THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health and fitness are considered two sides of the same coin. But balancing fitness amidst busy schedules can be a challenge. To address this, the Corporation is planning to implement open gyms at parks in the city. The open gym initiative comes under the Low Hanging Fruits Project under the Smart City Mission Project. “Anyone can make use of the open gym. It’s completely free of cost. Open gyms could resolve your fitness concerns,” said V K Prasanth, mayor, Corporation.
The corporation-built open gyms is all set to be an alternative to commercial gyms where people spend an average of Rs 3000 to 5000 a month. According to the Corporation officials, when it comes to fitness, people don’t know how much to spend which leads to overspending on fitness, for membership and special packages. Air-conditioning also makes gyms expensive.
The open gym project has been envisaged at a budget of Rs 40 lakh. The plots for the gym have been finalised. In the initial phase, three major parks in the city, Sree Chithra Thirunal park at Pazhavangadi, East Fort, Sreekanteswaram park at Kaithamukku and Ponnara Sreedhar park at Thampanoor have been included. The fitness equipment will be made using steel and fibre which will be rustproof. “No electric pieces of equipment are provided. Once implemented a walk-through of the facility to identify worn or broken equipment will be done regularly,” said Rakhi Ravikumar, deputy mayor, Corporation.
The fitness equipments include sit-up benches, bench press, battle ropes, abdomen boards, climbers, dumbbells, squat racks, cycle and pull-up bars. “As part of the open gym implementation, better lighting will also be provided in the parks so that people can come at night and workout,” said Sanoop Gopikrishna, general manager, Smart City Project.
According to the Corporation’s health department officials, an awareness session regarding food routine will also be provided. “Fast-food culture is on the rise. If you eat all the junk and still continue to work out, it is not healthy. You should have a balanced body weight in proportion to your age,” said Alexander T, health supervisor, Corporation. He also added that drinking water facilities should be provided at the open gyms to avoid dehydration post-workout.
The Corporation is planning to expand open gyms in the long run by implementing gyms at public places. “A request has been sent to the museum director for their approval in the implementation of open gyms in the museum premises. Once the tender works are completed, open gyms will become a reality soon,” added VK Prasanth, mayor, Corporation.