How Metal Buildings Encourage Recreational Activity
What do commercial steel buildings and recreation have in common?
More than you think!
Both of these industries are expanding in the United States, and in many ways, they are benefiting from one another in their rising popularity.
Keep reading to learn how these sectors merge to encourage business growth and healthy habits.
Unhealthy Trends
It isn’t news to say that regular physical activity improves health and reduces the risk of obesity.
Yet, many children continue to fall short of national recommendations for physical activity.
Trends of sedentary behaviors including watching television, playing video games, and using computers, mobile phones, or tablets, continue to be prevalent among young people.
As a result of minimal exercise, cases of overweight and obese children and adolescents remain high. One national study found that half of the students in grades 6-10 got the minimum recommended amount of exercise.
Despite these alarming trends in health and fitness in the U.S., studies are showing that overall participation in organized fitness, training, and sports programs are on the rise.
In 2016, for example, U.S. health club memberships reached a record high of 57.3 million members, a 3 percent increase from 2015 (Study completed by the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association IHRSA). 
With a simultaneous health concern for young people and yet steady increases in recreational participation, the obesity problem in the U.S. doesn’t seem to have gone beyond the point of no return.
As recreational facilities become increasingly accessible to the community, it is possible that ever-increasing obesity rates will begin to reverse.
But if kids aren't responsible for the increased interest in recreation, who is?
The Role of University Recreational Centers
College campuses are playing a significant role in helping to reverse unhealthy habits among young people and bridge the gap between sedentary youth and rising interest in recreational participation among adults.
Recreational facilities have helped to increase student participation in physical activity to nearly 75% on several of the nation’s largest college campuses.
Auburn, University of Texas, Ohio State University, and The University of Maine have all shown noticeable increases in student participation in group fitness classes and gym use since remodeling their recreational centers.
Benefits of Recreational Facilities
Recreational facilities not only act as a convenient venue for physical health, but also provide the opportunity for social connection and community involvement.
Recreational facilities connect people within a community and provide a convenient, often low-cost solution to sedentary entertainment alternatives.
Regular exercise helps people maintain healthy body weight, stay physically fit, and prevent disease, but studies have shown that the social connection and community involvement that is fostered at recreational facilities may have just as many health benefits as working out.
The health and wellness benefits of recreational facilities are not limited to gyms and public swimming pools.
While traditional recreational centers with pools and weight rooms make up a significant percentage of facilities, there are endless activities a recreational building may be constructed for.
Some recreational building uses include:
- Golf and Miniature Golf Facilities
- Play Areas
- Swimming Pools, Wading Pools, and Spas
- Shooting Ranges with Firing Positions
- Climbing Gyms
- Trampoline Parks
- Water Park
- Indoor Mountain Biking
- Indoor Amusement Rides
- Athletic Centers
- Indoor Sports Facilities and more
With the benefits of recreation well-documented, it is clear that recreational facilities are crucial to a community’s well-being.
With higher numbers of quality, local athletic and exercise facilities, communities can combat obesity on a large scale and encourage community connection.
By supporting expansion projects or the construction of new recreational facilities, communities are fostering well-being for thousands.
Increasing Presence of Local Recreational Facilities
The growing awareness of obesity as a public health concern has generated interest in how residential environments, including buildings, can influence and encourage physical activity.
In a study completed by the National Recreation and Park Association, it was discovered that many Americans see local park and recreation services as a great benefit to their communities, even if they do not utilize these facilities.
This national study found that Americans view local park and recreation services as an essential part of what makes their local community livable, vibrant, and worth investing in.
The current trends in poor health and obesity have, if anything, increased the need for the numerous benefits of recreation.
Rapid technological changes and resulting social isolation has highlighted the need for public places of health and wellness where people of all ages and social strata can interact and connect.
Many not-for-profit societies are making sports and active hobbies accessible for everyone, regardless of ability to pay or athletic skills.
This increased accessibility is helping everyone take advantage of the opportunity to become more healthy and physically active.
Steel Buildings Aid Recreational Expansion
Recreational facilities have to grow and expand to keep up with the increasing population and increasing trends in physical activity. Many recreational facilities are opting for steel constructions to provide ample space and an attractive design inside and out.
With the differences between steel buildings and timber buildings, choosing a steel building makes it an obvious choice for a recreational building.
Because parks and recreational organizations lead the community in well being, it follows that the recreational facilities they use should also be a point of community pride. 
Many steel recreational structures are recognized as world-class facilities and stand as a beacon of health, prosperity, and connection for the local community.
Steel and metal buildings provide an excellent construction solution for recreational facilities because of their quick construction, flexibility for expansion, and versatile use.
Steel buildings are also compatible with vertical lift doors that easily allow facilities to open up the building for spectator viewing and special events.
A high-quality metal building kit offers a strong foundation for a sports facility encourages the sport to grow locally and can lead to the development of world-class athletes who compete internationally.
Whether a community organization houses a rock climbing gym, indoor soccer fields, weight-lifting equipment, or laser tag, steel buildings can provide innovative recreation facilities that accommodate any number of sports and activities.
Metal buildings are increasingly becoming the structure of choice for a broad spectrum of recreational activities.
Contact CDMG for A Steel Recreational Building
If you are considering a metal building for your recreational facility, contact CDMG today to schedule an appointment.
Share your requirements for your metal building project, and our team of skilled, professional engineers would be happy to arrange a meeting and provide a quote.
Check Out Our Other Articles:
Why Using Cheap Steel (Chinese Steel) May Be Unsafe for Your Project
How Steel Buildings are leading the way in Green Construction
I'm Ben Sparhawk, the Content Writer and Marketing Account Manager for CDMG. I write to showcase the work that CDMG does and everything related to the pre-engineered metal building industry as well as their engineering capabilities. When I'm not working on content, you can find me spending time with my wife and children. You can also find me in the gym, trying to better myself, and I also enjoy spending time outdoors hiking or checking out local parks.