It sits there all alone. Unused. Maybe even a little bored. Frantically trying to figure out where it did me wrong. That little yellow card that, once scanned, gives me access to more exercise equipment than I know how to handle. That little card that gives me a dry place to run during the winter rains. But it’s summer now and once the sun shows itself for the first time, my poor gym card begins its summer-long hibernation as I head outdoors to work on my fitness.
It’s the time of year when the fair-weather-runners come out and hit the pavement instead of the treadmill. When yogis place their mats on grassy fields instead of wood paneled floors. When students practice Thai Chi by the river during the Saturday Market instead of in a classroom.
With open spaces and parks scattered around just about every neighborhood, it’s easy to see why the 2010 American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index ranked Portland as the fifth most physically fit city in the U.S., falling only one-tenth of a point behind Seattle—we’ll get them next year. Portland is, in-and-of-itself, one big outdoor gym. There’s the moss covered “stair-stepper” that runs through Washington Park, the “better-than-a-treadmill” route through the Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the Eastbank Esplanade, and the “pull-up bars” scattered throughout the city in the form of low-hanging tree branches or fire escapes. With so many options for varied workouts and gorgeous summer weather, why even bother with your gym card?
Taking the Gym Outdoors… Literally
Personal trainer Natalie Wessel moved to Portland from New York over a year ago and has already found her favorite outdoor gym space: Mount Tabor Park in Southeast Portland. Wessel is an “in-home” personal trainer and running coach who teaches one-on-one and group fitness classes around the city in local parks or in homes. Wessel’s love for the outdoors played a big part in her decision to quit her marketing job and start training full time in Manhattan, where she first learned how to utilize park features and urban areas for exercises and drills. She now uses that training around Portland, and continues to be blown away by the amount of Portlanders who are into outdoor activity.
“I have met plenty of people in Portland who would rather workout using the city's natural features than join a gym,” says Wessel. “I've seen people rambling within Washington Park’s circuitous maze of steps and paths, doing walking lunges, pushups on railings and pull-ups on monkey bars. As a climber, and someone who trains ‘mountain athletes,’ I appreciate how some people use the steps in Mount Tabor Park. They throw on backpacks weighed down with bottles of water, and walk up and over the park numerous times to simulate the stresses of climbing on the glutes, core, quads and hamstrings.”
The exercises in Wessel’s outdoor bootcamp vary from class to class, but it typically has the group running laps around the reservoirs, walking up different grades of slopes, using park benches for triceps dips and step-ups, climbing stone walls, performing partner pull-ups on the monkey bars and doing circuit training in the fields.
Her top three reasons why Portland is ideal for working out outdoors?
1. The city is covered in parks and green space. Plus, each park has its own unique features like stairs and platforms that you can use in your training.
2. The culture of Portland is geared to being active outside. There are plenty of group workout programs available that cater to your interests.
3. The climate is ideal for training outdoors. If you can handle getting wet, you can comfortably train outdoors throughout the year.
Wessel isn’t alone in her quest to get Portlanders outdoors and in shape, Fulcrum Fitness owner David Levy holds classes outdoors as often as possible by using props and music to keep energy levels high. “There’s an element of deliberating factors of being outside,” says Levy. “You get the extremely fresh air, and you get to reconnect with the earth a bit. We’re an office culture so it really brings the kid out in all of us. The sights, the smells, the feel of all of it; it’s just a needed aspect in our lives.”
Levy and his staff of trainers hold Fit Camp in different parks around Portland that utilizes each park’s unique features. The camp is designed for women and is a four-week course that will have “campers” soaking in the sun, dropping pounds and toning up.
June camper Anne Lindberg took the class in Northeast Portland’s Grant Park and loved the outdoor workouts so much she’s already signed up for July. “We meet in the park with a trainer and we have music and it’s high energy and really fun; it’s a good way to get yourself healthier,” says Lindberg. “The trainer brings various props and it’s always a creative workout.” With everything from jumping rope to using the curb as a stair-stepper, no part of the park is left unused.
After taking the class, Lindberg found more than a great workout, she developed new routines. “I found that I have more energy throughout the day after the fact, so working out outside in the morning has been key for me. I definitely am finding myself running the stairs in my neighborhood more, because there are some stairs up in the Alameda ridge, and I got myself a jump rope. I would definitely rather be outside.”
Citizen Tested, Government Approved
Even the city’s elected officials try to get outdoors for a workout as often as possible. The Commissioner of Public Safety, Randy Leonard, loves running around the waterfront, but also uses his commute to get a workout in by riding his bike to work. “It is a wonderful work out and I pay no membership fees to use the space,” says Leonard, who commutes using the Springwater Corridor and advises anyone using trails at night to bring a flashlight or make sure to charge bike lights before heading out.
Amanda Fritz, Commissioner of Public Utilities, has some other ideas for Portlanders to get a workout in while benefiting the community. “Portland offers many opportunities for people to exercise outside. It’s even better if you help your community while working out, such as by pulling ivy, removing graffiti, or digging in a community garden. Call 503.823.4000 to find out about volunteer opportunities that also make your muscles tired and give you a cardiovascular workout. You’ll feel really good if you exercise your right to participate in improving your community.”
