canadian pension funds.
Father of boy accused of stabbing 2 Australian clerics saw no signs of extremism, Muslim leader says
The father of a boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics in Australia saw no signs of his son’s extremism, a Muslim community leader said on Wednesday as police began arresting suspected rioters who besieged a Sydney church demanding revenge.
A wobble reveals the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy
Astronomers have spotted the most massive known stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy after detecting an unusual wobble in space.