Nowon-gu Launches Moderate-to-Vigorous Fitness Program to Build Lasting Exercise Habits!

Nowon-gu in Seoul said it is running a moderate-to-vigorous physical activity program designed to help residents build consistent exercise habits in their daily lives.

The WHO and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, along with strength training at least twice a week. Nowon-gu developed the program to help residents consistently meet those guidelines, linking fitness assessments, exercise education and follow-up care in a single offering.

The program targets Nowon-gu residents aged 20 and older and runs three cohorts per year. Each cohort spans 12 weeks, with two 60-minute sessions per week.

It is structured around four stages: a pre-assessment, tailored exercise education, a post-assessment and a resident-led independent exercise phase. In the pre-assessment, participants have their body composition — including skeletal muscle mass, body fat percentage and BMI — as well as their flexibility, muscle strength and exercise habits evaluated.

Under the guidance of professional instructors, participants then work through a range of moderate-to-vigorous activities: bodyweight strength exercises, small-equipment workouts using resistance bands and balance cushions, aerobic exercise, and foam roller routines. They also learn to use the Rating of Perceived Exertion scale to self-regulate workout intensity based on their individual fitness levels.

The program also incorporates a nutrition component, using a dietary habit survey to review participants' eating patterns and teaching them nutritional strategies to reduce body fat and increase skeletal muscle mass.

As of late August, the program had held 177 sessions this year, with 261 residents taking part. Post-assessments for the ninth cohort, which ran from June through August, showed 100 percent participant satisfaction. Flexibility improved by an average of 1.7 centimeters and body fat percentage fell by 0.5 percentage points. According to the Community Health Survey, the share of Nowon-gu residents meeting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity guidelines has risen consistently, from 24.6 percent in 2023 to 25.8 percent in 2025.

After the formal program ends, the district runs resident-led self-help exercise clubs to help participants keep up their physical activity. Members can continue exercising independently using instructional videos, audio materials and printed guides.

From January through August this year, the self-help clubs held 258 sessions. Since 2024, a cumulative 342 individual members have joined the clubs, with total attendance reaching 7,230 person-visits. The district plans to continue linking the exercise education program with the resident-led clubs to support ongoing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in daily life.

Recruitment is currently open for the 10th and final cohort of the year. Any Nowon-gu resident aged 20 or older may apply by phone or through the program's KakaoTalk channel. Sessions are held at the Nowon-gu Public Health Center and the Gongneung and Wolgye community health branches; hours and enrollment capacity vary by location.

Nowon-gu District Mayor Seo Jun-o said building a sustainable exercise routine matters more than one-off workouts for a healthy life. "Through this program, we want residents to understand their own health status, develop the capacity to exercise on their own, and make physical activity a natural part of everyday life," he said. "We will continue to provide consistent support to make that happen."