The urban landscape of Borkum has once again changed: The former "Schiffchenteich", a pond for children to launch their toy boats, and for many years a meeting place located between the beach, tidal island and tennis court-island - was filled in and replaced by some metal and timber constructions which at first glance are eye-catching and rather bizarre.
Some people might have been surprised and have frowned in view of things going on above the beach promenade. Nevertheless, the new fitness course provides both an easy and at the same time important strategic step: the integration of movement and physical exercise into people's everyday life. In Asian cities, for instance, fitness facilities such as those of the new fitness area of Borkum, are already part of the street scene. There it is absolutely normal to see fitness devices along the way in many public places.
In the past ten years, the number of outdoor fitness parks, also known as adult playgrounds, has increased in Germany. More and more cities and municipalities include fitness parks in their urban design concepts to provide their citizens with more outdoor fitness areas. The purpose is to motivate the local population to practise more physical exercise. Because the increasing lack of exercise causes prosperity diseases such as diabetes, overweight and back pain.
The new fitness course of the island of Borkum has been built in this same spirit and is meant to complete the existing Thalassic offerings, an aim which is achieved without any difficulty because physical exercise in the breaker zone is part of the basic Thalassic treatment. Eight training devices have been installed in the former pond area. The fitness devices focus on flexibility, weight and endurance training.
The German Olympic Sports Federation also recommends training with the new devices which were developed in line with the latest sports science findings. The manufacturing company Playparc has developed the sports equipment in close cooperation with the Technical University and the Sports Department of Munich. Like in the present case, the concept design of any play course is supported by sports science experts. Playparc is an experienced manufacturer as they have built all-weather fitness parks for more than three decades. In Germany they have installed several hundred of such parks. The key to the secret of the success of their work is the open design of the devices which invites people to try them out. Regardless of age, body height and physical fitness, everybody has free access to the play course and to the sports equipment all around the clock. Hence, Borkum hopes that the new Thalassic fitness course will become a meeting point for all generations in the coming years.
The individual devices are subdivided into three different stress levels. Whereas yellow indicates low stress, green represents the intermediate level and blue indicates a high level of difficulty. Thus, every user can decide for themselves about their difficulty level whereas at the same time sign posts give advice on the most effective training processes and the number of repetitions of the different exercises.
The most important factor is to exercise regularly, preferably two or three times a week. Besides it is highly recommended to warm up for 15 minutes before each training course. Only then the user should try out the devices focused on physical flexibility, strength and mobility. The balancing section and hovering platform are focused on training the sense of balance, orientation and reaction time, which are very important skills, not only in sports. In fact, it is these skills which help to stay mobile even at an advanced age.
However, most devices of the fitness course are focused on strengthening and mobilising the muscles because a well-trained muscular system both stabilises the complete locomotive system and helps to avoid physical workloads which can lead to back pain. Hence, the Thalassic fitness course should not only complete the leisure programme of Borkum's holidaymakers. The island residents themselves, both young and elder residents, should benefit from the new fitness offerings.
"The Thalassic fitness course of Borkum serves as a role model." Borkum is the first North Sea Island in the Thalassic region which offers such a modern and contemporary leisure and freely accessible fitness programme for a wide range of users who thus have the possibility to exercise in the fresh and healthy sea air to stay healthy. The fitness course does not only attract holidaymakers but also the island residents of all age groups, says Peter Schöpel, the Managing Director of the tidal landscape and co-initiator of the Thalassic fitness course.
In Bonn, a particularly creative combination of a pump track and a bowl is currently being built, which is also designed for WCMX riders (wheelchair motocross athletes) to enable inclusive participation.
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