As COVID-19 restrictions ease, people are slowly leaving their homes, reconnecting with their communities and rediscovering physical fitness.

To make that transition easier, California State University, Northridge’s 3 Wins Fitness, a student-led health training and nutrition education program, is partnering with the city of San Fernando and healthcare provider Anthem, Inc., to provide free, bilingual health education and fitness classes in El Cariso Community Regional Park, 13100 Hubbard St. in Sylmar, every Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 10 to 11 a.m.

“The classes are open to everyone —ages 5 years and up — regardless of your fitness level,” said CSUN kinesiology professor Steven Loy, founder of 3 Wins. “The goal is to prepare any individual to walk or run a mile faster. The past two years have turned the world upside down for so many of us — whether we had to work in person, or virtually — and our personal healthcare and fitness routines kind of fell to the wayside.

“As things start to return to normal, we wanted to find an easy, approachable way for people to rediscover that staying fit isn’t as hard as they think and to create a safe environment outdoors, where they can reconnect with their community,” Loy said.

Participants in the program will be invited to take part in The San Fernando Valley Mile, a one-mile walk/run/race down Maclay Avenue in the city of San Fernando on Oct. 29. The event, which is open to all, is designed to encourage personal healthcare and fitness.

Loy said the free Saturday-morning sessions, offered in Spanish and English, focus on strength, cardiovascular, mobility and flexibility training.

“We hope whole families participate, both in the classes and the October walk/run,” Loy said. “The pandemic has isolated so many of us, and this is a great way to reconnect with our families and our neighbors.”

3 WINS Fitness started in 2011 as a project by a group of California State University, Northridge kinesiology students and faculty in the College of Health and Human Development to bring health training and nutrition education to the community for free. Originally called 100 Citizens and recognized by the White House in 2013, the program operates in underserved communities across Southern California.