Playground Guide - 2017 - 4

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

At Last, the Perfect Gym for Parents

or today's timestrapped moms
and dads who
constantly juggle parenting
with
career
stresses, finding time
for fitness can be nearly
impossible. The ever-increasing demands of
shuttling kids to activities, keeping up with
emails 24/7 and managing family social commitments leaves
little time for exercise.
But, parks can help ease the pressure-cooker lifestyle by
providing amenities that enable parents to multitask - in
the best sense of the word. New safety features on outdoor
fitness equipment are making it possible for parks to feature
gym equipment right next to playgrounds so that parents
can both provide physical activity for their children and enjoy the same themselves.
Lemon Park, located in fast-paced Orange County, California, already boasted a playground, spray pool, basketball court
and more; it now has a slick new outdoor gym with 12 exercise
units featuring adjustable resistance.
Previously, planners hesitated to locate these gyms near2

Parks & Recreation

by playgrounds because of safety concerns. But thanks to
an innovative design by Greenfields Outdoor Fitness, many
of the hazards previously associated with outdoor fitness
equipment have been virtually eliminated. The result is a
gym that lets parents work out just steps away from where
their kids play.
A distinctive feature of the Lemon Park gym equipment is
the bidirectional piston used to provide resistance. Even on
its easiest setting, the piston involves no recoil hazard, but
instead returns to its resting position in a slow, controlled
manner. Beyond merely adding a layer of safety to the units,
the adjustable piston also constitutes a deterrent with respect to young children: Upon attempting to use a unit with
the resistance set too high for them to operate, they quickly lose interest and return to the playground. The mature,
dark-green-and-black color scheme is also intentional - it's
designed to appeal less to kids than the bright hues of the
adjacent play structure.
Park project specialist Doug Pickard helped plan the Lemon Park gym, the third installed so far in the city of Fullerton.
Others are located further from kids' play areas, but, so far,
Pickard says that the approach at Lemon Park has proven
successful. He's observed that parents, exercising as they supervise their children, " have created a great synergy between
the two areas and brought more families to the park. "
Eleven of the 12 Greenfields units incorporate the specialized piston; the remaining unit, a sit-up bench, has no moving
components. Together, they provide a wide variety of strengthening exercises for upper body, lower body and core muscles; a
stepper brings in a cardio element.
" The community loves the outdoor gyms! " Pickard says.
" They are in constant use from early morning until after dark,
and we see a broad spectrum of users from the community
using the equipment. As we continue to refurbish and upgrade our existing parks, one of the first improvements now
requested by the community is the addition of outdoor exercise equipment! "

www.greenfieldsfitness.com
info@greenfieldsfitness.com
888.315.9037

| 2 0 1 7 P L AYG R O U N D G U I D E | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

http://www.greenfieldsfitness.com

Playground Guide - 2017

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