Celebrity Health

The coronavirus has gyms shuttering all across the country -- but several trainers are pivoting to a Prohibition-style method of business ... which might be in everyone's best interest.

TMZ spoke to a handful of high-end personal trainers in and around the L.A. area -- and they all say they're going to keep working one way or another ... to keep themselves financially afloat, obviously, but mostly for the health and wellness of their clients who need it most.

Fact is ... while some people can afford to take the next few weeks off their gym game, we're told several others simply cannot -- for health-related reasons and otherwise. The trainers we spoke with say many of their clients MUST keep working out, and to meet the demand amid mass shutdowns throughout California, speakeasy gyms are becoming the go-to locale.

It's not as seedy or clandestine as it might sound. Basically, we're told a lot of these trainers -- who work with very affluent people, BTW -- have access to studio gyms ... which are way smaller than your run-of-the-mill LA Fitness joint. It's more intimate and personal, and can normally accommodate 4 to 5 people max at a time, trainers included.

Other trainers are making house calls, while some bigger names are actually making people come to them ... like celeb trainer Mike O'Hearn, who tells TMZ his own clientele is swinging by his pad for their regular 1-on-1 services. He says he's got a home gym, which is fully equipped and constantly being cleaned and sanitized to avoid any risks.

That said, Mike tells us he's encouraging people that are actually feeling ill to stay home. But, if not, he thinks exercise is a good way to keep the immune system strong in these contagious times.

When there's a will ... there's a way to break a sweat.

A man from Norway just won the massive Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska ... and was cheered by a roaring, freezing crowd that clearly doesn't give a crap about coronavirus.

Thomas Waerner -- along with his 10 incredible pooches -- crossed the finish line of the great Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race  Wednesday morning in Nome, Alaska after 9 days of hard sledding.

The Iditarod is a grueling competition -- where mushers must cross roughly 1,000 miles of frozen tundra with a team of 10 sled dogs. Crazy stuff.

When Waerner crossed the finished line, he immediately thanked his lead dogs -- K2 and Bark -- and gave his doggies a victory snack.

"This is awesome,'' Waerner said ... "This is something special.''

But, the icy event is now taking TONS of heat after fans refused to heed the coronavirus warnings. There was no social distancing, just partying.

In fact, people were packed together in bars and hotels and at the finish line -- exactly what health experts say we're NOT supposed to be doing right now.

The coronavirus has officially made its way into the NHL ... the Ottawa Senators say one of their players has tested positive for COVID-19 and is showing "mild symptoms."

The team is not naming the player yet ... but it's believed this is the first positive test in the hockey league.

"The Ottawa Senators are in the process of notifying anyone who has had known close contact with the athlete and are working with our team doctors and public health officials," the team said in a statement Tuesday night.

"As a result of this positive case, all members of the Ottawa Senators are requested to remain isolated, to monitor their health and seek advice from our team medical staff."

The Senators last played on March 11 at Staples Center in Los Angeles ... which was also the last place the Brooklyn Nets -- who had FOUR players just test positive -- played.

The Nets and Senators did NOT use the same locker room -- according to the L.A. Times' Arash Markazi -- but it's possible they used the same team bus during their time in L.A.

The Athletic reports several other Senator players are feeling ill and are awaiting COVID-19 test results as well.

Coronavirus isn't having nearly the same impact on our neighbors to the South -- namely, Mexico -- and as such, one company is cool with shipping college kids off for Spring Break.

A rep for STS Travel -- a touring company that sells vacation and party packages -- tells TMZ ... it does NOT have any plans to cancel scheduled trips for the time being. Instead, they're moving forward ... despite a majority of their customers pulling the plug themselves.

When we spoke to STS on Monday, they said about 1,500 students were already in places like Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and Nassau -- and just 10% of their clientele from that batch had canceled over coronavirus. Now, about a week later, and right before they ship out another group this weekend, they're telling us a vast majority of customers are calling to cancel their Spring Break packages. Makes sense ... lot's changed in the past few days.

In any case, whether they're canceling now or later ... STS says none of these young bucks are automatically entitled to cash refunds, at least not outright. They tell us they are trying to reschedule people for trips down the line, but it sounds like they're hesitant to give everyone's money back. STS is putting some of that burden on the hotels and airlines they partner with, telling us some of those companies are offering credit to the kids.

It's a weird situation for sure -- STS says it's already got a bunch of people down in these tropical destinations who are supposed to be flying back soon, so they're not gonna hold up those travel arrangements, or halt those already set to take place in the coming days.

Besides that, Mexico itself is one of the few countries that's caught flak of late for allegedly taking a somewhat lackadaisical approach to the coronavirus -- with the government there allowing certain public events to move forward and not implementing hard bans like here.

