Gym Africa – The benefits of outdoor gyms

Back in the day the easiest solution to the stress of office politics, work deadlines and related issues was to pop into your GP’s surgery and get a script for ‘a little something to get you through the day’. Thankfully we now have a more holistic approach to dealing with health issues – diet and exercise.

Diet options range from the extreme Banting route to the more tried-and-tested, eat-less ‘balanced diet’. Exercise used to rely on our pounding the streets in our running shoes or slogging it out at the nearest gym. But things have changed, and thanks to companies like Gym Africa, outdoor gyms are now the rage, and exercising in the fresh air has become the activity of choice. And where better to have access to an outdoor gym than at your own residential estate!

Benefits of outdoor gyms

Estates generally have outdoor space allocated to recreation and fitness, ranging from playgrounds and tennis courts to paved pathways or trails for walking and running. Residents often vary in age and fitness requirements, so it’s not a case of ‘one size fits all’ when satisfying exercise and fitness needs.

To help meet these varied requirements, the team at Gym Africa supplies a range of quality outdoor gym, fitness and recreational equipment suitable and effective for general mobility and fitness for all ages, including children. Besides the obvious benefit of increased fitness, exercising outdoors has been shown to reduce anger and depression and improve your mood – the fresh air and increased oxygen consumption cause the body to produce more serotonin, the ‘feel-good’ chemical, meaning stress levels come down and happiness goes up. In addition to this, sunshine is the primary source of vitamin D. When our skin is exposed to sunlight we produce vitamin D3, which increases endorphin production, improves our immune system and helps us to sleep better.

One of the greatest benefits, however, is the opportunity to connect with nature. Exercising outdoors helps us to connect with our environment, to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings, to ‘stop and smell the roses’ as it were. This connection with nature can in fact be beneficial in healing a number of maladies. The concept of natura medica, which means ‘the healing power of nature’ and ‘nature is the physician of disease’, dates back to Hippocrates – although he originally said it in the much-more-difficult-to-write Ancient Greek.

More recently – about a century ago – famed biologist Sir John Arthur Thomson said: What then do I mean tonight by the healing power of nature? I mean to refer to the way in which Nature ministers to our minds, all more or less diseased by the rush and racket of civilisation, and helps to steady and enrich our lives. My first point is that there are deeply rooted, old, established, far-reaching relations between Man [sic] and Nature which we cannot ignore without loss … there would be less ‘psychopathology of everyday life’ if we kept up our acquaintance … we have put ourselves beyond a very potent vis medicatrix if we cease to be able to wonder at the grandeur of the star-strewn sky, the mystery of the mountains, the sea eternally new, the way of the eagle in the air, the meanest flower that blooms, the look in a dog’s eye.

Surely we need no better reason than this to choose the outdoors as our gym of choice? And who better to install one than Gym Africa, who have been supplying gym equipment to the fitness and hospitality industry for years, and base their business on the key principles of quality products and quality people.

What are the options?

Gym Africa offers a range of outdoor gym equipment – including balance beams, air walkers, pull-up bars, climbing bars, upright cycle and chest press, and a whole lot more. Some of Gym Africa’s clients like all the equipment in one concentrated space, while others like it spread out over a huge area to ‘encourage’ people to get some cardio in between the resistance training.

The bottom line, really, is that they can design and build almost anything you want. And they also do indoor gyms, but these are not nearly as much fun.

Make it happen

When Gym Africa supplies and installs a gym, it’s a detailed process that starts with the initial consultation.

They’ll walk around the estate with you to inspect the location you have chosen, or to help you choose one, taking into consideration any safety and environmental issues and – critically – the surface condition of the chosen site, because the equipment must be securely and safely fitted. ‘We install most of the equipment on a concrete base – either an existing one or one we build especially – and then you can let grass grow over it, or we can lay artificial turf,’ explains Hanson.

And you don’t have to wait for ages – lead time is between eight and 10 weeks, which includes manufacturing, preparing the site and installing the equipment. Payment terms are generally 70% to secure an order, with the balance on completion, but – depending on the client’s financial viability – they can structure a number of different payment options, including paying it off over 60 months. And, of course, ongoing maintenance is an important part of the deal, so your gym equipment should remain in as good shape as all the residents who use it.