BEAUMONT, Miss.—In rural communities such as Beaumont, staying active often depends on what residents can create for themselves.
There is no local gym. The nearest fitness centers are 20 to 30 minutes away, and town leaders say there are no current plans to add fitness programs.
For Calvin Bolton, that meant building his own workout space one piece at a time.
“Every year, I would buy me some weights,” Bolton said. “If there were one, two dumbbells or whatever, I would buy. If there were two plates, I would buy two plates and just start building up from there.”
Bolton said he once explored opening a downtown gym, but the plan never took shape after the woman helping coordinate the effort died before discussions could continue.
Now, he said, a few men occasionally come by to lift weights, while others rely on walking, jogging or informal exercise.
Henry Hopkins said a local fitness option could help residents improve their health, especially in a community where transportation and cost can make driving to another town difficult.
“In this community, it would definitely be a way to improve their health,” Hopkins said. “Most people in this area don’t eat the right way, so you need some other way to work on your health.”
Beaumont Mayor Jamie Chambless said the challenge is not whether some residents would use a gym, but whether enough people would use one consistently. According to Data USA, about 822 people live in Beaumont.
“I’m sure we have people that would like it, but not enough to keep it going for a business for someone to invest their time and money into,” Chambless said.
Town leaders previously considered asking community members to donate used gym equipment, but Chambless said the project fell through because a shared fitness space would still require staffing.
“You’ve got to have somebody to monitor it, somebody to operate it, somebody to be there,” Chambless said. “We’re just not big enough.”
School facilities are not an option either. Although Mississippi law allows public use of school property during non-school hours for recreation and sports, Chambless said the Perry County School District does not permit residents to use school fitness facilities because of liability concerns.
For now, Beaumont’s main public fitness option is an outdoor track, leaving residents to rely on walking, yardwork or exercising at home.
Greg McCloud, a family nurse practitioner at Peak Health and Wellness, said limited access to gyms does not mean residents are without options.
“If somebody does not have resources to that, it doesn’t mean they can’t stay active or become active,” McCloud said. “Even just regular moving, getting steps in, moving, working outside in the yard, doing something has a major impact on overall health.”
The need is significant in Perry County, where 41.7% of residents were obese in 2022, according to Data Commons.
McCloud said financial barriers can make fitness harder for lower-income families, especially when exercise requires a membership or travel.
“If we don’t have the money, then we can’t go,” McCloud said. “It does cost money to go to a gym, so if somebody does not have the financial resources, then they’re probably not going to go.”
He said communities can help by offering free fitness options, such as walking groups, beginner exercise classes or public fitness challenges.
This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
