As Canadians head back to the gym, there are a lot of questions about COVID-19 safety. GoodLife has been working to meet or exceed the new health and safety parameters laid out by the different levels of government across the country.

As part of these efforts, GoodLife partnered with two Toronto ER doctors to apply their experience working in the hospital setting to guide pandemic safety preparations for GoodLife Fitness clubs across the country.

Emergency Physicians and Healthcare Design Experts Christopher Hicks, MD, MEd, FRCPC and Andrew Petrosoniak, MD, MEd, FRCPC of Advanced Performance Healthcare Design (APHD) played an integral role in designing, supporting and testing the COVID-19 response process and protocols, and have been on the frontline caring for COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic.

"This pandemic has taught us that we’re linked far more than we ever thought we were. To imagine that we can engage in activities within our towns, cities, and around the country without any impact on others is simply not true. In fact, when we come to the gym, it’s a social contract with those around us that we’re going to behave in a responsible way, and that those who are sharing the space will do so as well." - Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak
  • Hicks and Petrosoniak are experts in simulating real life situations and tracking people’s behaviour, particularly in risky situations.
  • They researched the fitness industry and GoodLife’s spaces, processes and policies.
  • They ran table-top and live simulations for common scenarios like arriving at the club, checking in, working out and leaving.
  • Their findings helped us address confusion points and blind spots that may encumber safety.
  • We were then able to solve those issues, as well as eliminate friction associated with compliance, before clubs opened.

The result?

GoodLife has opened almost all our clubs and members have booked more than one million workouts online so far. We surveyed members about their experiences. Here are their responses:

What’s next?

As more members return to GoodLife clubs, we’re looking forward to working together to deliver the safest possible workout experience from coast-to-coast.