RedwoodAge.com
Lots of people use workout equipment to tone muscles, strengthen legs and build their torsos. But the boomers of England aren't doing it in a gym. They're doing it in a neighborhood playground.
Borrowing a page from what pleases children, the locals have chipped in to buy playground equipment designed to help elders stay in shape through gentle workouts.
Spending about $25,000, the playground was built by the local residents association in Blackley, with inspiration borrowed from a similar set-up in Germany.
The playground has six pieces of equipment and sits beside a child's play area, providing what seem at first glance like giant versions of equipment designed for kids.
Never Too Old
"I'd recommend anyone to come and have a go, after all you're never too old to play," Joan Fitzgerald, 76, head of the Dam Head Residents' Association, told the BBC. "It's all about health and fitness. A lot of older people don't want to go to gyms... It's laugh-a-minute. If it makes people laugh and there is exercise involved, then how can it be a bad thing?"
Age Concern Director general Gordon Lishman viewed the area as a great way for elders to socialize and get exercise.
"Exercising a few times a week can make a big difference to someone's health and doesn't have to be strenuous," he said. "Many older people aren't exercising enough and we are really keen for local authorities to offer a range of accessible and affordable facilities that promote physical activity in later life."
