Calling all couch potatoes: Explore the outdoors

Once upon a time kids used to shinny up trees. They’d hop from rock to rock to cross a brook. Every so often, they’d hunker down and watch, fascinated, as a little bug pulled a larger, but dead, bug across the sidewalk.

Sometimes, one kid would tap another on the arm and yell, “tag, you’re it,” and they’d be off, chasing each other through driveways and around hedges. Or, someone would yell, “Ready, set, go,” and they’d pedal their bicycles furiously in a spontaneous uphill race.

If you asked, those children of generations past probably would have told you they were playing, just having fun. Most likely, they wouldn’t have said they were fighting obesity or lowering their risk of diabetes or stimulating their imaginations. (But, pssst. All those healthy things were happening just the same.)

“My term for it is ‘stealth health,’ ” said Michele Schasberger, project manager for Wyoming Valley Wellness Trails, who would love to see more people of all ages frolicking outdoors.

“Throw a Frisbee. Ride a bike. Take a walk,” she suggested earlier this week.

“Plant a garden. Have a block party. Get to know your neighbors,” added Carol Hussa, director of Steps to a Healthier PA in Luzerne County.

“Watch a bug. Catch a bug. Don’t eat the bug,” Schasberger continued, making a little joke.

“Play hopscotch. Jump rope. Take binoculars and watch the birds,” Hussa said.

Like planets moving into alignment, various organizations are uniting their voices this month to urge people to pull themselves away from blinking screens and see how just how good it feels to be active – preferably outside.

The Washington, D.C., Center for Screen-Time Awareness, for one, declared that “TV Turnoff Week” begins Sunday. How’s that for a challenge?

Right in the middle of the week, on Wednesday, we have “Move It Outside Day,” with organized hikes starting at 4 p.m. at the Pittston YMCA. (call 655-2255), at 4:30 p.m. at Frances Slocum State Park (call 696-9105) and at 6 p.m. at Nescopeck State Park (call 403-2006).

If you prefer cycling, an organized group will begin a bike hike at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Sickler’s Bike and Sport Shop (602-7433) in Exeter, and another group, sponsored by the Hazleton Health Alliance (501-4787) will depart the Rails-to-Trails parking lot on Route 93, also at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Check out the Outdoors list in today’s Guide, and you’ll find Earth Day celebrations, a hunt for wildflowers, a search for bluebirds and a chance to plant trees.

Then there’s the Keystone Active Zone passport program, which invites youngsters to visit regional parks and trails until Labor Day and keep track of their visits on a “passport” by answering such “scavenger hunt” questions as “How many steps are there on the far side of the wooden bridge (at The Tubs Natural Area in Bear Creek)?” or “What is the quote on the plaque on the park bench in front of the park office (at Ricketts Glen State Park)?”

“When we did this last year, lots of people wanted to keep the passport as a souvenir of their summer,” Schasberger said.

The passport program is a joint project of Wyoming Valley Wellness Trails, Steps to a Healthier PA and the Greater Hazleton Rails-to-Trails, and you can download a passport from www.stepstoahealthierluzernecounty.org.

If you don’t have Internet access, you can register by calling 408-1630 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Visiting – and perhaps actively exploring – enough places entitles you to such prizes as a reflector light for your backpack, a pedometer and water bottle, or a combination flashlight, compass and whistle.

There also are chances to win gift certificates to bicycle shops, a raft adventure on the Lehigh Gorge or a family kayak excursion on the Susquehanna River.

It will all be fun, Hussa predicted, you’ll become healthier without even noticing.

“Research has shown how much we need sunshine. It makes vitamin D, helps muscular health and fights depression,” Schasberger said. “And for most people in Luzerne County, outdoor air is less polluted than indoor air, with all the out-gassing from carpets and paint. So the old saying ‘go outside and get some fresh air’ means just that.”

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