Bringing Fitness to Your Community

Do you love fitness?  Do you wish there were more opportunities for fitness in your community?  Take action to help make your community more fit and fitness-friendly.

1.  Start a running/walking/biking club.

• Decide on dues and other business.

• Post announcements on Facebook, Twitter, and community bulletin boards (both online and locally).

• Start a fitness group on Meetups.com.

• Ask neighbors, work associates, friends, and family if they are interested in joining up, and if they know anyone else who would be interested in your club.

• Plan routes and schedule club outing dates.

• Plan road trips and other special activities such as club picnics and charity events.

2.  Hold a workshop on fitness.

• If you are a fitness expert, try your hand at developing a workshop on fitness, including an overview, benefits, types, safety, clothing, equipment, and so on, to educate the public.
• Scout around for possible event locations, such as a community college, recreation center, or church hall.

3.  Write a fitness column.

• Do you have a flair for writing?  Show your talent and spread the word about the wonders of fitness at the same time.  Contact the editors of your local newspapers (both daily and weekly) to see if you could write a fitness column for their publications.  It could include fun fitness facts, favorite hiking or biking trails, state and local park information, and accounts of personal experience that are informative and entertaining.

4.  Encourage local businesses to sponsor fitness events.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Marathons
• 5Ks
• Golf tournaments
• Century bicycle rides
• Ironman competitions

5.  Encourage local officials to back projects that promote fitness.

• Bike/walking paths
• Recreation areas
• Recreation centers
• Ball fields
• Skateboard parks
• Adapted sports facilities and programs

Do you have any other ideas for how to bring fitness to your community?  Please share your thoughts.  Either email me or post in the comment section below.  I'd love to hear from you!