Walk in a Broward County Park - It's Good for You!

DATE: June 10, 2016

MEDIA CONTACT: Michael Mills

Parks and Recreation Division

PHONE: 954-357-8115

BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Last fall the U.S. Surgeon General's office released a lengthy publication with a lengthy title: Step It Up! The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. Coincidentally, the announcement of the initiative came roughly a week after the release of a short animated video encouraging people to walk in parks, produced by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and now available on YouTube under the title "Get Out and Walk in Your Local Park." From the American Heart Association to the Arthritis Foundation, all major health-care organizations endorse walking and suggest ways to get the most out of it.

The Step It Up! report starts out with some sobering statistics. One out of every two American adults, for example, lives with a chronic illness such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Only half of all adults and a quarter of high school students in the U.S. get enough aerobic physical activity.

The report quickly moves on to offer a solution: "Walking is an excellent way for most people to increase their physical activity. It is a powerful public health strategy for the following reasons:

· Walking is an easy way to start and maintain a physically active lifestyle.

· Walking is the most common form of physical activity for people across the country.

· Walking can serve many purposes. It can be a way to exercise, have fun, or get to school, work, or other nearby destinations.

· Making walking easier can help communities by improving safety, social cohesion, and local economies and reducing air pollution."

Like many large urban areas, however, South Florida can seem unfriendly to walkers. Communities are often so spread out that walking is impractical for transportation purposes. In many areas, sidewalks are rare or even nonexistent, making personal safety an issue.

An obvious way around such drawbacks, as the NRPA video suggests, is to turn to your local park systems. Broward County Parks, for instance, has nearly 50 sites - regional parks and nature centers, neighborhood parks, natural areas - suitable for walking. Most of these sites have sidewalks, paved trails, and/or boardwalks conducive to everything from a leisurely stroll to a briskly paced walk. (The latter is recommended for health purposes.) Did we mention that the scenery's not bad, either?

Our parks are open 363 days a year, closed only the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. They're also geographically dispersed throughout Broward County, so that there's at least one park site convenient to almost every community. And there's no admission fee on weekdays and a gate fee of only $1.50 per person on weekends and holidays. Two of our regional parks, Plantation Heritage Park (954-357-5135) in Plantation and T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park (954-357-8811) in Hollywood, have long offered incentives to walkers who register and keep up with the distances they cover. And our natural areas are even open at dawn to accommodate early walkers.

For further information on walking in our parks, call or visit the park of your choice.

Recreation. Preservation. Education.

About the Parks and Recreation Division

Founded in February 1956 and accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, Broward County Parks and Recreation Division manages almost 6,500 acres, encompassing nearly 50 regional parks and nature centers, neighborhood parks, and natural areas at various stages of development. Facilities include water parks, campgrounds, a target range, a stadium, a skate park, an observatory, mountain bike trails, an educational farm with stables, and a velodrome and other sports facilities. Hours and fees vary by location. For more information, visit Broward.org/Parks.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations in order to participate in programs, services, and activities must contact the Special Populations Section at 954-357-8170 or TTY 954-537-2844 at least five (5) business days prior to the scheduled meeting or event.