Fit City Duluth

A new website helps Duluthians take advantage of the great outdoors in their own backyards.

By Joan Schneider

It’s no secret that Duluth has an amazing array of options to offer residents and visitors who want to get fit and active. In fact, Outdoor Magazine recently rated our fair city as one of the top ten outdoor towns in the country, in no small part because of the hundreds of miles of scenic hiking, biking and running within city limits.

The problem is finding it all. Beyond the Lakewalk, Lester River and Chester Creek trails, where do you go to get moving outside?

If you’re short of ideas, you can find inspiration at a new website, www.fitcityduluth.com. Launched in September, 2007 by fitness enthusiasts Mimi Stender, Anna McGee and Carrie Heilkila, Fit City Duluth aims to provide comprehensive information for people seeking any outdoor activity.

“One of our main goals is to encourage people to be active,” says Stender. “It’s all about people in Duluth, Superior and the surrounding area finding ways to get out and move. Our motto is, be active and interactive.”

And it’s not just for locals. People from all over the country can log on to the website, find the information they need to make plans for active Twin Ports vacations built around their favorite sports. Links and ads on the site even provide information for accommodations.

The Fit City Duluth website was born somewhat out of frustration, says Stender.

“I was in the process of trying to find activities for my children, husband, and myself. I was all over the web on my computer and it was very frustrating. I just felt this beautiful community needed a single portal of information.”

Anna McGee, a personal trainer at the Duluth YMCA, agrees. “We needed a single source to find information about all these fabulous activities.”

So the women put in the hours researching retailers, their own personal networks, public spaces, organizations and clubs.

The website is organized by category —  fitness activities, health & wellness, events, youth programs and even a gear swap.

“I’m really into youth activities,” says Stender. “It’s so important to be active when you’re young to establish life-long healthy habits.”

Fitness activities on the site run the gamut and include running, walking, hiking, cross country skiing, biking, skating, canoeing and kayaking, downhill skiing and snowboarding, golf, group fitness, martial arts, swimming, tennis, and weight training. Within each section, say group fitness, there is an overview, locations, events, organizations and clubs, coaching, instruction, retailers and even a map.

“We want to promote the area clubs that people might not know about,” adds Stender.

With all of that information at your fingertips, what’s the best way to get started on the road to a more fit and healthy you? Stender offers these tips:

 

• Get clearance from your physician.

• Engage a friend (may be a co-worker, relative) so that you are accountable and can stay on track.

• Make a list of goals and then divide the goals into immediate (buy running shoes), short term (run three miles), and long term. (Grandma’s Marathon?) You can adjust your goals as you go.

• Don’t fall prey to the common mistake of doing too much too quickly. That’s the way to become injured or discouraged.

• Join clubs or organizations that you are interested in. Group statistics show one will more likely stick with the program.

• Be sure you do something you enjoy and that it is realistic.

• Try a lot of different activities to find what you like. Sometimes they will vary with the season.

• Keep the activity appropriately challenging so that you don’ stay on a plateau.

As it says on the first page of Fit City Duluth, “Fitness cannot be defined by one sport, one look, or one level. Fitness is how you feel when you’re active. For you, it’s whatever keeps you fit and healthy.”