We have successfully installed outdoor gyms at a number of NHS and MHT sites to help patient rehabilitation and keep staff fit.
15th February 2024
The positive links between physical activity outdoors and enhanced mental wellbeing are well documented, and backed up by extensive research.
Working out al fresco can ward off seasonal affective disorder (SAD), anxiety and depression, for example, since sunlight increases the mood-boosting hormone serotonin naturally, while also stimulating endorphins.
And, as with any physical activity, the immediate benefits range from weight management and strengthening of bones and muscles to a better ability to manage chronic health conditions and disabilities, and prevent falls. Exercise can even boost your chances of living longer.
Meanwhile, health workers are under so much pressure that they often neglect their own health and run the risk of burnout. Critical care and emergency nurses in particular, for example, tend to be at an especially high risk of this.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has previously said:
“Nurses who participate in physical activity are more likely to reap the benefits of good health such as lower sickness absence, increased loyalty to their workplace and better recruitment retention.”
What’s more, it’s important for NHS and Mental Health Trust (MHT) staff to be able to exercise easily, in or near their workplace. Quite often, it simply isn’t possible for staff to spend time travelling to a gym or similar facility, especially when working different shift patterns.
On-site outdoor gyms can provide an easy, highly cost-effective solution, with no one having to travel anywhere to use them.
At award-winning Fresh Air Fitness, we’re a market-leading provider of gym equipment for outdoor use. We’ve worked successfully in numerous NHS and MHT settings in different locations across the country, supporting staff and patients to improve their fitness levels and strength:
This is one of England’s biggest NHS teaching Trusts, and we were the chosen supplier to provide an open-air exercise facility primarily for the use of staff, whatever their level of fitness and ability, and which would offer cardio and strength training equipment plus balance and flexibility improvement.
Our team devised a seven-piece, 13-user facility on high-quality anti-slip surfacing, complete with fencing and gates and launched with a detailed induction session.
This charity wanted to enhance the rehabilitation it offers via our outdoor gym equipment. It needed to provide a combination of gentle upper and lower body exercise options, with pieces suitable for wheelchair use, in an area in which space was already limited.
We supplied a Chest Press and Pull Down Challenger in one zone, plus a second Chest Press and Pull Down Challenger adapted for wheelchair users. Another exercise zone incorporated an Arm and Pedal Bike for wheelchair users, to improve cardio fitness as well as flexibility and core strength.
Hillis Lodge is part of the above Trust, and provides secure in-patient care. Staff agreed an outdoor exercise facility would provide the additional benefits of working out in the fresh air, while saving indoor room, even though outside space was also limited.
We installed three pieces from our strength and cardio range, including a Combi Pull Down and Chest Press, Elliptical Cross Trainer, which is especially beneficial for parents experiencing PTSD, and a bike for improving flexibility, balance and cardio fitness.
We worked with Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust on this facility, installed for Colne Ward, at the Riverside Centre in Hillingdon, north-west London. Our highly accessible gym, next to a psychiatric intensive care unit, allows service users and staff to exercise in the open in a safe, secure environment.
Our solution was a five-piece, seven-user gym on a tough rubber-mulch surface, offering a combination of cardio and strength-building, plus a Table Tennis Table. Patients can use the equipment with staff one-to-one, join groups or work out in their free time, by themselves or with others.
Talk to us
We have a wide range of NHS clients, and we could help your Trust, too, with special offers for the health sector. All our outdoor gym equipment is completed to stringent safety standards, plus, we can advise on funding. Make an enquiry today, and together we’ll come up with an outdoor exercise solution that suits your needs.
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