There aren't nearly as many confirmed cases in Mexico yet, so it seems Americans -- and this company who'll sponsor them -- are trying to get in their last licks while they still can. And, hey, flights are dirt cheap right now ... even if it doesn't look all that poppin' this year.

Here's Vanessa Hudgens telling the world how she really feels about the coronavirus pandemic and the quarantine -- feelings she probably should have kept inside her head.

Vanessa, apparently already bored in quarantine, decided to do a makeup tutorial Monday night, but swayed off topic when a viewer asked about the quarantine possibly lasting until July. The actress said that "sounds like a bunch of bulls**t" and then dug herself an ever-deeper hole.

She said, "Even if everybody gets it ... like, yeah ... people are gonna die, which is terrible, but like ... inevitable?" You do have to see how she said it because tone makes all the difference here, and this seems as close to tone deaf as you can get.

All the online backlash you'd expect has already begun. Even Vanessa seemed to catch herself, adding ... "Maybe I shouldn't be doing this right now." She took her own advice and continued applying makeup -- but too little, too late?

Like, yeah ... for sure.

Dr. Phil has 10 surefire ways to avoid the burning desire to wring your live-in partner's neck during coronavirus quarantine -- most of which require brutal honesty and creativity.

The good doctor dished out his suggestions Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and said it all starts with being straight-up with each other. Phil says ya just gotta acknowledge the reality ... you're gonna be cooped up together, and it's not gonna be all sunshine and flowers.

In fact, he takes it a step further -- telling us folks should make a list of things that annoy them, and yeah ... share it with the person who's annoying you.

For you '50 Shades' fans ... Phil also suggests you use a safe word. This one ain't for sex, though ... he's saying use one to defuse arguments.

He also says simple things like changing up your daily routine and actively trying NOT to be a slob can make a world of difference to your spouse, partner or roommate.

Perhaps most enlightening ... Phil, who's been married to Robin since 1976, says the first 4 minutes of each day are crucial. Watch his explanations -- it could change, or even save, your life over the next few months. And, stick around for his final tip ... it's the s**t!!!

Giada De Laurentiis is taking a page out of Tupac's book of lyrics -- saying while we're all under quarantine ... it's time to change the way we eat and change the way we live.

The celebrity chef joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and shared some food for thought, quite literally, about coronavirus isolation forcing us to simplify. With the run on grocery store supplies, Giada says we've gotta learn to make do with fewer options.

She says the future looks bright for canned goods and frozen foods, which will become more in vogue the longer quarantines last. Giada says gone are the days of whipping up 20-ingredient dishes. You might have the time, but good luck finding supplies.

We know what you're thinking, canned veggies taste like, well, canned ... but Giada's got tips to make 'em taste way better.

With toilet paper disappearing from stores amid the coronoavirus pandemic, folks are looking elsewhere in their quest to clean their bottoms ... bidets!!!

Bio Bidet, one of the top-rated bidet companies in the business, tells TMZ ... sales are skyrocketing as people struggle to find TP rolls or even a square to spare.

The bidet giant tells us ... Bio Bidet saw over $250,000 in sales in a 24-hour period after the outbreak, and those figures are just from transactions on Amazon alone.

TUSHY -- also a top company -- has seen sales soar to 10x their usual and over double what they were a year ago. Brondell, another manufacturer, has also seen sales spike to close to 10x.

People are also searching for and researching bidets in droves ... company honchos tell us searches for "bidet" on Amazon rose over a thousand ranks to become one of the Top 10 most-searched items on the online retailer.

One Bio Bidet product is already sold out ... the slimedge attachment, which retails for $59 and connects directly to your freshwater supply.

It's pretty saddening to see people fighting over toilet paper in brick-and-mortar stores ... but Bio Bidet says they're committed to providing quality hygiene products to as many homes as they can, despite the unfortunate TP circumstances.

Capitalism is the s***!!!

The coronavirus is severely screwing with another artist's schedule -- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is reeling from cancelled gigs ... and it's not even the first of the month yet!

Layzie Bone was at LAX Monday night when he told us they were in the middle of touring up until Friday. Now the cancellations are pouring in, and sounds like that's going to be their new normal ... like every other touring artist.

Not to worry though, LB says he'll be putting his quarantine time to good use for the fan base, saying he'll be in the studio cranking out whatever music he can during the pandemic. He might wanna get comfy in there -- based on projections from President Trump and the CDC.

As for fans in quarantine ... Layzie has some music recommendations to help get ya through.

Strange times, for sure ... but it's great to see BTNH being able to move on from another controversy that was dogging them just weeks ago. Of course, we're referring to the temporary name change Buffalo Wild Wings dropped on 'em.

