The Ministry of Municipality, represented by the Public Parks Department and Al Rayyan Municipality, in cooperation with Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar's (WCM-Q) Sahtak Awalan, has participated in the inauguration of the new and innovative health concept 'The Fitness Box' in Al Rayyan Park.

Sahtak Awalan - Your Health First Campaign launched on Monday, 24 January 2022, 'The Fitness Box' campaign to boost the health and well-being of all the members of the community in Qatar.

The campaign was launched with the attendance of a number of officials from the Ministry of Municipality and WCM-Q, as well as ambassadors accredited to the country.

Fitness Box is a sustainable, solar-powered platform, crafted from upcycled shipping containers and equipped with giant screens to broadcast tailor-made free fitness classes led by internationally renowned instructors to the community.

Dean of WCM-Q Dr. Javaid Sheikh explained that initially, Fitness Box was launched in two venues: Al-Rayyan Park (Green Carpet) and Airport Park (Old airport area), where fitness classes are being held all week, adding that more platforms will be launched in other parks across the State of Qatar.

He added that the innovative Fitness Box initiative has been designed to inspire all members of the community to take regular exercise and to realize that keeping fit and healthy is very important, as it provides free exercise workouts, and the locations in parks provide a safe open-air space that allows participants to maintain social distancing while watching the fitness instructors on the giant screen.

"Each fitness class has been individually designed by popular fitness instructors according to criteria set out by Your Health First, with a focus on accessibility for all members of the community, no matter what their age or fitness level."

Dr. Sheikh added that the classes are offered in three languages - English, Arabic and Urdu - to further enhance accessibility

For her part, Chief External Affairs and Development Officer at WCM-Q and the driving force behind Sahtak Awalan Nesreen Al Rifai affirmed that the State of Qatar places a very high priority on empowering the future generation to stay fit and healthy so they can contribute to Qatar's amazing national journey as they grow older, pointing out that the initiative is bringing opportunities for exercise and inspiration directly to the community, giving everyone the chance to come together to enjoy keeping fit in a sustainable way.

"In addition to improving fitness, exercise helps prevent illnesses and provides a fantastic boost to mental health and wellbeing as well as fostering a sense of community."

شاركت #وزارة_البلدية ممثلة بإدارة الحدائق العامة وبلدية الريان بالتعاون مع كلية وايل كورنيل للطب ضمن حملة #صحتك_أولا في تدشين الصالة الرياضية بالمفهوم الجديد والمبتكر في عالم الصحة "فتنس بوكس" بحديقة الريان العامة (البساط الأخضر) بهدف تشجيع وتحفيز رواد الحدائق على ممارسة الرياضة. pic.twitter.com/S5DIsNBhv1

— وزارة البلدية | Ministry Of Municipality (@albaladiya) January 24, 2022

For his part, Director of Public Parks at the Ministry of Municipality Mohammed Ali Al Khouri said: "This collaboration with Sahtak Awalan - Your Health First, launched by WCM-Q, a Qatar Foundation partner university, is part of our recognition of the importance of social responsibility in which all efforts are united toward Qatar National Vision 2030."

"This excellent initiative supports the Ministry of Municipality's strategic goals to collaborate with health and sports entities to develop the entertainment areas at the public parks in order to encourage park visitors from all different age groups to exercise. The Fitness Box is a fantastic initiative that will give the health and wellbeing of the community a huge boost."

He pointed out that with the FIFA World Cup 2022 approaching, levels of enthusiasm for physical activity are sky high and The Fitness Box gives people a great outlet for that energy, helping them to achieve their personal fitness goals while meeting other members of the community and building social cohesion in Qatar.

He added:

"The fact that The Fitness Box installations are solar-powered is very significant and demonstrates that environmental practices and health and wellbeing can complement and support each other, creating a sustainable and healthy society for all."

For his part, Director of Al-Rayyan Municipality Jaber Hassan Al Jaber said:

"We are extremely proud and pleased to be part of this very important initiative that will allow our beautiful Al-Rayyan Park to support the health of the community by hosting The Fitness Box," adding "Giving people of all ages the opportunity to exercise in the fresh air and healthful surroundings of Al-Rayyan Park will make a wonderful contribution to making Al-Rayyan a healthy city and therefore will help us achieve the goals set out in Qatar National Vision 2030."

Sahtak Awalan - Your Health First is supported by its strategic partners: Qatar Foundation, The Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Municipality, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and ExxonMobil Qatar. The campaign was launched in 2012 and works to inspire and empower all members of the community to achieve and maintain good health in sustainable ways through a wide variety of initiatives.

Source: QNA, Ministry of Municipality
Cover image: Ministry of Municipality

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