Paris gym helps homeless residents improve health without leaving their shelter

Finnish gym equipment company Omnigym installed an outdoor fitness setup at a homeless shelter in Paris to test whether easy access to exercise could improve residents’ physical and mental wellbeing.

After collecting anonymous survey data one month in, the company found 80 percent of respondents reported improved physical health and 90 percent said the gym helped them meet or talk to other people.

One resident credited the gym with a behavioral change, saying “I smoke less,” while another simply called it “a change” in their life.

Omnigym partnered with the French homelessness nonprofit Emmaüs Solidarité on the pilot, which CEO Kirsti Laasio calls “The People’s Gym,” saying the goal is to “democratize physical training and make it accessible to everyone.”

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-gym-in-paris-helps-homeless-improve-their-health-and-habits/