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"As I&amp;#039;ve mentioned previously on this blog, I&amp;#039;ve been working out. It&amp;#039;s easier for me now that they opened a company gym onsite, but I&amp;#039;ve decided since last week that I&amp;#039;m ditching the gym at least two days a week. Oh, don&amp;#039;t worry - I&amp;#039;m not giving up on the excercise plan. I&amp;#039;m making an effort to get outside instead. I&amp;#039;m less than a mile from a large and beautiful park that&amp;#039;s just loaded with walking trails, so it&amp;#039;s almost as easy as going to the gym. It&amp;#039;s part of my routine ever since I read this article about Dr. Robert Zarr at Unity Healthcare in Washington DC. Dr. Zarr leads a program called DC Park Prescription, which matches people with parks. Dr. Zarr and his team constructed a database that maps 380 of Washington D.C.&amp;#039;s parks and rates them in terms of safety, level of activity, cleanliness, and accessibility. The database is searchable by ZIP code and linked to patients&amp;#039; electronic medical records. Dr. Zarr uses this when he prescribes the great outdoors to his patients.  It turns out that getting out there - out in nature - and soaking up all that Vitamin D and fresh air does you a world of good. It&amp;#039;s much more therapeutic than a standard gym workout, and patients that get outside more have reported enormous changes for the good in mood, sleep patterns, and physical health. I know I&amp;#039;ve seen a definite difference. Getting away from my desk over my lunch break and smelling the fresh grass and feeling the sun and the breeze on my face makes me feel energize and recharged in a seriously good way. If you don&amp;#039;t make a habit of doing this already - get out there. I cannot recommend it enough. Do you like to workout outdoors? Does it make a difference in your mood? [Follow Ellie&amp;#039;s adventures at SingleMomtism.com or on Facebook and Twitter] "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/relationships/dating-marriage/a48911/prescription-for-sunshine/>