MAINE, USA — As we enter the New Year, many people are setting health goals, and in 2021 supporting local gyms might be the thing to do.
"This past year has been wild," Meghan Courchesne of Reve Cycling Studio said.
From closing down, going remote, and re-opening with new guidelines in place the pandemic has kept the fitness industry on its toes.
In May, the owner of Crisp in Scarborough told NEWS CENTER Maine, "we finally after two years, we were solid. We were getting to the best-case scenario and then boom," she said.
Most of April through June fitness centers were ordered to close their doors, taking an unprecedented financial hit.
"With our bike rentals and the on demand, we're hitting about a quarter, maybe slightly less than our usual revenue," the owner of Jibe Cycling Studio told NEWS CENTER Maine in May.
Gym memberships on the decline nationally, as people turned to home workouts. But the fitness community is a strong one and rallied together for a cause greater than just getting in shape.
"It's not just on the physical end, but on the mental end as well," Sean Green of the Fitness Factory said.
"It's more than a workout, it's a community," Courchesne added.
She said the pandemic has been an opportunity for her community to grow and work with other local businesses, like L.L. Bean.
Green added that he's seen the entire fitness community come together and grow this year.
"The support among competitors even if they're direct or indirect has been pretty impressive and just shows you how important the fitness community is as a whole," he said.
There are some incentives to workout at a locally owned gym, but the New Year's deals and the opportunity to be a part of a larger community.