January is often a month where we find ourselves with a few extra kilograms and not much money remaining to pay for a gym subscription. But Joburg City Parks and Zoo provides a convenient and free solution to the dilemma.
There’s no need to dig deep into your pockets to spend hundreds of rands on a new gym contract when the parks in your area provide a healthy, free alternative.
With fresh air in your lungs and birds tweeting in the trees, you can make use of gym equipment offered at 27 parks across the City.
Strategically placed in parks, the outdoor gym equipment is designed to allow users to comfortably pace themselves while using their body weight, posing less of an injury risk.
The green outdoor gyms boast full body work-out pieces, with some including cycling and step machines and others including designated rubberised areas for aerobics and yoga.
The spokesperson for the City Parks and Zoo Noeleen Mattera said, “Shocking statistics of obesity in South Africa show a phenomenal and frightening increase, with almost 70 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men either overweight or obese. Four girls and one in five boys between the ages of two and 14 are overweight or obese.”
Bearing in mind these statistics and the life-threatening diseases that often arise from obesity, wouldn’t it be wise to consider making use of these exercise facilities?
Green spaces also reduce daily stresses where the presence of trees, water, birdlife and natural surroundings bring calmness to those who frequent them.
In the local Sandton community, the Mushroom Farm Park in Sandown offers a wonderful opportunity for city slickers to enjoy the exercise facilities and relaxation offered at the park.
At the Riverside Park, which is cared for by the Bryanston East Community Forum, scout John Tyson has built exercise equipment to help community members exercise their upper body muscles.
