Great Outdoors Month

Whether you're on your own or adventuring with family and friends, our nation's lands and waters provide countless opportunities for activity, exploration, and recreation. Regular exercise in nature is proven to improve physical and mental health, and outdoor activity can help you maintain a healthy weight, boost your health, and lower stress. Great Outdoors Month encourages Americans of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to take on active and healthy lifestyles while enjoying our nation's abundance of beautiful, outdoor recreational spaces.

In the past month, two members of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition hiked the world's tallest free standing mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, Africa. Despite the altitude, low temperatures, and occasional high winds, Council members Tedy Bruschi and Donna Richardson Joyner both made the difficult and dangerous trek up 19,000 feet. Their quest to reach the top highlights the importance of being strong, both physically and mentally. Endurance, perseverance, and courage helped them complete their quest – Tedy, in less than a week, and Donna, in seven days.

Why Hike?

• You'll get to take in fresh air and relax your mind. No matter how stressed you are, hiking will help change your focus.
• Hiking provides a great cardiovascular workout, especially if you hike your local parks and nature trails that have various terrains and hills.
• Hiking with friends and family not only provides great physical activity, but will provide you with an opportunity to spend quality time together that doesn't involve a TV, cell phone, or the Web.

You don't need to travel to a different continent to get active though—Council member Dr. Stephen McDonough is gearing up to join a local Boy Scouts of America troop as they get ready to embark on a backpacking trip with family members in June. You may also be inspired by the two "Adventure Walks" that Dr. McDonough helped coordinate in his home state of North Dakota. Both were part of a coordinated effort to combat childhood and adult obesity in his state, and included an outdoor walk at the Dakota Zoo for children and their parents, as well as a walk at an outdoor trail where GPS units were pre-loaded with "adventure points" that walkers searched for along the way.

With great resources, like Let's Move! Outside and America's Great Outdoors, it's easy to find ways to be active outside. Track your activity outside by taking on the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award challenge, a six-week program designed to motivate participants to be physically active on a regular basis by allowing them to participate in daily activities they enjoy, like walking or hiking. Log on to the Million PALA Challenge today to start your physical activity and fitness program.

Don't forget – the great outdoors abound in every city, town, and community! There are millions of acres of National forests, parks, and trails for you to explore. Use them to lead healthier lives, and increase your physical activity.

Try getting active in June with National Trails Day (June 4) and Free Entrance Days in the National Parks (June 21), when the National Park Service opens our beautiful national parks for free to kick-off the first day of summer.