GET ACTIVE: Break a sweat without breaking the bank at RiverScape MetroPark

MetroParks offer free Fitness in the Park

From a peaceful tai chi practice to adrenaline-pumping zumba, RiverScape MetroPark is the place to be for free and fun fitness.

Five Rivers MetroParks has added new classes and brought back familiar favorites for its popular Fitness in the Park program, returning Monday, May 1. Yoga, zumba, tai chi and qigong are just a few of the regularly scheduled classes that get underway at the Pavilion in May. The Unit will also continue to run its bootcamp twice a week near Festival Plaza.

“As part of our mission to provide outdoor experiences that inspire a personal connection to nature, we have planned another summer packed full of a wide variety of fitness programs for our community to participate in at RiverScape MetroPark,” said MyKaelah Mercer, RiverScape manager. “It’s the perfect location for those living or visiting downtown to come to fulfill their fitness needs. Many of our participants come back every week, and in doing so, continue to build healthy, active lifestyles, as well as personal connections to the outdoors and other individuals within our community.”

Tori Reynolds of Speakeasy Yoga has been happily hosting a yoga practice at RiverScape for more than a decade, starting with GO W/ THE FLOW, an immersive combination of movement and music held on Bike to Work Day in 2012. She has been part of the Fitness in the Park program since 2014.

“The space is great, it’s beautiful and really accessible,” Reynolds said.

Also, accessibility is about more than location.

“It’s free and you can take a class without the intimidation of going into a studio or gym,” she said. “It really breaks down the barriers to fitness.”

The open-level vinyasa yoga classes are also offered with variations and modifications so all ages and ability levels can enjoy the experience.

Kelly Gibson, founder of INNERGIZE, is excited to join the Fitness in the Park family for the first time. Gibson offers high-energy dance fitness classes at locations throughout the Miami Valley with a focus on empowerment and positivity.

“I want you to move like you love yourself in an environment that is encouraging and empowering,” Gibson said. “Nothing fills me up more than seeing a class full of people who are smiling and having fun and knowing that I’m making a difference.”

With a mix of pop and hip-hop music, the INNERGIZE classes are sure to energize, but akin to the yoga classes, Gibson offers modifications, encouraging all levels to participate.

“I want to help these women realize they are worthy,” she said. “And have fun doing it.”

RiverScape MetroPark Fitness – May classes

* BootyMix Fitness (Amanda Miller) – May 1, 8, 15, 22, 6-7 p.m.

* The Unit – May 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 23, 29, 31, 6-7:30 p.m.

* SWERK (MVP Dance Fit) – May 3, 17, 24, 31, 6-7 p.m.

* Tai Chi & Qigong (Immortal Tree Qigong) – May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 6-7 p.m.

* INNERGIZE (Kelly Gibson) – May 10, 6-7 p.m.

* Zumba in the Park (Fit N Fruitful Wellness) – May 13, 10-11 a.m.

* Yoga in the Park (Speakeasy Yoga) – May 20, 10-11 a.m.

Riverscape MetroPark is located at 237 E. Monument Ave., Dayton. For more information, visit www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/riverscape/

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