Shape Up NYC Kicks Off Across The City With Equinox

The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, NYC Service and Equinox Fitness Clubs today launched the first week of its expanded Shape Up NYC, a free citywide fitness program that targets neighborhoods with high rates of obesity and obesity related disease. Group Fitness Instructors from Equinox led an energetic IntenSati class, a cardio workout that includes martial arts moves and personal affirmations for strength and empowerment. Equinox Instructors and class participants shared their “Life Stories,” highlighting the dramatic impact of fitness on their daily lives. Parks’ new mascot, Pearl the Squirrel, also made an appearance! Today’s kick-off was held at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center in Manhattan. Additional kick-offs are being held throughout the five boroughs at Lost Battalion Hall in Queens on Tuesday, P.S. 279 in the Bronx on Wednesday, Herbert Von King Recreation Center in Brooklyn on Thursday, and DeMatti Park in Staten Island on Friday.

“Shape Up NYC is the best way in the city to tighten your waistline without stretching your budget,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “We are enormously grateful to Equinox for generously agreeing to become the adult fitness partner for Shape Up classes for an entire year, as we launch the program this week at parks and recreation centers in all five boroughs. Good fitness and eating habits are essential to leading a healthy and balanced life, and our parks and recreation centers are great places for regular exercise.”

“Equinox is excited to partner with NYC Service and the Department of Parks and Recreation to expand Shape Up NYC and increase free fitness opportunities across the city” said Harvey Spevak, CEO of Equinox. “At Equinox, we have always believed that good fitness and good health are everyone’s right. Every New Yorker deserves to have them. That’s why Shape Up NYC is so important and we are committed to its success.”

“The time, energy, and expertise contributed by Equinox’s volunteer fitness instructors will build Shape Up NYC’s capacity and enable the program to serve even more New Yorkers in need of free and accessible fitness options for their families. I hope all New Yorkers will take advantage of this volunteerism that can help us address a pressing need,” said Diahann Billings-Burford, Chief Service Officer.

Starting today, Shape Up NYC will offer free fitness classes every week at 42 locations across the five boroughs. Shape Up NYC classes are taught by talented, enthusiastic and knowledgeable fitness instructors who know how to make fitness fun. Class offerings are varied and include Yoga, Pilates Fusion, Zumba, Kickboxing and Cardio Sculpt. Classes are completely free, open to the public and no pre-registration is required, so participants just find the location in their neighborhood and start to Shape Up.

Thanks to a major new partnership with Equinox, the existing Shape Up NYC program has expanded to 16 additional Recreation Centers and 6 housing, school sites and health facilities in all five boroughs – more than doubling the size of the existing program, giving New Yorkers 222 opportunities to Shape Up every week with a capacity to reach over 60,000 New Yorkers during Shape Up NYC’s first eight week session. Equinox will specialize in adult Shape Up programming, becoming Parks’ lead sponsor in the adult fitness arena and propelling the Mayor’s plans to get sedentary New Yorkers into a new habit of fitness.

The Shape Up NYC program is a partnership of Equinox, the Department of Parks and Recreation, NYC Service and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.