The dearly departed hopefully won't hold a grudge over low funeral turnouts -- coronavirus is keeping loved ones at home.

TMZ spoke with several prominent funeral homes in major cities across the country -- and the overall message was this ... they're scaling back, and finding innovative ways to grieve those who've passed on during the global pandemic. Prepare for morbidity, folks.

For starters, several mortuaries -- including some in Chicago, San Fran, Fort Lauderdale, New York and Los Angeles -- tell us they're planning on limiting the number of guests allowed at any given burial service in the coming weeks ... hard as that may be.

With the CDC's newest guidelines of no more than 50 bodies in one place at one time ... it sounds like just about all the parlors will attempt to honor that. The question of how is interesting though ... each spot does it differently, some with more ingenuity than others.

Chicago's Leak & Sons Funeral Home says it's considering implementing a "family only" rule for now, in hopes of keeping things compact. James C. Boyd Funeral Home in FL says it's putting a hard cap of 50 people per service ... and a morgue in NYC says they're drawing the line at just 25 at a time. A funeral joint in SF tells us they've seen customers push out funeral dates entirely, solving the problem of crowd control for them.

Now, the more innovative route is being embraced fully by a cemetery in L.A. called Hillside Memorial, where tons of celebs are buried. They say they're offering live streams as an alternative, so anyone who wants in on the service can watch from home.

Some of these other places have streaming options too, but none quite as robust as Memorial's -- which normally costs $235 a pop. Not these days though ... we're told they're waiving it in light of the new safety measures brought on by the outbreak.

So, no worries, your funeral can still get max views. 💀

Mint juleps in September, anyone!?

Churchill Downs has announced the most famous horse racing event in the world -- The Kentucky Derby -- will be postponed from May to Sept. over the coronavirus scare.

It's the first time the race won't be run in May since 1945 ... when officials called off the event due to WWII.

“Throughout the rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic, our first priority has been how to best protect the safety and health of our guests, team members and community," Churchill Downs honcho Bill Carstanjen said,

"As the situation evolved, we reached the difficult conclusion that we needed to reschedule. At no point did we ever consider canceling the Kentucky Derby.

The plan is to reschedule the race from May 2nd to Sept. 5 -- which just needs final approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The KHRC is expected to give the thumbs up on Thursday.

Dr. Oz knows folks forced to stay home over the next few weeks might go a little stir-crazy, especially couples, but he's got a simple calming solution -- as they say ... just do it!!!

We spotted Oz Monday on the empty streets of NYC, where he told us what people under quarantine should do to pass the time and avoid depression -- a legitimate concern in the current global climate.

The good doc says there's only so much TV binge-watching you should do -- he suggests doing something productive instead, like reading or picking up a new language. However, in two-person households -- he says nothing cuts the tension like a little sexual healing.

Even better, medically speaking ... Oz says bang it out early and often to keep things civil.

Machine Gun Kelly was on that same tip this weekend when he talked to us about a coronavirus baby boom.

Sen. Marco Rubio says there's no way the government is gonna implement martial law to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, and rumors to the contrary are extremely dangerous!!!

We got the Florida Senator Monday at Reagan National Airport, and he called misinformation about soldier deployment an absolute hoax ... most likely the work of Internet trolls.

As you know ... places like San Francisco are putting residents on round-the-clock curfew for the next 3 weeks to stem the virus' spread. While police can arrest people violating curfew, Rubio says that's way different from martial law.

Marco says martial law -- where government control is handed over to army -- just doesn't exist anymore in our country. He says that's not about to change, either.

Sounds like the Senator's had it up to here with "crazy people" on the Internet, and adds even "smart people" have been hitting him up all day worried about martial law.

Bottom line -- Rubio's saying don't believe the hype, in this case. Or the hoax.

BTW, the Senator was much less smooth about this topic on social. Based on the typos, we'd say he's taking Twitter tips from President Trump.

WrestleMania 36 has NOT been canceled -- at least not yet -- this according to our WWE sources.

There has been a ton of pressure on WWE to call off the April 5 event at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida due to the coronavirus pandemic ... since it's expected to attract more than 70,000 people!

Despite calls to postpone from local officials, WWE has not pulled the plug -- and fans around the world are wondering what Vince McMahon will do.

But, one high placed WWE source tells us there's still a chance Mania will happen in some capacity. We're told the situation is fluid. Nothing is set in stone just yet. However, one of the options on the table is a no-fan event (like UFC) but WWE will still broadcast the event live.

Of course, Mania is the biggest and most important event in pro wrestling -- the WWE calls it their Super Bowl.

But, with so many sports and entertainment companies shutting down as part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, all eyes are on WrestleMania ... which is now less than 3 weeks away.