Do you know how much the average American adult should exercise a week?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an adult should be active for at least 150 minutes a week; that's only two and a half hours.

Now two and a half hours doesn't sound like a long time but most Americans and South Dakotas for that matter fall short of this exercise recommendation.

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To help promote a more active lifestyle, the South Dakota Department of Health (DOH), SDSU Extension, and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks are working together to encourage healthcare providers to write their patients a prescription for physical activity.

And what better way to get in some exercise than at any one of the several South Dakota state parks?

"Launched in 2015, the Park Prescription project aims to connect healthcare professionals with physical activity assessments and prescriptions to open the conversation about physical activity. Healthcare providers can prescribe a free one-day pass to any South Dakota state park to engage in physical activity, making the park the patient's outdoor gym. The one-day pass can also be turned in for a half-off discounted annual pass to encourage further continued physical activity engagement in South Dakota state parks."

There are also multiple ways to be active at a state park like walking, hiking, biking canoeing,  and cross country skiing just to name a few activities.

According to Nikki Prosch, SDSU Extension Health and Physical Activity Field Specialist,  physical activity can improve "muscular fitness, help prevent falls, assist with weight management, and improve older adults' cognitive function."

The organizations also invite South Dakotans to join them in celebrating National Park Rx Day on April 25.

Source: Park Rx and SDSU Extension

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