A public health priority

We promote regular physical activity for everyone.

With the steady and dramatic rise in adult obesity, promoting regular physical activity is a public health priority. It's time to think of new ways to make physical activity and exercise more available, more accessible, more affordable, more enjoyable, and ultimately more beneficial to society. Research is showing that Outdoor Adult Fitness Parks offer a variety of meaningful outcomes to communities, including participation of participants in high to moderate or vigorous physical activities. Together we can effectively promote the benefits of parks and outdoor exercise spaces as critical health solutions by reducing sedentary-related illnesses and removing barriers to healthy living.

Needs and implications of physical activity

Con la epidemia de obesidad adulta en curso, una clara prioridad de salud, sabíamos que un importante foco de investigación tenía que estar en el diseño de espacios que pusieran a los adultos fuera y activos. A pesar de los beneficios comprobados de la actividad física, solo alrededor del 30% de los adultos informan que realizan actividad física regularmente durante su tiempo libre. El 56.2% de los mexicanos mayores de 18 años no hace ninguna actividad física, 18% nunca ha practicado una actividad física en su tiempo libre, según un estudio realizado por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía INEGI en conjunto con la Comisión Nacional del Deporte (Conade) en noviembre de 2013.

According to the report, published the last week of January, there are different culprits for the lack of activity: time (57.9%), fatigue after working hours (16%) or health problems (13%). For 3% of those consulted, lack of money (3%) and laziness (2.9%) are also reasons for not exercising.

In addition to the health implications, sedentary behavior contributes to complications and limitations in performing daily tasks. Exercising and exercising on a regular basis make our daily activities easier and more enjoyable. To achieve this, the different components of fitness must be addressed in a comprehensive exercise plan.

We hired a network of academics across disciplines to ensure that our approach to outdoor fitness was comprehensive. Together with a respected team, HM Outdoor Gym was able to identify the elements necessary to ensure that an outdoor exercise park that offers a complete workout for all levels and abilities.

The Health Benefits of Exercise Outdoors

It is widely accepted that being outdoors is often good for people. Several studies have shown additional benefits for outdoor versus indoor exercise, including improved mental well-being and physiological health, along with emerging evidence of benefits on a physiological, psychological and social level, suggesting that exercise outside is important for disease prevention. Additionally, evidence shows that people who engage in outdoor exercise can improve adherence rates to regular exercise, driving positive change in health behavior.

Compared to exercising indoors, exercising in natural settings has been associated with a greater sense of revitalization and positive engagement, decreased tension, confusion, anger, depression, and increased energy. Studies indicate that people who exercise outdoors enjoy their activity more and obtain a higher level of satisfaction; this is important since activity levels are so strongly influenced by levels of enjoyment. Athletes who exercise outdoors generally report greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and a greater intention to repeat the activity at a later date.

Align equipment and exercises with health benefits and total body fitness.

Although the components of fitness are grouped together as either health related or skill related, there is considerable crossover in both training and application. Aerobic exercise helps build cardiorespiratory endurance, which not only makes everyday tasks like shopping easier, but also helps improve speed and power. Improving body composition can also improve agility, balance, and overall athletic performance. Increases in agility, coordination, balance and power help athletes perform at their best, and older people avoid falls. Enhanced flexibility has similar dual benefits in making getting down to pick up a dropped item easier, but it can also reduce sports injuries.

While an indoor gym offers a myriad of options to promote physical fitness, an outdoor space typically has between 6 and 20 pieces of equipment, so ensuring that those pieces offer a complete workout is critical to keeping the space relevant and a valid fitness solution. To obtain maximum health benefits, an exercise routine should contain a variety of elements, each offering specific results for overall health. While gyms offer dozens of equipment options, an outdoor exercise park contains, on average, 8-15 pieces of equipment, so making the right decisions is critical to providing a meaningful total body workout. By including equipment that offers a variety of aerobic, muscle / strength, core, and balance elements, an outdoor adult fitness park can provide a well-balanced exercise routine that promotes improved health and well-being. The research also identified other important aspects to promote use and adherence.

The guide that came out of our research partnership provides an overview of some of the many evidence-based benefits of outdoor exercise. This includes improved psychological and physiological health, disease prevention, better adherence to regular exercise, decreased stress and depression, increased energy, higher levels of satisfaction, and access to green environments. Provides design considerations, ideas for implementation and sustainability, scheduling tops, and ideas for monitoring and reporting results.