It’s no secret that exercise improves the health of the individual, however, zones of outdoor fitness equipment found inside local parks provide a unique set of benefits in addition to the outdoor exercise equipment itself:
- Improved mental well-being, including decreases in tension, confusion, anger, and depression
- Disease prevention along with improved physiological health
- People who exercise outdoors are more likely to repeat the behavior, and often participate in the exercise activity for longer periods, thereby affecting positive health behavior change
- Increased energy
- Higher level of physical activity in seniors
To ensure that an Outdoor Fitness Park provides the opportunity for a well-balanced exercise routine, a variety of activity types must be present. We categorize these as Aerobic Fitness, Muscle Fitness, Core Fitness, as well as Balance and Flexibility.
Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio or endurance activity, is the cornerstone of most fitness training programs. Aerobic exercise includes any physical activity that uses large muscle groups and increases heart rate. Aerobic activity engages the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, improving efficiency of each.
Muscular fitness is another key component of a complete exercise program. Strength or resistance training helps increase bone strength and muscular fitness, as well as maintain muscle mass during a weight-loss program. Maintaining and building muscle is also good for your metabolism, makes you strong, prevents falling, prevents injury, and lifts your mood.
The muscles in your abdomen, lower back, and pelvis — known as your core muscles — help protect your back and connect upper and lower body movements. Core strength is another key element of a well-rounded fitness training program. Core exercises help train your muscles to brace the spine and enable you to use your upper and lower body muscles more effectively.
Balance and Flexibility
All people benefit from this training, but older adults in particular can benefit from balance and flexibility training to maintain or improve balance, and reduce risk of falls. By training to develop greater balance, people can realize improvements in coordination, athletic skill, and posture.
Flexibility is an important part of physical fitness. Stretching exercises are effective in increasing flexibility, and thereby can allow people to more easily do activities that require greater range of movement. Stretching also improves the motion of the joints and promotes better posture. Regular stretching can even help relieve stress. For this reason, stretching and flexibility activities are an appropriate part of a physical activity program.