Nancy Divita

Like many other businesses in Florida, the coronavirus pandemic caused my small business to close from March 20th to May 18th. While this outbreak was certainly not something that anyone could plan for, I took quick action early to ensure that when it was deemed safe to reopen by Governor Ron DeSantis and by health officials, I would be ready.

I have owned and operated my Anytime Fitness gym for over five years, and I have always prioritized cleanliness throughout the gym. When the coronavirus started to rapidly spread, I made sure that I was stocked up on disinfecting supplies to further ensure that my facility would be kept clean and safe for members. Since we have reopened, enhanced cleaning protocols have been one of the ways that we have adapted.

Another way that we are ensuring that our gym is safe for our members is by practicing social distancing throughout the club. This has been easy for us to maintain, given that our facility is a boutique size gym and does not become overcrowded like some bigger gyms. By implementing new guidelines, we have been very fortunate to have a seamless reopening with no serious issues.

In fact, the vast majority of our members have returned to exercising inside the gym. And for those who have not yet returned, they are using our Anytime Fitness application to do virtual workouts at home. We have been utilizing this application since 2018, so many of our members were already well-versed on how to use it.

Exercising is key in maintaining a strong immune system and staying healthy, especially during this unusual time with the virus. After a sudden onset of the auto-immune disease rheumatoid arthritis, I made my health a major priority and became an avid runner. Eventually, my doctor told me I needed to quit running and take up strength training instead. Whether a person is new to the gym like I was, or is an experienced gym goer, the smaller environment at Anytime Fitness provided a way to really get to know the staff and fellow members, which I believe is important to many people’s health journey.

I am incredibly pleased that our gym was able to reopen and continue to provide an outlet both in-person and virtually for those in our community to stay healthy while also being safe. Afterall, fitness is more than just for vanity; it is important for both mental and physical health. At Anytime Fitness, we take great pride in helping those in our community stay healthy, which is why I got involved and opened my business in the first place.

After being reopened for one week, a City Code Compliance official stopped by to inspect the club and make sure that we were following the appropriate guidelines set forth by health experts and the government. Our gym passed the inspection with flying colors, further proving that our club is safe.

Ensuring that our members, staff, and all those in our community remain safe and healthy is our top priority, and we look forward to continuing to meet that goal.

Nancy Divita is a small business owner of Anytime Fitness in Casselberry, Florida.