July is National Park and Recreation month and time to get outdoors
Next month, "Out is In" as July is the 30th Anniversary of Park and Recreation Month. But how often are we "out?" You'd be surprised. The National Park Service conducted a study that has some very interesting findings about how we spend our time outdoors.
The bottom line: as humans, we need to spend more time on a park bench and less time on the couch because with the American lifestyle today - the electronic environment has replaced the natural one.
The National Recreation and Park Association study involved more than 1,000 people from all corners of the country and from different age groups and demographics.
Here are some of their findings:
Time outdoors - daily only about 31% of us spend more than 60 minutes outdoors. Twenty-two percent spend 31-60 minutes outside and 28% spend 11 to 30 minutes. When you take into account the time we use for routine walks to a car, office, or convenience store, folks, that's not a whole lot of time under the sun.
Indoor activities most likely to do outside - when we do go outside, what are the top activities we like to do? Run? Hike? Walk? Nope.
The number one activity we do is eat. A full 56% of people said that's what they do when they are outside. You can't fault people who sit on a picnic table or bench during lunchtime outside. Or people who fire up the barbecue grill or a park grill. At least they are getting some sunshine and fresh air.
According to the survey, the next most popular activity outdoor is reading. That's cool. Sitting on a park bench reading a book under a cool, shady tree is certainly a pleasant experience. About 55% of people said they do this.
But next on the list of outdoor activities involves those evil electrons once again - 38% of people say they will sit on a park bench so they can hook up with some form of technology - check their iPhones, email or text. (Just don't ignore the leaves, grass, ponds, birds and blue skies).
Here's another surprising statistic - 30% of people say they go outside to shop. Walking through the parking lot to Macy's is not exactly walking on a nature trail or even a sidewalk in the neighborhood, but it is at least an outdoor activity.
This one takes the cake, or should we say, pillow. Thirteen percent of Americans say they go outside to sleep. Sleep where? On a park bench? A hammock? The ground?
Choose a park bench instead of a TV
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know the main culprit responsible for the small amount of time we spend outside. Yep, it's electricity. We're addicted to electrons.
People were asked the top activities they would trade in so they could spend more time outside. Here are the top four.
Activities to replace to gain more time outdoors
TV - 46%
Video games - 34%
Computers or tablets - 24%
Smartphones - 19%.
We get it. Americans are busy. For the most part they are indoors because of work, school, home activities, driving a car or grabbing tonight's dinner.
But study after study shows that going outside has tremendous health benefits both physically and mentally. For all the gadgets we own and for as advanced as we think we are as a species, humans are still meant to spend time outside, just like our animal friends.
Park benc
Studies show people who live near parks are happier. Research indicates people who spend a few minutes outdoors feel more recharged during the day. Going for a walk has tremendous benefits.
This next month is Park and Recreation Month. Over the years, millions of man hours and billions of dollars have been spent providing parks to the public, maintaining them and providing recreational activities in those parks.
This is an excellent opportunity for park officials, park enthusiasts, school officials and parents to raise awareness about the benefits of being "Out" as opposed to being "In." Contact the media. Talk it up on Facebook and Twitter. Show more photos in Pinterest and Instagram of people having fun outdoors. (There's a link for a free poster below).
Schools can provide a great service here promoting the outdoors to students…and parents. First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" program is also promoting the month to its followers.
And be sure to give people suggestions on where they can go to get out. That's right - local and national parks.
Why not take advantage of this great resource? Most parks, unlike that $150 monthly cellphone bill, are free.
If people still feel a need to feed that smartphone? Here's a suggestion.
Run a campaign suggesting that when they do pick up their smartphone, here's the first thing they should do during Park and Recreation Month. Pick a weekend or week day in July and post a reminder on their electronic calendar to get out to a local or national park.
Schedule time and set an alarm to sit on a park bench. Gather the family around a picnic table. Toss a football. Go for a walk.
Smartphones, tablets and laptops get plenty of our attention. In July, it's time to pay more attention to the benefits of green grass and fresh air in a colorful park. Our bodies and minds will be grateful.
To see details of the study visit the National Recreation and Park Association site here.
For a free poster for Park and Recreation month go here.