Make NYC Your Gym Hosts Shape Up NYC Zumba Class Today

An expert fitness instructor from Equinox Fitness Clubs will make fitness fun by leading a Shape Up NYC Zumba class to celebrate Day 5 of "Make NYC Your Gym" week. Throughout the week, New Yorkers are encouraged to celebrate the unique characteristics of New York City that promote physical activity. Acres of park land, hundreds of miles of sidewalks and bike lanes, a vast array of free and low-cost fitness programs and a massive, easy-to-use public transportation system make the City an excellent place to be physically active. The City also marks the recent overall enhancement of BeFitNYC, an online search engine available at NYC.gov to help New Yorkers locate free and low-cost fitness opportunities and invite friends and family to join in those events. BeFitNYC has been transformed to make it easy for New Yorkers to take advantage of the many fitness offerings available across the City and allows users to create their own physical activity events using Facebook. It has never been easier to Make NYC Your Gym.

Who: Parks Borough Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey; Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Equinox Fitness Instructor Carolann Valentino. We expect about 50 participants in the Shape Up class.

Where: St. Johns Recreation Center, 1251 Prospect Place, Brooklyn

When: Friday, June 10, 2011 - 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Why: Obesity is a serious and growing problem in the United States and 60% of NYC's adult population and 40% of its children are either overweight or obese. Yet New York City is one of the nation's most foot-friendly cities, and those who take advantage of that fact are likely to be healthier for it. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. One in eight deaths annually among New Yorkers aged 30 and above could be prevented with more physical activity. Shape Up NYC, sponsored by Equinox Fitness Clubs and Empire BlueCross BlueShield, offers free fitness classes every week at dozens of locations across the five boroughs. Go on BeFitNYC.org to find almost 1000 ways, including Shape Up NYC, to get out of your seat, and "Make NYC Your Gym."