By Pyc Fitness
©2004-2008
KENTVILLE, N.S. -- They look a bit like beefed-up playground toys, but it's serious workout gear tough enough to be left outside all year round. And by spring, at least five machines should be in place at several spots in this Annapolis Valley town - free gym equipment for the use of anyone who wanders by.
The machines - including exercise bikes, elliptical trainers and rowing machines - are extremely rugged versions of what you'd find at an indoor gym. They're built of heavy-duty galvanized steel, have few moving parts that could seize up in wet conditions and are coated with a thick layer of protective paint.
"There's a very good chance that you'll be able to use them, certainly, from April on to October," said Kentville Mayor David Corkum, 54. "If you're dressed for it, you could use [them] 12 months of the year."
A community of 5,800 people, Kentville was dubbed the "devil's half-acre" in the 19th century for its rowdy bars and horse races. It has mellowed over the decades and the area is now better known for its healthy approach to life.
Print Edition - Section Front
The Globe and Mail
This extends beyond outdoor gyms. The Annapolis Valley school district's cafeterias don't sell junk food; its gyms remain open after school hours, and many classes incorporate a health and nutrition component.
A 2005 study found that children there are 59 per cent less likely to be overweight than students at other elementary schools in the province. Kentville also has excellent facilities for team sports, and residents speak with pride about local walking trails.
Mr. Corkum, who has started taking fitness more seriously since suffering a series of strokes, said that the outdoor gyms will augment these other fitness opportunities.
The town has pledged to buy at least five GreenGym products from a distributor in Dartmouth, N.S. Because many of the machines allow multiple participants, more than a dozen people could work out simultaneously on the machines.
Mr. Corkum said the town is working on a deal with the distributor for five initial units.
Those units would normally cost a total of $9,500. The town would ultimately like to have 10 or 15 machines.
Several of these would go to Memorial Park, which already has facilities for baseball, basketball, tennis and swimming. Other machines are expected to go downtown, near an artificial lake being created behind the county's municipal building. A subdivision could get a few, and a seniors' complex is another possibility.
"Adults could get on this while their children are playing ... there'll be a little for everyone, whether you're seven years old or 95," Mr. Corkum said.
"It's very important as we get older to keep mobile ... it's a heck of a lot harder to reverse these things than to keep it up."
Town residents were generally receptive to the idea when questioned on the main street this week.
"I think it's great, anything to promote physical fitness is great," said Theresa Burton, who described the town as a fitness-oriented community.
Most echoed her opinion, but one older woman who did not give her name said that people should find enough in their daily lives to remain fit.
"They should make themselves useful," she said before striding away. She returned a moment later to add: "Do housework, vacuum floors, wash windows."
The machines will be imported from China, where outdoor gym equipment has become a common sight in the front courtyards of apartment buildings and in small parks and other public places. There is also a growing number in the United States, and an outdoor gym was opened last month in Ireland's County Meath, following a visit to China by Irish President Mary McAleese.
Guy Chaham, the Nova Scotia-based Canadian distributor for these products, said the idea is succeeding because many people cannot afford a traditional gym or are "intimidated by the giant place and the muscle-y people. ...
"This is really different than a closed environment full of sweaty people," he said. "You can go there [wearing] your jeans on lunch hour or after work."
Crazy Fit Massage , Ab Rocket , Leg Magic , AB Lounge XL , trampoline , perfect pushup , exercise bike , Air climber , the bean exerciser , Bowflex , Treadmill , Pilates Equipment , Ladders , sitemap , More Products...