LivLimitless Fitness

Another round. Thought I was going to throw up today. I was a sweat ball, but feeling stronger every day. Anthony is an awesome trainer!

Crumbles. I forgot to check in for the 9:00 AM class! Sorry! Great workout today!! 💪

Do you have yoga classes?

I signed up for 4 and I meant 5🤦🏼‍♀️ See some of y’all at 5, my apologies !

I won’t be at 5 today, does anyone need my spot? It looks pretty full so I thought I’d post on here.

You may have seen or heard of the potential for closing down gyms again in response to rising cases of Covid-19 from the Shelby County Health Department. Myself and several other gym owners have taken the initiative to reach out to members of the City Council and SCHD to engage in productive discussion on how we can continue to help improve the health and fitness of Shelby County citizens and reduce the spread of Covid-19. Below is the letter that we sent. We ask that you would share this post as well so that we can capture their attention and have an opportunity for discussion. Thank you for your continued support through all of this.
July 10, 2020
Shelby County Health Department
814 Jefferson Ave.
Memphis, TN 38105
Phone: 901-222-9000
Memphis City Council
125 North Main Street
Suite #514
Memphis, TN 38103
Shelby County Commission
160 N Main Street
Suite 600
Memphis, TN 38103
To the members of the Memphis City Council, the Shelby County Commission, and the Shelby County Health Department,
The burden of leadership during times of crisis is heavy and the position of making decisions is not an enviable one. As leaders in the health and fitness industry, we understand the difficulty in navigating through a health crisis. Many of us have been doing so for several decades. Though the burden may be heavy, both you and we have accepted it as part of our duty to those who have chosen us to lead; you having been voted into position by ballot and us having been chosen through the free market. Crisis demands action but more so it demands appropriate action proportional to the needs of the ones we serve.
On Monday, July 8th, 2020 a new health directive with regards to Covid-19 was put into place for the businesses of Shelby County and there was mention of new limitations or even closure of gym facilities. We believe that doing so would be a gross violation of the rights of the citizens and highly counterproductive to the goal of protecting their health. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” As such, the spectrum of human health would include, on one end, the presence of disease and infirmity and on the other end the resistance to disease and infirmity and the flourishing of the human condition physically, mentally, and socially.
Building resistance to disease and infirmity while improving the human condition is the purpose and pursuit of micro gyms just like ours and yet, we are in the crosshairs for government shutdown. The conditions that make someone at risk for severe Covid-19 illness—i.e., cardiovascular disease, obesity, and Type II diabetes, are conditions that we have been fighting for years in our battle for the health and fitness of the citizens of Shelby County. Every day we help our clients become more healthy, more fit, and more resilient against diseases of the body, mind, and soul. When we were forced to close in March and April, we saw many of our members physical and mental health slide backwards significantly. Many of them have yet to recover and, are unfortunately, still declining. On a personal note, we had two members who were both in their 80’s and came to the gym regularly to work with their trainers prior to the shutdown. They were healthy, functional, and in good spirits but as soon as the gyms were forced to close they were shut inside their residences. Their mental and physical states began to decline rapidly and they both passed away last month. Neither of them contracted Covid-19. Instead, they passed away from diseases that they were resisting through exercise and social interaction. As a staff, we cared about them both deeply and it was heartbreaking to lose them both in such a disconnected way.
Limitations or closures of gym facilities takes away people’s ability to improve their human condition, has massive negative impacts on their physical, mental, and social health, and makes them more susceptible to the negative effects of Covid-19, the very disease that we are trying to fight against. Our gyms have been following the guidelines and orders you have asked us to follow. We are wearing masks, we have posted signs, we are social distancing, we are limiting class sizes and facility usage, we are disinfecting equipment after use, we have hand sanitizer throughout the facility, we have cleaning companies coming in after hours to disinfect. As micro gyms, we have the ability to control the environment in our facilities quite well and, as such, while there may be cases rising throughout Shelby County, they are not within or as a result of our facilities. To close or limit our facilities while allowing the public to gather, en masse, in facilities and situations with far less environmental control and sanitation and calling it a matter of public health would be, at best, highly hypocritical.
As stated in the Declaration of Independence, the purpose of government is to secure the rights of the people and that the power of the government is derived from the consent of the governed. We understand that the current situation with regards to Covid-19 is unique. Nevertheless, we still exist within a representative government and, as such, it is the duty of you, our representatives, to listen to our voice. Discussion of forcing businesses to close and placing entrepreneurs in dire situations is not something that should be done lightly and it is shameful to learn that such discussions are occurring through the news, without any conversation between our representatives and those that they are are meant to represent. As such, we are initiating that conversation through this letter. We have all poured our time, energy, money, and lives into our businesses because we are passionate about what we do: improving the health and fitness of the citizens of Shelby County. Limiting or removing our ability to do so is not in the best interest of the citizens of this city and county. Doing so would be a direct violation of the mission and vision of the Shelby County Health Department: “To promote, protect and improve the health and environment of all Shelby County residents.” We trust that as representatives of the Shelby County residents, you will do what is right, place our best interests in your heart, and remove the discussion of gym closures. We look forward to engaging with you in discussion as to how we can all come together to fight for a healthier city.
Sincerely,
David Allen
NBS Fitness
[email protected]

Justin Emmons
LivLimitless Fitness
[email protected]

John Irvine
Iron Tribe
[email protected]

Matt Kelly
CrossFit Mechanix
[email protected]

Ahmed Alaina
CrossFit Silver Bull
[email protected]

Dave Solo
Battle Axe CrossFit
[email protected]

Memphis City Council
Shelby County Health Department
City of Memphis
Shelby County Board of Commissioners

If anybody sees a silver colored women’s Citizen watch around the gym, please let me know! I think I took it off to work out and may have dropped it or accidentally left it 🤪

Becky Rouse Larsen I did it without your hand holding and to 24inches! It was all your prime coaching and the fact that it was a foam box.

Am I missing something the website has not shown the workouts since the 24th. I don’t cherry pick I promise I just like to know what torture I am getting into and what length of pants I need to wear

I mean 🤷🏽‍♂️

Family vacation this weekend so missing today and tomorrow. But I'll be back next week!

There is nothing better than doing what you love with those you love! So proud of my girl Breanna Pollet. She rocked her first CrossFit class. I'm so glad she is going to join me and my amazing LivLimitless family!