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Page 20 — Property Management Quarterly — October 2017
Vendor Trends
D uring the summer months,
outside becomes an ideal
place to continue a fit-
ness routine while taking
in the Colorado blue skies,
fresh air and sunshine. Baseball
diamonds fill up, soccer fields over-
flow, and trails become crowded
with runners and bikers. If those
aren’t quite your “thing,” take heart,
as there are other ways to enjoy
outdoor fitness, even if you want a
similar structure to the one you’re
used to year-round. Functional fit-
ness training and strength training
alike use equipment to guide body
movements and help support per-
formance, and some of those equip-
ment pieces are finding their way
outside.
At first glance, you might think
back to your childhood playground,
but today’s outdoor fitness areas
aren’t just for the young. More and
more, fitness equipment is being
integrated into landscape plans as
outdoor exercise equipment options
are becoming more common and
available in communities where
outdoor lifestyles are prevalent.
At the Village at Belmar, a newly
opened senior living community in
Lakewood, the presence of outdoor
fitness equipment encourages more
physical activity among residents
who routinely are found walking
the grounds on the ¼-mile walking
path and stepping up on one of sev-
eral outdoor fitness stations.
“Working out outside breaks up
the routine and energizes you in
different ways, so it’s a great option
for those who enjoy that, especially
in Colorado,” said Bonnie Bachman,
executive director
at the Village at
Belmar. “Our com-
munity members
are lovers of the
outdoors, and it’s
great to be able to
work out under a roofless blue sky
with the birds as onlookers and the
mountains in view.”
Since Colorado routinely gets 300
sunny days each year, this equip-
ment will see plenty of use year-
round. It’s accessible even to seniors
who don’t have as much kick in
their steps as they once did, and it’s
easy to use.
Many facilities like the Village
at Belmar pair an outdoor fitness
setup with an accompanying indoor
facility, which can then combine
more technologically interconnect-
ed cardio equipment with the sim-
pler functional movement pieces
outdoors, so that users get the best
of both worlds.
Outdoor fitness continues to rank
among the top 20 trends in fitness,
according to the American Col-
lege of Sports Medicine’s annual
Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends.
Outdoor options can help address
the rising childhood obesity crisis
alongside meeting the needs for
other age groups, interests and ath-
letic abilities.
Capitalizing on a number of these
trends, companies that are creat-
ing outdoor fitness equipment are
combining scalable body weight
training stations with extremely
durable construction and galva-
nized, weatherproof materials so
that equipment can stand up to
all of the elements. Surprisingly
customizable, outdoor fitness sta-
tions can be reconfigured to change
height choices for steps and jumps,
adjustable hand positions for upper-
body rowing and pulling exercises,
moved to different press positions
and the resistance levels can be
altered. By offering everything from
basic balance and cardio exercises
to resistance training and high-
intensity interval training, simple
equipment installations like a dip
or press station, boxes for stepping
or jumping, pull-down machines
and ski/slide/glide options can
deliver a full-body workout, all chal-
lenging whatever the individual’s
personal fitness level may be.
Differences in terrain can work
different muscle groups and
improve balance and coordination
when compared to more controlled
indoor environments. Wind and
temperature fluctuations have dif-
ferent impacts on cardiovascular
endurance and stamina. Physi-
ologically, exercising outside just
seems to boost the overall effect.
Though studies have small con-
trol groups and sometimes blurry
scientific parameters, one result
LaRae Marsik
Marketing
consultant,
Advanced Exercise,
Littleton
Advanced Exercise
Lakewood’s senior living community, the Village at Belmar, complements its walking
path with outdoor fitness stations, like this one to strengthen balance and stability.