Exercise in a park or forest 30 minutes a day for 30 days to take part in the 4th annual Great Pennsylvania Outdoor Challenge, from September 10th to October 9th.
The sponsor is the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, which supports the 117 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forests with volunteers and activities. President Marci Mowery says there will be events in state and local parks all across the Commonwealth. Yellow Creek State Park in Indiana County is having a Night Hike; Laurel Hill State Park will have an event on September 24th; and October 1st is Trail Day in Ohiopyle State Park.
Mowery says the 30 × 30 theme derives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's call for a minimum 30 minutes of exercise a day, and the conjecture that it takes 30 days to establish a new habit. Outdoor activity is known to reduce the stress that can adversely affect peoples' health, according to Mowery.
Last year's challenge was to hike, bike and paddle, collectively and virtually, the Commonwealth's 30,000 miles of trails. About 27,000 miles were traveled, which Mowery considers a great success.
View the events calendar and register at www.thegpoc.org. Information is also available at www.paparksandforests.org.
