Welleby Park in Sunrise, Fla., placed workout equipment along a trail to encourage cardiovascular exercise between workout stations. Both Osborn Park and Welleby Park offer the four exercise equipment that cover a well-rounded workout: cardio, muscle, core and balance/flexibility.

Osborn Park in Huron, Ohio features a cluster arrangement of equipment not only for a workout, but to encourage social interaction.

PlayCore, a leading play and recreation company, has awarded its Fitness National Demonstration Site Award to two U.S. outdoor fitness parks: Erie Metroparks in Huron Ohio for the Osborn Metropark fitness site, and Welleby Park in Sunrise, Fla., for its fitness trail.

"We created our best practice design guide on outdoor fitness parks with an advisory board of scholars and experts in fitness to help communities understand not just design, but also the benefits of outdoor exercise and marketing tactics to promote their outdoor fitness parks," explains Anne-Marie Spencer, PlayCore's corporate VP of marketing.

PlayCore's National Demonstration Site Designation is given to parks that align with the four identified areas of a well-rounded workout (cardio, muscle, core, and balance/flexibility), involve the community in planning, actively market the space and agree to participate in future data gathering. The sites receive certification and become part of a national registry, and are promoted actively to other communities who want to offer outdoor fitness for adults in their parks.

"We are excited to be working closely with so many communities to advance health and recreation opportunities with this initiative," Ms. Spencer added.

The two new National Demonstration Sites can now be found on the National Fitness Park locator at playcore.fitness.com. To receive a copy of "Outdoor Fitness Parks: Best Practices for Promoting Community Health by Increasing Physical Activity," send a request to fitness@playcore.com.