Take your outdoor workouts to the next level in Aruba with QR-Fit.

Social media, the pandemic, and other factors contribute to people making more effort to lead a healthy lifestyle. In Aruba, I noticed a significant increase in outdoor activities in the last couple of years. People jog, cycle, and walk during all hours of the day. The Malmok boardwalk, linear park, Watty Vos Boulevard, Eagle Boardwalk, and Green Corridor all make it safer and easier to practice most outdoor activities. The Aruba Tourism Authority, along with other on-island partners, has worked hard to improve the infrastructure for locals and visitors. While walking and jogging are better than not doing any physical activity, other exercises need to be incorporated to get more health benefits from your outdoor sessions.

The QR-Fit program

Muscle building is an essential part of any health program. But how do you encourage walkers and joggers to push themselves a little more? Especially those who have little experience when it comes to working out. It will require some guidance and awareness. What do most people have on them when taking their daily walks? Their mobile phones! The QR-Fit team thought just that when they came up with the QR-Fit program.

To facilitate muscle-building exercises in public places, the QR-Fit team created a new concept. They display QR codes in strategic areas where people can scan them and are provided with unique workouts at each spot. In Aruba (the first ever QR-Fit location outside the Netherlands),  QR-fit codes are on 12 poles along the Malmok Boardwalk trail route. Launched in November 2022, this QR-Fit route is the first of 3 available on the island.

QR-FIT was established in June 2020. They were awarded the ‘Student Business Award 2020’ as well as the “Stimuleringsprijs Gelders Sportklimaat” to develop their services further. They have developed over 60 routes over the past two years during the COVID pandemic, and to illustrate their rapid growth, in March of 2022 alone, they placed another 60 poles in different counties/towns in the Netherlands.

About the QR-Fit workouts

The workouts are easy, from squats to lunges to jumping jacks. You can access the workouts by scanning the QR code on each pole on your route. You can use any QR scanner, including an iPhone camera, but we recommend using the QR-Fit app for a more seamless experience. You will receive a muscle-strengthening or conditional exercise when scanning a QR-FIT code. You can also choose between three fitness levels: beginner, intermediate or advanced. After choosing your fitness level, a tailor-made exercise is illustrated. Each workout contains a video demonstration and a step-by-step guide that can be translated into your language of choice. All the exercises on the QR codes rotate every 24 hours, so a new challenge is offered every day!

A healthier vacation experience

We always associate going on vacation with eating lots of (junk) food, indulging, and being lazy. Let’s change that! Your vacation should not leave you feeling lethargic and unhealthy. Yes, you can and should indulge, but let’s try and balance it out more. Why not take a nice long walk around sunrise/sunset? We can guarantee you’ll feel at peace and, not to mention proud, after your walk on the Malmok boardwalk. The QR-Fit codes will be there when you’re ready to take your stroll to another level. Your body and mind will thank you.

We refer to the QR-Fit website for more info on the team and accomplishments.