**History of Fitness Trails:**
– Invented in 1968 by Swiss architect Erwin Weckemann.
– First course built in Zurich, Switzerland.
– Hundreds of courses built in Europe by 1972.
– Vita Parcours Exercise Trail introduced in Sunnybrook Park, Toronto.
**Examples of Fitness Trails Worldwide:**
– Fitness Trails in the UK known as trim trails.
– Australia, Canada, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and the US have fitness trails.
– Trim trails in the UK offer a range of exercise stations for all ages.
– Vita Parcours trails established in various locations in Canada.
**Features of Fitness Trails in Different Countries:**
– Wooden exercise stations in parkland for balance, strength, and coordination in the UK.
– Various parcourse trails in California, including San Francisco Bay Area in the US.
– Fitness trails in Australia, Canada, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and the US designed for promoting physical fitness and health.
**Fitness Trails in the United States:**
– Pelican Point parking area, Rock Creek Park in D.C., Coopers Bayou Park in Clearwater, FL, Waycross College woods in Georgia, and Vita Course 2000 trail in Lenexa, Kansas.
– Trails in Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio.
– Trails in Pennsylvania and Tennessee.
– Trails in Virginia and Washington.
**International Fitness Trails:**
– Valle del Cauca, Colombia, Parc Floral in Paris, France.
– Various articles and references on outdoor fitness tracks.
– VitaParcours Foundation provides information in multiple languages.
– Various parks and trails in different countries offer fitness amenities.
A fitness trail, trim trail or parcourse consists of a path or course with outdoor exercise equipment or obstacles installed along its length for exercising the human body to promote good health. The course is designed to promote physical fitness training in the style attributed to Georges Hébert. In general, fitness trails can be natural or man-made, located in areas such as forest, transportation rights-of-way, parks, or urban settings. Equipment exists to provide specific forms of physiological exercise, and can consist of natural features including climbable rocks, trees, and river embankments, or manufactured products (stepping posts, chin-up and climbing bars) designed to provide similar physical challenges. The degree of difficulty of a course is determined by terrain slope, trail surface (dirt, grass, gravel, etc.), obstacle height (walls) or length (crawls) and other features. Urban parcourses tend to be flat, to permit participation by the elderly, and to accommodate cyclists, runners, skaters and walking. The new concept of an outdoor gym, containing traditional gym equipment specifically designed for outdoor use, is also considered to be a development of the parcourse. These outdoor exercise gyms include moving parts and are often made from galvanised metal.
