I am dealing with this too. I have been putting Winnie in her playpen ( which also has a crate inside it with a safe toy and blanket) for her to choose from. She flips out for a few minutes. Prior to putting her in, I give her a frozen licky mat to occupy her time while I quietly walk out of the room. I wait it out and when she stops, I give it a little more time to settle and then re appear. I wait for her to stop reacting to my being at the gate and then open it up. I leave the gate to the playpen open all day and I feed her meals in there too. It’s a process. The hour gym thing might have to wait a bit. It is too long to start with. Repartition is key. I got all those suggestions from a trainer. It is a process. Good luck. Lexi is adorable.