Free fitness centers offer training programs to the public aged over 12

Free fitness centers offer training programs to the public aged over 12. March. 02, 2015 13:39. yjongk@donga.com.

The National Fitness Award is a sports welfare service that measures and assesses individuals’ physical strength scientifically and health and provides exercise advice and prescriptions for the promotion of their physical conditions.

The service program offers sports programs tailored to each individual and encourage continuous participation. It first started as a program for the elderly, but it has expanded the scope to all age groups over 13 years old.

After nine centers are added within this year, 26 fitness certification centers nationwide will offer eight to 10-week training programs to visitors. A man surnamed Lee, who had received an exercise prescription, increased the number of shuttle run from eight to 24 and his physical strength, including cardio respiratory endurance as well as muscular strength, has improved. The number of visitors to the centers increased from around 10,000 in 2012 to some 56,000 in 2013 and to about 86,000 last year. By 2017, the number of centers will be increased to 68 to accommodate more than one million people.

The centers control largely seven factors. For all age groups, they monitor five factors -- cardio respiratory endurance (prevention and improvement of heart diseases, hypertension, cerebral apoplexy, and chronic lung diseases); muscular strength and muscular endurance (enhancement of essential physical strength); flexibility (preventing sport injuries); and body composition (body mass, body fat, and measurement of risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancers). It manages agility and quickness for youths and adults, and muscular functions and balance for the elderly. When a participant completes a course, he or she can receive a public physical health certificate per each level.

Everybody can participate in the National Fitness Award through the website (nfa.kspo.or.kr) or sports centers (02-410-1014). The program is free of charge, sponsored by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, which was created by Sports Toto (a lottery to promote sports).