Now that the spring is here and summer fast approaching, Mayor Bloomberg wants you to get out and make NYC your own personal gym. The week-long “Make NYC Your Gym” campaign kicked off Sunday, June 5 in an effort to encourage New Yorkers to exercise more using NYC’s diverse outdoors. That’s about as green a gym as you can get!
“New York City is a great place to get healthy and keep fit – anyone can make the parks, streets and sidewalks into their own personal gym,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
The campaign launched its own website and Facebook page detailing events and other fun activities such as a fitness challenge in West Harlem and a fitness festival in Washington Square Park. The campaign also encourages New Yorkers to form groups so people can get a chance to work out together. City officials suggest using public athletic facilities, the parks, and walking long distances as great exercise options.
In a city where many are marred with health problems, “nearly 30 percent of residents don’t engage in physical activity which contributes to heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes,” reported DNAinfo. Although awareness campaigns have been made by the city to eliminate bad personal habits and promote healthy eating, regular exercise is still needed in order to prevent disease, lose stress, and maintain physically fit.
In a city with runners and bike lanes all over, the “Make NYC Your Gym” campaign is a great way to encourage others to take up similar activities. What better way to have a green gym than to use the parks and streets of the concrete jungle?
Via DNAinfo
