Physical Fitness - For Free!
Who said there's no free lunch? Well, lunch still isn't free, but you can work off the excess fat you ate for free.
Sure, you could go to one of the numerous fitness clubs and gyms around town. There's not much new in one of those places. As a matter of fact, they're just like the ones back home, except the music is louder and Korean. Treadmills, weight machines, stationary bicycles and ... fees. Don't forget the fees. You'll end up paying somewhere between 30,000 and 60,000 won a month for the priveledges using their equipment.
But the city of Ulsan has made sure you can stay fit for free if you want to. Nearly every park and playground has fitness machines. If you plan carefully, you can get in a good run, walk or bike ride and use the machines along the path.
This set of equipment sits along the Taewha River park among the bamboo forest. Hula-hoops are popular as are the hip-twists and stretching machines. |
Spaced about 1km apart along the river, another fitness set contains a small weight bench for presses. |
This man takes a breather after working the "wheel" to limber up his arms and shoulders. |
All along the Taewha walking/biking path there are small fitness sets. Even on bitterly cold mornings it's not uncommon to see people bundled for the cold but using the equipment. |
But one needn't go only to the parks or along the river. Some sets are sprinkled throughout the woods and hills throughout the city. This set is tucked beneath a small earthen dam at the base of Munsu Mt in Cheonsang. |
Wherever there is a well trodden path around Munsusan, one can find fitness equipment. |
Although difficult to see in Spring and Summer, this set stands out well in the brown, leafless trees of winter. Walking or hiking along the path, however, they are hard to miss. |
Another set is stashed along a hiking trail. This set is several hundred meters from any road, which means some poor team of laborers had to schlep this gear on their backs in pieces to be set up here. The men got their workout for the day just toting these up here. |
The only down side to using this equipment as your main source of fitness is the weather. But if you make hay while the sun shines you should be able to keep reasonably fit and trim on the cheap.