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It was officially launched in time for the 2018 summer break with the idea of getting kids off the sofa, on the move, and away from their “screens,” to explore the beauty of nature.
The new Fitness Trail, a joint project of University Health System and San Antonio Zoo, provides guests of all ages with a way to combine fitness and fun. It’s a one mile loop situated among lush vegetation that connects guests with some of the zoo’s major animal exhibits, and includes signs that help guests track their progress at each quarter-mile mark.
Signs also include encouraging fitness facts that offer motivation and inspiration.
“Too often during the summer break, kids are parked in front of the TV or glued to a tablet or phone,” said Dr. Robert Sanders, a University Medicine Associates pediatrician and associate medical director of University Health System’s PediExpress. “It won’t take much convincing to get them moving around the Fitness Trail at the zoo, past all of the amazing animal exhibits. We’re excited to be part of this partnership with the zoo to encourage kids and families to be more active.”
The partnership goes beyond the Fitness Trail. University Health System provides medical supplies for San Antonio Zoo’s First Aid Program, offers flu shots for the Zoo Crew, and first aid training for the zoo staff through “Stop the Bleed” classes led by University Hospital’s trauma team.
Members of the Zoo Crew also work closely with our ChildLife team at University Hospital to ensure our young patients have opportunities for recreation and learning during their hospital stay. Recently, the San Antonio Zoo hosted an exclusive and memorable evening event for University Health System’s pediatric cancer patients called DreamNight.