Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

Did you know we have more than a million acres of parks and outdoor spaces in Texas? The opportunities to get outside abound, as do the health benefits when you get active outdoors.

The general recommendation for physical activity for adults is at least a full 30 minutes a day … and children need a full hour. Benefits of regular activity include: better overall bodily health as well as improved mental health.

Local and state parks offer something from everyone: from hike and bike trails, to swimming, rock climbing, paddling, and geocaching. You can even perform volunteer services repairing trails or leading site tours.

The opportunity for outdoor play is limited only by your imagination!

Being outside means breathing fresh air, and the varying terrain offers challenges to a workout you can’t get from a treadmill at home.

Side stepping puddles, leaping up rocks, and traversing up and down hills exercise your balance and stability in addition to the cardiovascular system.

The outdoor alternative is also more affordable than the gym, as many state parks offer low-cost admission. So go ahead and get out, because life’s better outside.

Find a park or scenic trail near you at texasstateparks.org.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 at 12:00 am and is filed under Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.