A company in the United Kingdom has designed a new type of gym—one that is outdoors, free to use, and generates its own electricity.
Called TGO Green Heart, these outdoor gyms are popping up all over England. There are over 250 of them in fact. And the company has made a commitment with the UK Department of Health to install 100 more gyms each year to try and improve the health of all British citizens.
It makes sense, really, since fitness experts are always telling us to (a) get more exercise and (b) enjoy the great outdoors. Combining both into one? Great idea.
These gyms include some pretty swanky equipment like bikes, climbing walls, and dance spaces, but what makes this initiative even more cool is that these Green Heart gyms have the ability to turn people power into electricity. So, Angela Smith decides to visit a Green Heart gym on her lunch break and she burns a whole bunch of calories because she had a stressful meeting and kind of took it out on the poor, unsuspecting bike. These burned calories get stored and converted into electricity. Angela now feels like she made a positive affect on her community and she feels better because she got some exercise and enjoyed some fresh air. Win-win!
Right now, most of this converted sweat power gets used to light the gyms at night, but there is the potential for nearby buildings to use this electricity or have it fed into the National Grid. Brings new meaning to the phrase “use your power” huh?
The machines not only tell users the standard number of calories burned, but they reinforce the green energy element by stating how many Watts of energy is being converted. A friendly message that says “you are charging the lights” totally inspires someone using the machine to keep going.
Often, these gyms are located in a central area of the community, next to a playground. So, while the kiddos play, mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa can enjoy some exercise, rather than sitting on a bench and watching. Children over a certain age are also able to try out the easy-to-use gym equipment.
Britain, we salute you. What an inspiring commitment to your people’s health you are making! We think an outdoor gym that is accessible to anyone who wishes to use it (let’s hear it for no gym fees!) and that uses reusable energy is a fabulous idea. Sure, you may not want to work out in -20 degree weather, but it’s not like it’s all sunshine and rainbows in the good ol’ U of K every day either. We say if the Brits can do it, so can we.
Click here to read more about these super energy efficient gyms.
Would you use an outdoor gym? Would you be more likely to use it knowing that doing so generates electricity?
Photo Credit: TGOGC
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