Jillian Michaels is telling people to avoid the gym after getting the coronavirus from a close friend
- Celebrity personl trainer Jillian Michaels is urging people to avoid gyms after revealing she had coronavirus.
- Michaels said she has since recovered, but was infected after she "let her guard down" and spent an hour with a close friend, who had the virus but didn't have symptoms.
- Michaels shared her experience and cautionary tale while promoting her new home fitness app.
Celebrity personal trainer Jillian Michaels is warning people to avoid the gym and other public areas without masks, revealing she contracted coronavirus after "letting her guard down for an hour" with a close friend.
Michaels, who built her brand as a trainer on the weight loss reality show "The Biggest Loser," shared her experience in a September 8 interview with Fox Business about her new at-home fitness app.
Michaels said she tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, a few weeks ago after hanging out with a friend who typically does her hair and makeup.
It transpired her friend had an asymptomatic case of COVID-19, Michaels said. Michaels did not develop symptoms for nearly a week, and she has since made a full recovery.
"I'm fortunate to have gone into it being healthy and I was able to get on the other side of it pretty quick, but not everybody is that lucky, as we know," she said.
She said the experience has made her more aware of the risks of being out in public spaces. In particular, she urged people to stay out of the gym if they're concerned about the virus — before promoting her app for at-home, 7-minute daily workouts.
"If you are afraid of COVID, you should not go to the gym. I would love to tell you that's not the case but the reality is I literally let my guard down for an hour," Michaels told Fox Business.
Being in close quarters without all parties wearing masks could be risky, she said.
"If you're not in a mask and that person is not in a mask and they have COVID and have no idea ... anticipate you will likely get it in an environment like that," she said. "I'm not a doctor, I'm just telling you a personal story."
According to the latest research, gyms can present a medium-high risk compared to other common business and activities. Crowded gym environments with many people breathing heavily during a workout may be a risk factor for viral spread, but safer options include exercising outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, wearing a mask, keeping a safe distance from other people, and practicing good hand hygiene.
Michaels also told Fox Business that her home fitness business has grown since the pandemic began, in tandem with the increase in people working out away from the gym.
"You don't need these pieces of equipment to work out at home," she said. "You have your own body weight and can use it in a million different ways literally to get a superior workout."
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