Take a Walk in the Park Day

Improve your family’s health and support your local park by celebrating Take a Walk in the Park Day.

Research funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found kids spend 2 hours less per week outdoors than they did 20 years ago. With this decrease in outdoor activity comes an increase in health problems, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Kids that spend time outdoors in gardens and nature are more focused, perform better in school and have less problems with ADD symptoms. And all of us feel the benefit as our blood pressure is lowered and mood improved.

And parks have traditionally provided space for families to take a walk, gather and play. And opportunities for play are critical in development of muscle strength, coordination, language and cognitive abilities. Parks also improve our environment by capturing storm water runoff and air pollution.

Visit www.walkscore.com to find a park in or near your neighborhood.

A bit more information: History buffs in the family may also be intrigued by our National Parks. Check out interesting stories, research and history on our National Parks by clicking here.