Outdoor green gym benefits botanical garden visitors

Regular visitors at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens can safely place their eggs in the same basket with gym facilities available.

Not only do the gardens offer nature’s amazing scenery, but visitors can now take a moment to join the eco-friendly gym.

Poortview resident John Dovey from said Outdoor Green Gym has been an alternative form of exercise and staying active for him.

Dovey is a regular visitor at the gardens and loves staying in touch with nature. The gym, which has been opened to the public since March, has been welcomed by visitors at the gardens with excitement.

“I am a pensioner and like visiting the gardens. The gardens are right in line with my New Year’s resolution to stay healthy and fit,” said Shirley Potgieter from Ruimsig.

Lucas Smith from Weltevreden Park said in a country where lifestyle diseases are a growing concern, access to such exercise equipment seems almost too good to be true.

According to Asavela Yashe, who deals with turfgrass and arboculture at Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, the intention of of the gym is to encourage exercise and a healthier lifestyle for regular visitors when relaxing at the gardens.

“It is free of charge and people only pay for entrance to the gardens. The response so far has been very positive. Not only are visitors making use of the equipment, but the fact that the gym is eco-friendly means it also does not cost anything to run. The gym equipment uses no electricity, which means that the energy that would have been used to operate treadmills and bikes can now be channelled where there is a greater need,” said Yashe.

Details: Asavela Yashe 086 100 1278.