June 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 45

Health & Fitness Day
Bringing families together for health and wellness
By Cina Makres and Melanie Seiler
C
elebrated the second Saturday in June each year, NRPA's Family
Health & Fitness Day (tinyurl.com/4a3rvn5m) is a nationwide
celebration of the importance of parks and recreation in keeping
individuals, families and communities healthy and active. This annual
campaign is an opportunity for everyone - park and recreation agencies,
community members, healthcare providers, public health communities, and
sponsors - to discover, embrace and share the power of parks and recreation
in promoting family health and well-being.
Parks and recreation is essential
(nrpa.org/Essential) to family health
and well-being for a variety of reasons,
and this special day is all about
celebrating just that! Here are just a
few of the health and well-being benefits
parks and recreation provides:
* People, including adults and
youth, who use parks and open
spaces are three times more likely
to achieve the recommended
levels of physical activity when
compared to non-users (tinyurl.
com/2c6269yf). Park and recreation
agencies provide endless
opportunities for community
members to get active - including,
but not limited to, access to
sports complexes, green spaces,
hiking
trails, swimming pools
and
fitness
programming
green-space
designed
for park users of all ages.
* Additionally,
exposure
corresponds with improved
physical health, including decreases
in stress levels, blood pressure,
heart
diseases
pital and lower general healthcare
costs
(tinyurl.com/55cmem4n;
tinyurl.com/22apkhan).
* High-quality parks and recreational
facilities also counter social isolation
by providing both structured
and informal opportunities
that
rate and risk of chronic
(tinyurl.com/2s3zfatv;
tinyurl.com/ycfsuunw). Similarly,
access to parks, open spaces and
recreational facilities reflect positive
increases in mental health,
such as reduced symptoms of anxiety
and depression in park users
(tinyurl.com/vrb8a23r). Therefore,
access to parks and recreation
leads to overall better health
outcomes, which results in less reliance
on medications for park users,
as well as fewer trips to the hosconnect
park users with nature
and each other. Social connections
not only improve health, but also
allow park users to develop a sense
of belonging and purpose within
their community.
To elevate the above reasons, and
many more not listed here, NRPA
encourages all organizations, near
and far, to join in on the fun and
celebrate the power of parks and
recreation each year. On the second
Saturday of June, park and
recreation agencies, as well as
community-based
organizations,
are encouraged to participate in
Family Health & Fitness Day by
inviting families to get active and
healthy at their local park or recreation
center. This can include
planning and hosting formal celebrations,
such as an all-day health
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | JUNE 2 0 2 4 | Parks & Recreation
45

http://tinyurl.com/4a3rvn5m http://tinyurl.com/55cmem4n http://tinyurl.com/22apkhan http://www.nrpa.org/Essential http://tinyurl.com/2s3zfatv http://tinyurl.com/ycfsuunw http://tinyurl.com/2c6269yf http://tinyurl.com/vrb8a23r

June 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2024 – Parks & Recreation