How cities are becoming more fitness friendly
With their overarching tower structures and grey, concrete streets, cities aren’t necessarily a great advertisement for a healthy way of living. And with a lot of different sports requiring open space and often green space, it can feel like a difficult task trying to stay active in the city. However, despite how it seems, there are a lot more options than you might think.
Want to work on staying active in the city? Here are some things to consider as cities continue to become more fitness friendly.
Cycling
As climate change becomes a growing issue that is impossible to ignore; city councils and governments worldwide are increasingly providing available bike facilities to urban residents, making it easier for them to swap out their car emissions for an option that’s healthier – both for the resident and the environment itself.
For the urbanite that is looking to become more active in the city, cycling has a number of different benefits. Not only does it remove the need to find a parking space and pay to maintain your car (which can even involve paying an emissions fee in some cities), but it will also get you exercising in the process, killing two birds with one stone.
Gym Availability
With cities attracting a large population of students and young professionals that want to stay active in between pursuing their careers and studies, its actually very easy to find a place to work out that’s usually around the corner, and gyms are popping up more and more.
In addition to general gym availability in cities, with the increase of luxury student and residential apartments in cities across the UK, for example, it is also not uncommon for gym facilities and fixtures to be in-built and readily available whenever required. RWinvest, a property investment company with properties in popular areas such as Liverpool and Manchester – a spot often referred to as the UK’s ‘second capital’ – offer these sorts of things in their developments.
Other ways to use the city to your health’s advantage
Still stuck for ideas? Here are some other ways that you can remain active in the city:
Walking your commute – One of the best things about living and working in a city is that your commute time is often shaved right down, saving you both time spent commuting every morning, and money on travel fare – which can add up to be quite expensive. If you live within a suitable walking distance of your workplace and can feasibly get there on time each morning without setting off at a stupid time, it’s a no brainer.
Alternatively, if you work in the city but live too far away to walk/cycle in or simply don’t have the time, try getting out and stretching your legs at some point in the day during your breaks. This is particularly important for those who work in office jobs and spend most of the day sat down.
Finding social clubs – Cities feature a concentrated population, and there are a ton of often like-minded people surrounding you, and so why not use this to your advantage. Living in the city can often feel daunting at the best of times, and some studies have shown that people actually feel more alone living in the city despite living among and being exposed to more people than they ever have before. Try to shake this trend and join in social/active clubs and classes as much as you can, as it will benefit your mental wellbeing as well as your physical health.
Using the local park to your advantage – While you are typically hard pressed to find a nice green area to talk a walk or run in on a regular basis, most cities do have at least one major park, and so make sure that you use these to your advantage where possible. Linking in with the above point about finding like-minded people to share your experience with and exercise together, there are also typically a bunch of clubs and classes that take place in parks, and so find out if there is anything that you would be interested in joining.