Mount Vernon offering free fitness facility at Hartley Park
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. -- Come New Year's, many of us will resolve to boost our fitness and improve our health.
One community is getting a head start with a free fitness facility that makes it easy to start a workout routine.
From working your core to building upper body strength, the new fitness court at Hartley Park in Mount Vernon is designed to give people a jump towards a healthier lifestyle.
"Health and wellness concerns in the community always are obesity, which also begins to drive high blood pressure, diabetes," Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said.
"As fit as you can be to live longer, that's what this is all about. It's a challenge!" said Kathleen Walker-Pinckney, Mount Vernon's recreation commissioner.
The concept is you don't need heavy weights and fancy gym equipment to boost your fitness. Body weight alone can do the trick.
"Squats, planks, wall sits, dips, muscle-ups ... You name it, you can get it done here," said Vincent Giacoi of the Mount Vernon Police Department.
Starting on a fitness journey can be difficult. The designers of the fitness court kept that in mind. Instructions show how seven movements in seven minutes is all it takes to get started, with options for beginners to beast mode.
"A lot of people will say, 'I just don't have time, don't have time,' but we have to take time, including myself. I've gained 60 pounds since being mayor. It's really stressful. So trust me, you're gonna see me out here," Patterson-Howard said.
"Patience is the key to fitness. You're not gonna see results in one day, two days. Might not see them in a month. But as long as you push through for two, three months, start to see some results, feel stronger, and you go from there," fitness expert Jamal Lewis said.
Experts say buddying up can also help with motivation.
The hope is the fitness court in the heart of New York's eighth-largest city will make for a healthier Mount Vernon.