The name might be difficult to say, but boy oh boy did they do a fantastic renovation of the playground at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor. I took my 17-month-old daughter to the playground to let her run around and go down the slides, but what I really noticed was that there is an outdoor gym at Mashashimuet Park complete with elliptical machines, resistance machines and stationary bikes. There is no other place in the Hamptons that has this type of thing and to be honest, I think there should be more stuff like this.
Let’s face it, in the age of Covid, going to the gym became a little bit iffy. Nobody wants to share the same equipment with dozens of other people that are sweating and huffing and puffing all over the place. Now that we have the vaccine, gyms are finally back in action, but Peloton and home workouts are now very much the norm.
But what about an outdoor gym? I was fascinated by this idea.
An outdoor gym totally changes the game when it comes to how I feel about a gym. When you’re outside, not only does it feel healthier, it is proven that it is safer for you than being inside somewhere.
With my daughter in my sight at all times, I tried out one of the resistance machines that is bolted into the ground in the adult workout area of Mashashimuet Park. I was very impressed. The resistance was more than I could handle and I got a serious workout from just doing the resistance machines. My arms were so tired, that when I went over to the pull up bar area and the monkey bar area, I could barely hang on.
What’s wrong with working out with equipment outside? Absolutely nothing. You get the fresh air, you get the vitamin D from the sunshine and you get the added benefit of being able to take your kid to the park while you get in a few reps. It’s a very smart way to spend an afternoon.
The only other place I have seen an outdoor gym set up that is designed specifically for public use was when I took a trip to Rio Di Janiero at Ipanema Beach. That beach in particular had several set ups all along the walk ways with weights made out of cement, pull up bars, sit up bars, jumping rope and other various equipment that you could work out on while looking at the ocean. Why not bring some of that to the Hamptons?
My hat is off to the board of Mashashimuet Park. It’s absolutely beautiful there. The sports courts, the fields, the playground are all first class and the area is well maintained. For me, the real highlight of the park is the outdoor gym area, it’s such a great idea and we should have more of these setups in the Hamptons.
