Warner Robins Mayor kicks off city-wide health initiative: ‘It’s fun and it’s fit’

WARNER ROBINS — Warner Robins is turning up the heat – and heartbeats – this summer.

From Zumba at the park to kickboxing at local gyms, the city is bringing fun, fitness, and feel-good vibes to the community all summer long, with the Mayor’s Health Initiative, a series of events spanning from June to August. The initiative kicked off with a Zumba in the Park event on June 3.

Events include a variety of fitness group classes and clinics, such as Pound, yoga, Barre, golf, tennis, and kickboxing. The city has also partnered with Emory Healthcare to offer seminars on various topics, including self-care and nutrition.

Mayor LaRhonda Patrick said the initiative is now in its third year and focuses on community engagement for a healthy cause.

“It’s all about the community coming together to get fit, to be proactive about their health and having fun while they’re doing it,” she said.

This year, the city established a schedule with specific weekdays for offering classes, ensuring both consistency and flexibility for participants.

“Right now, we’re trying to do something every Tuesday and Saturday through the month of August. So that’s going to be buried in people’s heads, so they’ll know to expect to come out with the city every Tuesday and Saturday to do something fun and fit,” Patrick said.

Another new aspect is increased community involvement, with several classes taking place at area gyms. Examples Patrick mentioned were Kickboxing at Kingdom Boxing and Pure Barre Elevate at Pure Barre Studio. She reported excitement from both the city and participating businesses to collaborate.

“That gives citizens a chance to go out and try different types of fitness classes at the actual location of the business, instead of just having the experience on city property. It connects constituents with the type of fitness class and also exposes them to a new location,” she said.

Patrick was initially inspired to start the program after noticing how much the city spent on healthcare for preventable causes among its employees. She aimed to promote healthy habits to improve their quality of life.

Many city employees reported struggling to find time for exercise. As Mayor and a mother, Patrick understood this challenge and aimed to provide opportunities for the community to be active. With a busy schedule, Patrick emphasizes the importance of maintaining health through good nutrition.

“I know a lot of city employees share the same story as me, so we wanted to do something to make it more convenient and fun to have fitness opportunities,” she said.

Patrick invites the community to get active and healthy this summer.

“It’s completely free and it’s fun and it’s fit. So come on out,” she said.

A full schedule of events can be found on the city’s Facebook page.