OUT IS IN!
Role of Parks and Recreation on Health and Wellness
Did you know that taking exercise in the natural environment benefits your mental and physical wellbeing?
You don’t have to take MY word for it, click here for the scientific study .
In fact, July is actually National Parks and Recreation MONTH!
It’s not too late to get out and experience the great outdoors before school starts and summer is over. In fact, you don’t even need to go far. Here’s a site where you can find them all!
Leading the nation to improved health and wellness through parks and recreation we have the National Parks and Recreation Association. I looked them up. There’s a lot of cool health information on this site, believe it or not, they’re not just about playing around…
You see, America continues to feel the strain of a serious health crisis affecting adults and young alike. We are plagued by poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, and unhealthy habits. But there is a solution with little to no cost and is available in nearly every town, city and community – local parks and recreation.
The scientific evidence is mounting that parks and recreation are building healthier communities and top health officials in the country – U.S. Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – validate that parks and recreation are a critical solution for our nation’s health epidemic.
Parks and recreation are enacting strategies focused on improving access to healthy food, increasing opportunities for physical activity, decreasing tobacco consumption, and so much more. The solutions they provide are making a real difference, like in Montgomery, AL, where leadership by the park and recreation agency has helped reduce the rate of obesity from 34 to 30.9 percent, taking the county from the Most Obese in 2010 to 15th in 2012.
Now how cool is that???
Click here for their position statement, supporting points and statistics on health and wellness. I dare you to check it out! This is good stuff for our brain…and that’s what I love to promote: WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH…
Because, as I always say, if you don’t take care of your brain, you will LOSE IT!
So, with that, here’s a photo captured on a recent outing with family and friends in the Topock Gorge. I believe in practicing what I preach, do you?
If you have never been to Topock Gorge, check out this slide show I found on YouTube for a little tour!
Cheers and safe travels! Stay tuned for a series upcoming back to school posts on optimal learning…
Fun on the boat with our girls
