At the Park Commission, They Practice What They Preach

The Somerset County Park Commission Environmental Education Center (EEC) programs are focused on science, nature, sustainability, and healthy lifestyles. Standing behind what they say, staff recently braved the rain and mud on the EEC trails during their official Let’s Move! initiative kickoff.

The initial step in the program was a meeting with a certified nutritionist to learn about calorie intake, burning calories, healthy eating, and My Plate, the current nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture. The next step was a Naturalist led walk along the trails, which meander through the western portion of the Great Swamp. A collective 32,500 steps were walked, while the group stopped along the way to experience activities including log walking and or acting out the life cycle of a butterfly.

Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady of the United States, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation. There are five pillars of the initiative:
1.    Creating a healthy start for children
2.    Empowering parents and caregivers
3.    Providing healthy food in schools
4.    Improving access to healthy, affordable foods
5.    Increasing physical activity

The Environmental Education Center has signed up to participate in the Let’s Move! initiative for a minimum of one year, and will be focusing primarily on the fifth pillar, increasing physical activity, by challenging staff and on-site program participants in K-12 field trips, Tree House Gang, Forest Fitness, KinderNats, Young Explorers and Scouts to be active on our trails. Along with their Naturalist guide, participants will use pedometers to calculate the distance walked during their visit. Personal progress will be posted on the Environmental Education Center webpage and followed on social media outlets.

In addition to getting kids to be more active outdoors, the EEC will engage and promote nutrition awareness and healthy eating. Many of the summer programs include gardening, which is a perfect opportunity to talk to kids about where food comes from, and how food is fuel for the body.

Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled. Today, almost one in every three children in our nation is obese or overweight. The Center for Disease Control states that obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, which are some of the leading causes of preventable death.

To find out more about Let’s Move! visit their website: http://www.letsmove.gov/. Information on the Somerset County Park Commission may be found at www.somersetcountyparks or by calling the EEC at 908-766-2489.