Strong Neighbors Make Strong Neighborhoods

A Call for Support for the Development of the Greater New Orleans FitLot Network of Outdoor Fitness Parks

Why FitLot? Why Now?

FitLot is a New Orleans-based, national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities find the resources they need to plan, build, and activate outdoor fitness parks. Founded in 2013, FitLot’s vision is for every American to have access to a cost-free public exercise space within walking distance of their homes.

The Challenge

Americans suffer from more lifestyle-related, preventable illnesses than any other country in the developed world.

Unfortunately, the communities suffering the most often have the least resources to improve health outcomes and create fitness opportunities.

FitLot exists to help bridge that gap.

A Community Centric Response to the Pandemic

COVID-19 has created social isolation, unemployment, and limited access to fitness facilities while putting a strain on physical and mental health. Communities throughout the country are being forced to forge a new normal while finding fresh solutions to long-term problems.

Outdoor Fitness Parks are a Solution

Each FitLot is a community space for people to get active, connect with neighbors, and proactively care for their health. The FitLot model is an innovative response to the challenges of lifestyle-related health issues, ever-growing public health disparities, and inequitable access to quality fitness equipment and instruction.

FitLot’s Impact To Date

Updated April 2024

TOTAL FITLOT OUTDOOR FITNESS PARKS
FUNDED, DONATED & CONSTRUCTED

$10,863,186

RAISED TO SUPPORT THE CREATION
AND ACTIVATION OF PUBLIC OUTDOOR FITNESS PARKS

3,410

NO-COST COMMUNITY FITLOT CLASSES
HELD NATIONWIDE

(10/1/2020 -04/1/2024)

16,616

NO-COST COMMUNITY FITLOT CLASS PARTICIPANTS

523

LOCAL FITNESS PROFESSIONALS
TRAINED AS FITLOT NEIGHBORHOOD COACHES

984+

COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS SUPPORTED
WITH FITLOT’S PARK PLANNING GUIDE

570,000 lbs

OF RECYCLED TIRE RUBBER
KEPT OUT OF LANDFILLS

83,220 Sq Ft

OF PUBLIC OUTDOOR FITNESS PARK
SPACE CREATED

FitLot Has Organized the Donation, Construction and Activation of Outdoor Fitness Parks in all 50 States the USVI, PR and DC.

Click below to find your closest FitLot or to learn more about a particular project.

Praise for “The FitLot Method”

12-week training program

“My mobility has improved more than 50% since I started. About a month ago I’d have to get in a grocery store cart to do my shopping. The progress I’m making is life changing.”

FitLot outdoor fitness park user in New Orleans

Ms. Dorraine PorcheNew Orleans FitLot Method 12-Week Series Participant - Fall 2017

Our Plan for a Greater New Orleans Network of Outdoor Fitness Parks

FitLot is raising the support needed to plan, build, and program a network of outdoor fitness parks that will create equitable access to outdoor fitness spaces and instruction for more New Orleanians.

The map below features at least one potentially ideal location for a FitLot in each Council District.

Existing green spaces have been identified by the Councilmembers of those Districts as being an impactful location for the addition of an outdoor community fitness park.

While this is one possible framework of a Greater New Orleans network, the final site selection work will be collaborative and community-driven.

Explore the Network Map

On the map below, click the icon in the upper left corner to view the list of potential FitLot park locations in Orleans (blue) and Jefferson (yellow). Current FitLot parks (red) are included along with existing non-FitLot outdoor fitness parks (green). Click on a marker to view details of the park, including approximate number of residents served within a 10-minute walk.

Completion of GNO FitLot Network

THE WHY – BY THE NUMBERS

25-30 Year – Life Expectancy Difference

Residents in the Treme neighborhood live 25-30 years less than people in neighborhoods only two miles away.

31-42% of adults are obese

In the GNO Area, 31-42% of adults are obese, increasing the risk for leading causes of death, including heart attack, stroke, and different types of cancers.

24-34% of adults lack physical activity

In the Greater New Orleans area 24-34% of adults lack physical activity.

2.5%

1.26 Million people live in the New Orleans, Metairie Metro Area and only 2.5% live within walking distance of an outdoor fitness space.

To learn more about the health of the Greater New Orleans Area please view the resources below:

Maps & Stats

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What is a FitLot?

Here are the equipment details.

The FitLot offers a purposeful combination of equipment elements that provides a fully functional community fitness space for the widest range of ages and abilities.

Each FitLot is similar in size to a playground – is shaded and safety-surfaced, and contains both static and moveable fitness equipment for strength, cardio, balance, and flexibility training. The equipment is made with powder coated steel and made to last outdoors with minimal to no maintenance needed.

Activating Each Park

Programming

Creating opportunities for community members to learn how to use their FitLot is critical to our mission. We strive to see every FitLot activated with free community fitness programs.

The FitLot Method Circuit Training Program leverages the park as a whole and includes an activation platform featuring instructional exercise videos, circuit training planning guides, and training programs for local fitness professionals to become FitLot Neighborhood Coaches and run no cost classes for the community.

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Crew pours the concrete base of a FitLot Outdoor Fitness Park

Professional Installation

FitLot works with a team of certified installers who manage construction and installation and also assist with long term maintenance. Each park takes about 3 weeks to build.

The GNO Network of FitLots could be built in a matter of months, or the parks could be strategically rolled out over a longer period of time as a one or two-year impact initiative.

A machine places the centerpiece of a FitLot Outdoor Fitness Park.

Want more details?

Visit our, "What Is a FitLot?" page. Download Install Specs

Sponsorship Benefits

Sponsoring a FitLot Outdoor Fitness Park makes a statement that you are truly dedicated to the long term health of the community you serve. People will interact with these public spaces multiple times a week to improve their health and quality of life for the next 20 years.

Logo Recognition and Custom Colors

The welcome sign, safety surfacing, and shade canopy all provide opportunities for sponsor recognition and logo placements.

In addition, park equipment can feature a custom color palette to match the branding of the sponsor.

Public Relations

Over the last two years, our Community Build Days, Ribbon Cuttings, and ongoing activation of the parks have all been well covered by news media outlets throughout the country.

In an 18-month period, the AARP FitLot Initiative was picked up by 98 different media outlets across America with a potential reach of over 65 million people. Along with print and online news outlets, almost half of these earned media hits were via local broadcast television news.

We’ve also had broad social media engagement by Mayors and other elected officials, parks and recreation department pages, FitLot coaches and users all across the country.