The
Ontario Trails Council is pleased to support the folks and trail organizations in
Saugeen Shores as they open a section of trail this Saturday. While at Trailhead Ontario we were contacted by Joyce
Scammell of the Saugeen Rail Trail Association, and we responded. Best of luck to all on Saturday. Letter posted to member section of OTC website.
Pan-Am Path and OTC Meeting on Friday
“The Pan Am Path is a
multi-use path that connects the city from
Brampton, down along the
Humber River, along to the waterfront, up the Lower Don, and then up to Scarborough through the hydro corridor,” explains James Gen Meers, one of the founders of
Friends of the Pan Am Path, the non-profit that’s formed to champion this project. “It is a trail system that already kind of exists in the
city of Toronto, but is missing certain pieces that are required to make it a non-stop continuous path, and that’s what the path is about: leveraging some of the political capital in time for the
Pan Am Games to invest in the infrastructure required to make a continuous path.”
Essentially, the idea is to use a small amount of money—the infrastructure costs and initial programming are estimated at $1.9 million—to create a much greater benefit by linking together a bunch of trails that, right now, come close to each other, but are not part of a single travel route. Of the 80-kilometre total, only 5–10 per cent would be new construction. It’s a small number, but filling in those blanks will remake the trails into an entirely new experience for the city, Friends of the Pan Am Path thinks.
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See and feel how good nature is for you by getting out at least once a dayResearch has shown that early-morning cardio in a fasted state can burn up to
20 percent more calories; however hitting the grass versus the treadmill provides a number of further benefits that may just surprise you. Fitting in some nature, or vitamin N, may just be the secret to unlocking a better mood, faster metabolism and stronger memory.
1. Beat belly fat Research shows that people who live near trees and parks have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva than those who live in a concrete jungle. A
Japanese study found that a forest walk can render a 12 percent decrease in cortisol levels, a seven percent decrease in sympathetic nerve activity (which would contribute to anxiety), a one percent decrease in blood pressure, and a five percent decrease in heart rate. The more you can get yourself into a green space, the better it is for your body composition — and sanity, for that matter.
2. Go green to beat the blues. Forget retail therapy, try nature therapy. I recently saw an anonymous quote posted on
my Facebook page that said, “There’s no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection,” and I couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re having a bad day, or a tough year, seeking out an area with a lot of greenery has been shown to improve both mood and memory in depressed individuals. In one
Michigan study, participants exhibited significant increases in memory span and mood after walks in nature versus urban walks. This is perhaps why many people battle the cottage traffic every Friday night to spend a couple of days in the great outdoors before heading back into the city for another week in the grind. If you don’t have a cottage escape, look up some local trails. It’s an inexpensive, instantly gratifying and calorie-free way to lift your mood.
3. Combat brain fogIf you’re drawing a blank with a project at work,
a study from Scotland suggests getting outside for a walk in the park. Researchers took volunteers through three areas: a historic shopping district with old buildings and light traffic, a park-like setting and a busy commercial district with heavy traffic while they wore portable EEGs on their heads to relay their brain waves.While the participants were in the commercial area they produced brain wave patterns conducive with frustration versus the parkland that showed patterns similar to meditation. Bottom line: If you can get out for your lunch and head to a park for 20 minutes you may find yourself more productive the rest of the day.
4. Help nurture creativityBetween our iPhones, laptops and tablets we’re continuously plugged in. However, spending time away from battery-operated devices and in nature has been linked to a
50 percent increase in creativity, something scientists refer to as attentional restoration theory. Bottom line: If you’re heading into a green space this long weekend, be sure to leave yourself unplugged for optimal health benefits.
5. Sleep more soundlyIf you find yourself doing everything right and still tossing and turning at night, head outdoors for a walk down your favourite nature trail.
Researchers found that forest walking improved actual sleep time, immobile minutes, self-rated depth of sleep and sleep quality. And for even better results, according to the study, you should aim to have this walk later in the day versus earlier. Bottom line: With the longer summer days I recommend taking advantage of an after-dinner walk not just to influence your waistline, but also your bedtime.
6. Get green at homeIf you live in the city and you can only escape on the weekends, there are many benefits to adding a little greenery around the house and the office. According to
researchers at Kansas State University, adding plants to hospital rooms speeds recovery rates of surgical patients. Compared to patients in rooms without plants, patients in rooms with plants request less pain medication, have lower blood pressure, experience less stress, and are released from the hospital sooner. Bottom line: Feeling stressed at work? Add a potted plant and you will find yourself
feeling healthier and taking less time off to battle the seasonal cold.
From
http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/health-benefits-of-nature/
Feature Destination
Lennox & Addington County Trails
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 Offering 12 well mapped and signed road routes with plenty of paved shoulders, there are over 600km of great cycling around and north from theNapanee area.
While these trails have been available for a number of years, the folks at L&A have created a new promotion for 2013 called 'Do the Dozen Challenge'. Cyclists are invited to go anytime, cycle at their own pace and check into way-finding points along the way. Once complete, their name will go down in history and they become eligible to win a prize pack worth $500.
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National PostThe shuttered Ontario Place will get a new urban park and waterfront trail, Ontario's Minister of Tourism and Culture
Michael Chan announced on Wednesday. Mr. Chan told a Wednesday morning press conference on the former tourist attraction's now-empty ...
Trail Questions1) Capital Funding for Trails - Please take a minute to complete the capital funding section of our survey. A s many communities head into the budget cycle other communities want to get an idea of the relative and comparative amounts communities of similar size are investing in their trails. Please go to:
