SIX FREE WAYS FOR HEALTHY LIVING

Dedication of South Park's Outdoor Fitness Zone

Los Angeles - The Department of Recreation and Parks in partnership with Councilwoman Jan Perry, Kaiser Permanente, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) dedicated an Outdoor Fitness Zone at South Park on Thursday, January 14, 2010.

General Manager Jon Kirk Mukri, Councilwoman Jan Perry, Kaiser Permanente's Diana Bonta, CRA/LA Commissioner Alejandro Ortiz and TPL California State Director Sam Hodder were all on hand to help cut the red ribbon and officially open the Fitness Zone to local exercisers. Two legendary Dodgers, Bobby "Babo" Castillo and Kenny "KT" Landreaux made a special appearance to sign autographs and emphasize the importance of exercise at the Dedication Ceremony.

South Park's new Fitness Zone is the first of six Fitness Zones to open in the South Los Angeles area. The five other locations are 48th Street Park, Slauson Recreation Center, Gilbert Lindsay Recreation Center, Fred Roberts Recreation Center and Trinity Recreation Center.

According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, 37.8 percent of adults are obese in the community surrounding South Park. The Fitness Zone will provide much-needed free physical activity opportunities for the entire neighborhood.

The new Fitness Zone is an easy-to-use outdoor gym designed to improve general health through weight loss, cardiovascular endurance, increased flexibility and strength building. The exercise equipment is designed to be durable, vandal resistant and used in various configurations. The Fitness Zone is free and can be used by teenagers and adults of all fitness levels.

The outdoor exercise area has eight pieces of equipment: a cross-country ski machine, an upper body workout station, horizontal bars, leg press machine, lat pull-down machine, seated arm machine, incline crunch bench and lying leg curl machine. All of the machines have American’s with Disability Act compliant surfacing and bilingual instructions decals.

Studies have shown that providing free and easy to use exercise equipment dramatically increases the opportunity to engage in physical activity. The Department of Recreation and Parks is proud to be a partner in providing healthy opportunities and living choices.

South Park is located at 345 East 51st Street in Los Angeles 90011. For more information on this location or the Department please call (213) 202-2700 or visit our website at http://www.laparks.org/.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jane Kolb: (213) 202-2694

Amy A. Garcia: (213) 202-2689