AD| City Fitness – Ways to keep active in an urban environment

As city living becomes more popular, keeping healthy and staying on top of our wellbeing is important. Mental wellbeing, the quality of living and pollution are common concerns when thinking about residing in an urban environment, but as many of us sit at desks and spend less time walking that typically in the countryside, staying active can also be a challenge.

Keen to get a little bit more active in the city during the summer months? Here are some ways to keep active in an urban environment. 

Gyms

You might think that being in a busy, bustling city environment it would make it harder than ever to find somewhere to exercise, but that isn’t necessarily the case. As cities get more confined, and spaces are increasingly designated and purpose-built, the amount of carved-out gym areas is actually increasing. The Leisure Database Company reported in 2018 that membership for gyms around the country is approaching 10 million with over 7,000 gyms, many of which embedded nicely within the city. This means that roughly one in every seven people in the UK has a membership to a gym. Whether or not they actually go on a regular basis is a different story.

Outdoor activity

Green space is hard to find in amongst the dulcet greys of the cityscape, but they do still exist. If you want to make the most of the hot weather, then consider going for a run through one of these parks or gardens, or do some research on some of the facilities and classes that they have available there. Outdoor fitness is still somewhat popular in the city; you just have to find the right places.

Swimming 

Often found as an extension of the gym, the swimming pool is a great way of toning muscles in dense water resistance, and you can typically work out for much longer than with other means, as the water will put less strain on your body than pumping iron. However, sometimes pools can feel overcrowded, and trying to find a place to go and quietly swim while working around a busy work schedule can be a chore.

As apartments are in bigger demand in the UK, with an increasing number of skilled, young workers coming to cities varying from just London, luxury, purpose-built accomodation is in high demand. Some property builds offer pools within their apartment complex, which is perfect for tenants as it gives them a little bit more privacy and ease of access at their own leisure.

RW Invest is one of the property investment companies offering these sorts of luxury amenities in many of their buy-to-let apartments. In Liverpool, for example, their Parliament Square offering promises a state-of-the-art rooftop spa and swimming pool combo.

Cycling

Substituting your daily commute by bus, train or car with a bicycle can be a great way of weaving exercise into your daily schedule, making you more active straight out of the gate. Putting on your crash helmet and shifting into gear can also be a great step in being eco-friendlier and emission aware, putting you at an advantage as cities pledge to go more green.

Don’t have room for a cumbersome bike within your tiny apartment? City Bikes are one of the many city innovations that can prove an extremely easy way of getting from A to B. You can hire them cheaply whenever you might need to from most of the big cities in the UK, and there are always plenty of handy drop-off points dotted around to park them up when done. 

If you perhaps aren’t very proficient in cycling, then riding around in the city might be a stress that you could do without. Developments in technology and apps such as Zwift are also helping to gamify cycling from within your own home, so they might be worth considering if you want to burn some calories in your apartment of an evening.

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