Campaign promotes healthier lifestyles

Community gyms

A number of smart community gyms quickly gained popularity after they were opened in Changsha a few years ago.

Each gym is about 100 square meters in area. Fitted with basic fitness equipment, such as treadmills and dumbbells, they have no staff members, so the facilities are controlled via the members' smartphones.

After a user downloads the gym app, he or she can check the room temperature, the PM2.5 index and the number of people inside, and make an appointment with a coach in just a few seconds.

Residents only need to pay 25 yuan a month to gain unlimited entry to the gyms.

A local resident, who gave her last name as Hu, said her only physical exercise used to be going out to buy groceries. Last year, though, she found a smart community gym near her compound on her way home, so she registered as a member to try it out.

"It's so cheap," she said. "Now I run for 20 minutes after buying food every day. It has become my new routine."

Since May 2020, more than 230 smart community gyms have opened in Changsha, and over 20 million people have worked out in them so far.

Hunan Heihamao Network Technology, the company that operates the smart community gyms, organizes various online and offline activities to promote the facilities and encourage more people to take exercise.

In August last year, the company held a rope-jumping contest that attracted 11,864 participants from more than 400 communities. People age 16 and younger accounted for 89.4 percent of the participants.

Contact the writer at jiangw@chinadaily.com.cn