Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced the launch of Fitness in the City, a summertime series of fitness classes that are free and open to the public. Last year, as part of Boston Moves for Health, the city worked with several partners to host similar classes on City Hall Plaza. Those classes attracted over 2,400 participants, and people have been eager to see classes return for this summer. In an effort to attract even more participants, the Boston Public Health Commission has worked with providers to offer classes in new locations, such as Faneuil Hall, the Greenway, and the Martini Memorial Shell Park in Hyde Park.
Fitness in the City will kick off this Friday with a morning Bootcamp workout at City Hall Plaza, from 6:30-7:30 a.m. In partnership with Meta Movements, there will also be a special community salsa dance event that evening on the Plaza from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The rain date for the salsa event is Friday, July 12. Bootcamp is rain or shine.
“Our Fitness on the Plaza classes were more popular than we expected last summer, and we want to build on that success by offering even more options in more places this year,” Mayor Menino said. “Getting people out and active adds to the vitality of our city, and it’s a great way to promote healthy habits. We know that a lot of the participants in last year’s classes found out about them just by walking by, so we want to keep encouraging folks to let the city be their gym.”
Organizers have already lined up Bootcamp classes sponsored by Beantown Bootcamp, Boston Sports Club, Ultimate Bootcamp, and the Hyde Park YMCA, Zumba classes sponsored by the Z Spot Zumba and the East Boston YMCA, and a Pilates class sponsored by the East Boston YMCA. The free workout sessions, which will run through August, will be offered in the mornings, lunchtime, and in the evenings, depending on the class. More classes are expected to roll out over the course of the summer.
“Thanks to all of our partners for their support in this fantastic program,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Executive Director of the Boston Public Health Commission. The complete Fitness in the City schedule, with details on timing and location, is available at www.BostonMovesForHealth.org.