LET'S GO TO THE PARK!
By Rita Reagan-Underhill chore—than a staple. In recent
Healthy Living | Summer Issue | 2018 19
The park-prescription movement
is happening within Central
Park Livingston, according
to Rita Reagan-Underhill with
the Livingston-Overton County
Chamber of Commerce. “People
are realizing that we need to
find easier ways to get healthy,
and our park is part of the solution,
says Reagan-Underhill. It
provides physical and mental
health benefits for all who visit
the park.”
For children today, time
spent outdoors is becoming more
of a luxury—or in some cases, a
years “nature deficit disorder”
among kids has evolved from a
turn of a cultural indictment.
Smartphones and other screens
are increasingly vying for kids’
attention, but blame lies elsewhere,
too: just as recess is being
reduced or phased out in many
schools, children’s activities are
being increasingly structured
and scheduled, and concerns
over neighborhood crime and
safety can impede their ability to
play freely outdoors.
So, let’s get our friends and
family outdoors---Central Park
Livingston has a Splash Pad,
Playground, Exercise Equipment,
and more…but it’s not just
about the physical activity, but
studies have shown that parks can
enhance our emotional well-being
as well.
The park offers many outdoor
events and festivals including
Movies at the Park, Fall-O-Ween
in Livingston, Musical Events,
and others. This is a great time to
come relax with your family and
enjoy all the benefits the park has
to offer. Current trends show that
parks lead straight to the core of
the American healthcare system.
Our park is also linked to our
Downtown where you can walk,
shop, and dine at our local businesses…
It’s a treat for the whole
family…
Almost at the same time, researchers
have dramatically expanded
their understanding of
the positive link between health
and parks of all sorts. That knowledge
is giving rise to a nationwide
movement to integrate park visits
into disease treatment and prevention
through “park prescription”
programs like ours. “This
is the way that nature and parks
are going to be talked about—
it’s going to be commonplace for
your doctor to ask you about how
much time you’ve spent in nature,”
Reagan-Underhill says. “It’s
this perfect culmination, where
everybody’s starting to see this as
the wave of the future.”
Hope to see you in Downtown
Livingston at Central
Park…
/www.overtonco.com