By: Tanya Hamel
June marks the beginning of summer. The days are growing longer, the spring cleaning has been completed and the kids will be out of school very soon. Many of us start feeling the urge to answer the call of the wild and get outside!
With that being said, it makes perfect sense that June has been named National Great Outdoors Month. What started out in 1998 as Great Outdoors Week under the Clinton administration has now become a nationwide celebration of the simple beauty and wonder that wildlife holds for each of us. America’s protected lands, water and state parks serve as a vessel for families to reconnect, mental health to flourish and communities to come together. In fact, many of us reached out to Mother Nature during the COVID-19 pandemic to stay physically active and improve our quality of life throughout such a trying time for us all. The point is, the great outdoors offers something special to each of us, no matter who we are, where we live or how old we get.
June is the month for many “national (insert special day here) holidays” and events. For example, June 1 is always National Go Barefoot Day. June 1 is also World Reef Awareness Day in honor of World Oceans Day on June 8. The first Saturday in June is National Trails Day and National Prairie Day. The first Wednesday of June is reserved for National Running Day, and all of this in just the first week of June! National Gardening Week and National Fishing and Boating Week are celebrated the first full week of June, National Little League Week is the second full week, and the third full week of June is National Play Catch Week and Animal Rights Awareness Week.
There are a great deal of outdoor observance days in June, so many that June is also recognized as National Camping Month, National Pollinators Month and National Zoo and Aquarium Month. Whew!
Now that we’ve covered the many ways one can get involved and celebrate nature during the month of June, it’s good to know that Health Alliance Northwest is here to help you get out and enjoy the weather with family and friends, or the therapeutic quiet time our great outdoors has to offer.
Did you know our members get a yearly fitness allowance to help them stay healthy and active? Many outdoor activities do not require a fee but may require a national parks pass or Discovery Pass to access parks and trails. Health Alliance Northwest will reimburse these fees as well as the cost of fitness classes, gym memberships, golf lessons/memberships, ski lift tickets, bowling fees, rowing club fees, online fitness subscriptions, 5K/3K registration fees, yoga or tai chi, just to name a few. We want to help our members lead happy and healthy lives, because when our members are happy, we are, too! Now, go get outside!
Tanya Hamel is a community liaison for Health Alliance Northwest, serving Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties in Washington. Tanya was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She loves the outdoors and spending time with her family and their two dogs.
Like this article? Let us know by responding to Outreach@HealthAlliance.org. Thanks for reading!