Come On, Get Outside! Let’s G.O.!
Last year more than 100,000 adults and children took steps toward making their community healthier through the Let’s G.O.! (Get Outside) campaign. An initiative of the Children & Nature Network, this month-long campaign encourages children and adults to soak up the great outdoors. So, put down the video game controller, the TV remote control and the iPad and get outside for the month of April!
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that time outdoors benefits children both mentally and physically. Hey, even adults can unwind after a stressful day at work with a walk in the park or just sitting in the backyard listening to the birds.
And the best part of all this is that enjoying the great outdoors is free. You don’t need fancy equipment to take a walk, plan a backyard scavenger hunt or volunteer in a park or beach cleanup.
If you need more convincing, this document compiled by the Children & Nature Network is 48 pages of studies pointing to the benefits of children spending time outdoors.
In fact, our own Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. has announced a citywide initiative calling on Charleston to lose a collective 100,000 pounds through healthy eating and exercise. The Lighten Up Charleston campaign was announced March 26 and is all about reducing the obesity epidemic through diet and physical activity.
So, what better time to get outside and start moving!