Join us as we remotely celebrate National Walking Day today, April 1!
We know one of the best ways to take care of ourselves in times of stress and uncertainty is to get your body moving. Why not start today in celebration of National Walking Day!
Walking is one of the easiest steps you can take to improve your health. It’s also one of the safest (especially today), least expensive and most sustainable forms of exercise. For such a simple activity, it has so many benefits!
Research has shown that walking at least 30 minutes a day can help you:
- Reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
- Improve your blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels.
- Prevent weight gain and lower the risk of obesity.
- Improve your mental well-being.
- Increase your energy and stamina.
- Reduce your risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer and colon cancer.
Many of our parks and trails remain open and provide great areas to walk while following public health guidelines for social distancing. Please remember Lynnwood playgrounds and sport courts are closed. More on all our parks visit: Play Lynnwood
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 As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd we have some Good News to share! Scientists are reporting the earth’s ozone hole is the smallest it’s been in decades due to the changes in our daily lives from COVID-19. While these changes to our daily lives will not be forever each one of us can commit to making small sustainable changes in restoring our planet. A lot of small changes can lead to big changes.
Here are some ideas on how to celebrate Earth Day on April 22 while being socially responsible and safe.
- Plant a tree, or two.
- Use cloth towels instead of paper ones.
- Change your paper bills to online billing. You’ll be saving trees and the fuel it takes to deliver your bills by truck.
- Read documents online instead of printing them.
- Set your office printer to print two-sided.
- Start a garden
- Reduce your meat consumption to curb carbon emissions from the livestock industry.
- Compost kitchen scraps for use in your garden — turning waste into fertilizer.
- Take a shorter or fewer showers – seems an easy one right now!
- Fix leaky faucets and shower-heads.
- Pull out invasive plants in your yard or garden and replace them with native ones.
- Turn off and unplug electronics you’re not using – this includes turning off your computer at night especially as so many are working from home.
- Turn off lights when you leave a room.
As we continue to stay home and stay healthy, many of us are spending extra time in our yards. Thankfully, it’s a great time of year to start planning and preparing for a vegetable garden. Whether you have a large yard or a couple of pots on your balcony, growing your own food provides so much more than just fresh produce!
Check out this Pacific Northwest Gardening Calendar put together by Deep Harvest Farm that shows what seeds can be started indoors during this month.
Many seed companies ship seeds directly to your door, no need to leave the house!
Make sure to visit the City's Natural Yard Care webpage for gardening resources.
Happy Planting!
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Here's a great resource for those who have resources and those that need resources!
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You can always stay up-to-date on all things Healthy Communities by visiting: Healthy Lynnwood
And, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a project, program, event, or success to highlight, please contact us!
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