Turn your park into a fitness center - Gaston Gazette

Prime outside exercise time is almost here. If the heat’s been a little too much for you lately, get ready, because fall can be the ideal time to take your workout back out into the elements. With a little thought and creativity, the average park can become an outdoor gym with endless possibilities.

“Whatever’s at their local park, they can turn it into an exercise. Your body and a park bench are usually all you need,” said Jennifer Armstrong, founder of About Face Bootcamp. “There are so many things you can do.”

Some fitness centers even offer classes outside. About Face Bootcamp goes outdoors for the majority of its workout, including boot camp, mud run training, basic training and group runs. Armstrong said classes are held at Stowe Park, Goat Island, Lineberger Park, Rankin Lake Park and more.

“It’s literally an open playground for anybody that wants to come. You get fresh air, and you do get a good workout. Plus, you’re doing it for free,” she said.

Armstrong said going to a gym can be intimidating for some people, especially when they don’t know how to use the equipment or the people there are already very fit. Whether a person chooses to workout alone or with a group, the outside world can offer a more comfortable environment. And exercisers get fresh air and vitamin D in the process, Armstrong said.

“It’s like an out-of-gym experience,” she said. “Being outside is really good for you. You’re outside in the elements. It’s really refreshing to get outside.”

Armstrong suggested these outdoor exercises:

• Sprint hills


• Do pull-ups on monkey bars


• Place feet on swings for elevated push-ups


• Hop or jump parking lot lines


• Incline/decline on park objects


• Do burpees, also known as squat thrusts, in the grass


• Step up and down on park benches


• Weave in and out of pylons or jump them


• Do toe taps on sidewalks

“We’re looking for that extra push. It makes you feel like a warrior when you work out outside,” she said. “It never gets boring. It gets you out of that rut and that routine of the machines and running on the treadmill.”

Armstrong said that exercisers should be aware of a few things when they’re outside. They should know their environment and location, check their surroundings, survey hills before running them, look over equipment before using it, wear gloves and proper running shoes and be careful in extreme heat.