The weather is warming up and you’ve already watched everything on Netflix. Now’s the time to lace up your sneakers and head outdoors to get moving.
National Health and Fitness Day is coming up June 5, a time to celebrate the benefits of activity and share the ways we can move, feel good and really enjoy the great outdoors. Whether it’s a hike, a run, some yoga or calisthenics in the park, Canadians can find ideas to get moving for better mental and physical health.
To help you get started, or give you new ideas, six fitness professionals shared their favourite outdoor workout locations in cities across canada. All are available for interview to share their outdoor fitness tips and we would be happy to provide you with video to show what they do at these locations. Please let me know if you're keen to follow up for an outdoor fitness story.
Thanks for your consideration.
Holly Dunn 782-640-1646
St. John’s
Maria Htee, personal trainer, GoodLife Fitness
Signal Hill - I would usually walk up the back of Signal Hill and sprint up the stairs for a few rounds. On a way up, you can feel and smell the fresh air from the ocean. You can also find some chairs on the way up to rest and take in the ocean view. If you are lucky, you may even catch a glimpse a nesting Eagle.
Mile One Stairs - A perfect place to get your cardio in. That is what saved me during the lockdown - I went there every morning to get my day started. You can bring bands and a skipping rope with you and super set a few exercises together to get a great workout.
Halifax
Michelle Ryder, group fitness instructor, GoodLife Fitness
Africville Park - I do a ‘choose your own adventure’ workout with whatever I find at the park. Sometimes it's a step or HIIT-style workout off of old concrete foundations. Other times it’s plyometrics in the field, running on the trails, or using the benches for box jumps.
Fort Needham Park - Nothing refreshes my love for the city like running the stairs at Fort Needham park. It’s situated on a hilltop, giving you some awesome views of the city and the harbour. There are also great trails to run, and even an off-leash dog park if you want to get some exercise with a furry friend.
Ottawa
Abby Johnson-Bertran, personal trainer and fitness instructor, GoodLife Fitness
Mer Bleue Bog - With more than 20 km of trails, Mer Bleue is great for year-round hiking, and even snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. It’s a bigger space so my family has been visiting the trails more often during lockdown just to get out of the house and get some fresh air.
Chapman Mills Conservation Area - My favourite thing to do is to walk the scenic trails and stop at the lookouts and grassy spots. I usually find a quiet spot to do yoga at the end of my walk. It’s energizing to do practice your poses overlooking the Rideau River with the birds chirping and sun shining.
Toronto
Kathleen Fursey, personal trainer and group fitness instructor, GoodLife Fitness
Sunnyside Beach - Situated on the lakefront area of Toronto, it includes a beach and park along Lake Ontario’s Humber Bay. I enjoy walks along the boardwalk because it’s invigorating to hear and see the water close by, and even taking my shoes off to feel the sand between my toes to ground myself.
Riverdale Park - A spacious park that is on a slope… Great for hill running drills! It’s even more special when my workout is close to the end of the day and I can catch a gorgeous sunset as well, with a clear view of the downtown skyline.
Winnipeg
Kathryn McKenzie, kinesiologist, personal trainer & group fitness instructor, Surefire Fitness
Bishop Grandin Greenway - One of the best features of the city is the extensive trail system that extends to most areas. The wider paved paths are all excellent choices for a walk, run, pedal, or inline skate. Bishop Grandin is one of the longer ones, but Northeast Pioneers Greenway or Chief Peguis trail are great options too.
Terry Fox Fitness Trail - If your preference favours areas that are a bit more rugged, look no further than the trails that run along the riverbanks of the Red and Assiniboine. The Terry Fox Fitness Trail is a great one, and is outfitted with fitness equipment along the path for completing a full body training circuit.
Calgary
Inno Delarmente, group fitness instructor, GoodLife Fitness
Battalion Park Stairs - My ’go to’ cardio stair challenge is the Battalion Park Stairs. It’s one of Calgary’s more historic parks, featuring those giant stone regiment numbers you can see from all over the city. There are three sets of stairs that I run to get my heart rate up and stay in shape between classes, plus there’s an excellent view at the top.
Edworthy Park - Calgary is lucky to have so many parks with well-maintained outdoor fitness equipment. My favourite of these is probably Edworthy Park, right on the river. Outdoor ellipticals, chest press machines, pull-up bars – even a leg press. Plus it’s super ‘outdoorsy’ feeling with lots of trails and log-carved stairs for running.
