Health
1News

Portable fitness pod taking Napier suburb by storm

The project, which is completely free for the community, is part of a wider study on increasing community involvement in exercise.

A portable fitness pod has taken a Napier suburb by storm. 

The project is part of a wider study on increasing community involvement in exercise, to improve the health of young New Zealanders.

You’ll find plenty of people putting in the hard yards on a hot Hawke’s Bay afternoon in Maraenui - but there's no membership fee at this gym. It's free for all.

“A lot of whānau haven’t worked out since lockdown,  they cancelled their gym memberships or they lost their jobs, so they can't afford gym memberships so this has been really awesome,” personal trainer Levi Armstrong told 1 NEWS.

The training is based around the Domynis - a kitted out portable shipping container.

It's the brainchild of personal trainer Levi Armstrong and his architect cousin, Whare Timu.

“So if you think of a duffel bag, a gym duffel bag you got all you gear inside you take it to where you need to be, take it all out and then pack it away, it’s the same concept here,” Whare explained. 

For two weeks, it’s been set up in the lower socio-economic Napier suburb of Maraenui and classes have been packed.

“The workout is only 20, 30 minutes - I know a lot of whānau find exercise daunting and quite intimidating, especially those that are coming off drugs and alcohol abuse - so swapping that addiction for something better,” Armstrong said. 

Participants 1 NEWS spoke to said the classes are making a massive difference in the community.

“My doctor actually said that my blood pressure was the lowest it’s been for a very long time, so doctor's happy!”

“It's good for those that can just walk down here, everyone’s houses are nearby - instead of going down to the bakery you come down for a workout and if you are caught at the bakery you get called out at training!” 

It's part of a government-funded research project, assessing the pod's impact on the community.

Rachel Forrest from Eastern Institute of Technology says they’ll use a survey called the Meke Meter to assess its impact.

“You rate yourself on lots of different aspects of life from one to ten, and it covers social, physical, mental wellbeing and within that there is also the spiritual elements covered so it embraces Te Whare Tapa Wha," Forrest said.

The goal is to secure funding to take pods into Aotearoa schools.

“We see a real need in schools, if we can be that fence at the top of the hill rather than the ambulance at the bottom, then we hope we can affect a long-term change in rangatahi - the likes of Maraenui and Aotearoa.” 

SHARE ME

More Stories