Tagged with: kids Obesity outdoors Physical Activity recreation It is well documented that one third of American children and more than one half of adults remain overweight or obese. It seems certain that technology will continue to give all of us more opportunities to stay connected and enjoy many conveniences of the computer age.
Tagged with: accessible chicago fun kids parks recreation summer The Chicago Park District has gone “all out” to make the parks in Chicago accessible to all Chicagoans.
Tagged with: awareness diagnosis disability life Physical Activity programs recreation As the date for the camp drew near, I felt myself getting more and more apprehensive. I reached out to friends and family searching for a solution to my thoughts and feelings.
Tagged with: awareness diagnosis disability exercise fitness Physical Activity recreation wheelchair Up until that day I thought I had a good handle on my MS diagnosis. Up until today, I thought I’ve learned to accept it. I have not.
Tagged with: awareness diagnosis disability Physical Activity recreation Some of you may have read some of my previous blogs about my personal struggle with being diagnosed with the debilitating disease of MS (multiple sclerosis) at the age of 22. Fortunately for me, most people don’t know about my diagnosis even though not a day goes by that I don’t think about it or am reminded of it.
Tagged with: accessibility exercise outdoors recreation A systematic review recently published in Environmental Science and Technology looked at existing studies and reported that there are benefits to mental and physical well-being from exercising in the natural environment when compared to indoor exercise. The comparison showed that exercising in natural environments was associated with various mental well-being outcomes such as greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement as well as with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression. Participants also reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity later.
Tagged with: arts children dance recreation “Dance is not how far a child can reach their legs or arms. It is the creation, the sharing, and the partaking that is the beauty. We don’t ask how much can you move, we simply say… come dance with us.”
– Zina Bethune, founder and artistic director, Infinite Dreams (from the Infinite Dreams website)
Tagged with: accessible adaptive exercise fitness Physical Activity recreation winter Winter is fast approaching. The days are getting shorter. I look outside at 5pm and wonder why it id dark? During winter I often times find myself more tired and sluggish, as opposed to other times during the year when it is warm and there is more sunlight. Thus, since I feel tired and sluggish, it is easier for me to find excuses not to be active.
Tagged with: education figure skating inclusive recreation Special Olympics Figure skating season is in full swing. It’s one of my favorite times of the year…a new competition to watch almost every weekend. Memories come flooding back in, and I always have a persistent urge to get back out on the ice. Figure skating taught me so many things physically, psychologically, and socially. As corny as it sounds, it has definitely shaped who I am. I think most importantly, for a girl who was sometimes shy, a bit self conscious, and often so wrapped up in her own thoughts, figure skating was a way for me to release and express myself.
I’ve been a student for nearly all of my adult life – and the two short years I took off between my first and second rounds of graduate school, I spent working in campus recreation.
