Politicians and intellectuals around the country have defended governors’ one-size-fits-all policies for combating COVID-19. Among their boldest claims is that they are saving lives and sparing health-care systems. For them, the ends justify the means—no matter who they hurt along the way.
On June 29, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey forced gyms, bars, theaters, and water parks to again close. They had already suffered March, April, and most of May without customers. Many had to let employees go.
A handful of Phoenix-area gym owners defied the order and sued the governor in county and federal court. They claimed their constitutional rights were violated. Unsurprisingly, the gym owners lost. Though they recognized the hardships bore by the fitness chains, both judges sided with the strong arm of government. In short, they gave the same excuse all governments give when overreaching: crisis.
Yet, lost in the fitness chains’ lawsuits and in the judges decisions is what William Graham Sumner termed the forgotten man—the person whose interests have been neglected, the person who often suffers the most.
Unintended consequences and the forgotten man
This summer, I am the forgotten man.
As a dermatomyositis patient, I take drugs that suppress my immune system, putting me at a higher risk for contracting the virus than healthy thirty-somethings.
Yet, I also need access to real gym equipment to fight inflammation and keep my lungs and muscles strong. Without controlled weight exercises, my muscles slowly degenerate. Breathing becomes a chore. Should I contract COVID-19, strong, healthy lungs and chest muscles will be my best chance of survival.
I am faced with what philosophers call a hard choice: Should I go to my gym to keep my muscles and lungs strong, even at the risk of getting the virus? Or should I stay home and make the most of YouTube workouts and garage equipment at the risk of sacrificing my long-term health?
In March, even before the Arizona governor shutdown Phoenix, I chose the latter. With so little information at the time about the virus, I recalled my internist telling me in January that I was at risk for influenza and shingles. I also assumed the worst would be over by May.
But as the pandemic drags on like a nine-season Netflix series, isolation was no longer an option—for me or anybody else. Amazon Prime freebie workouts could only do so much for my muscles. My mental health deteriorated. My old gym, like so many business dependent on in-person customers, had to bury itself in the mass grave of COVID-19 casualties.
I went to my new gym for the first time on June 9. As I joked with my friend, returning after 3 months of being away is like having sex after three years of being abstinent: You’re sloppy and out of practice, but it feels so good, and the eye candy is worth it.
The government chooses for me
Fast-forward three weeks. I reached the bottom of the stairs in my gym shorts and running shoes when my girlfriend informed me the governor closed the gyms. My face ruddied. My brain wanted to explode. I shouted several curse words and struck the wooden railing with my fist. Fortunately, neither broke.
By late June, daytime temperatures consistently hovered around or above 110 F. Contrary to the governor’s attorney’s presumptive suggestions, working out in the garage or outside is not an option—especially for someone supposed to avoid the sun.
Now, thanks to the Arizona governor’s one-size-fits-all policies, I find it harder to sleep and to breathe.
I’ve tried to make the most of my situation. My girlfriend and I faked our way through Zumba videos. I’m 13 days into a 30-day ab challenge video. And there’s always push-ups and the occasional cool morning or late evening to go for a walk.
All the same, I want to be able to decide for myself what I can do and where I can go. Only I know what is best for myself. And for me, that means not living forever in fear. It means being able to access what I need to fight for my life—both now and 30 years in the future.
Editor’s update: The current and former Arizona health directors do not even agree on the dangers of contracting COVID-19 at the gym.