With summer in Kyiv, it’s time to get out of that stuffy gym, go outside and exercise in the fresh air. The Kyiv Post checked out four outdoor activities available in Kyiv.
SkyFitness workout
This outdoor workout is held once a week in Taras Shevchenko Park in Kyiv near the red building of Taras Shevchenko National University, on Saturday or Sunday, depending on the weather. Three fitness instructors, Kateryna Glushko, Anastasya Shymanska and Alexandra Matsapura, carefully plan the workout in advance. The training sessions usually include exercises with additional equipment, which is provided, such as TRX suspension training straps.
The idea came to the women one sunny day after a workout, when they looked out of the window and thought that it would have been nice to exercise outside. Soon they decided to do just that.
Workout participants jump, squat, and do lots of other exercises – often attracting onlookers and tempting some of them to join in as well.
When it starts, the group usually has about 10 participants. Each workout session costs Hr 100.
To register, go to www.facebook.com/healthfitgroup/ and send the organizers a message.
Jogging in parks
Kyiv Running club was established in 2011. It has over 300 members, with about 100 people taking part in each workout. Four instructors attend every event, to guide joggers, monitor their condition, and encourage them if need be.
Club members run in different parts of Kyiv: the Botanical Gardens, the Athlete Stadium and in Holisiivskyi Park.
Most of the training sessions are for members only, but once in a while Kyiv Running club has open events. For the latest event schedule, go to www.running.kiev.ua. Open running days are free.
To apply for membership of the club, send an e-mail to [email protected], with information on your weight, height, date of birth, and photos (not obligatory). Membership costs Hr 350 per month.
Falun Dafa
Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) is an advanced meditation and exercise practice of the Buddhist and Taoist schools. In comparison to other kinds of meditation, it is very simple, consisting only of five sets: four sets standing and one in the sitting position.
To join the group, just come to one of the trainings in comfortable clothing. Other members will help newcomers to adjust to the rhythm of the workout.
Anna Pidsosonnaya has practiced Falun Dafa for 17 years.
“It is very easy to recognize new faces. I try to help people to adjust,” she told the Kyiv Post.
The meditation sessions take place in two locations in Kyiv: in Maryinskiy park on Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:15 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:15 p.m.; and at the intersection of Khreshchatyk Street and Luteranska Street on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:15 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:15 p.m. The sessions are free to attend.
Dnipro kayaking
If you know your kayak from your canoe, you’ll know that while a canoe is an open boat, a kayak usually has a covered deck, where the paddler sits facing forward, legs in front, using a double-bladed paddle to pull front-to-back on one side and then the other.
There are three places where a kayak can be rented in Kyiv: in Hydropark near the Venetian bridge, on the riverbank near the Slavutych metro station, and on Obolonska embankment at the Natalka beach (near the Cathedral of Christ’s Birth). The renting points work from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends
An instructor can teach a client to kayak in 10-15 minutes.
Renting a kayak for two people costs Hr 60 for the first hour, with the price going down for every subsequent hour.
