Seashore partners with Cape Cod Healthcare to combine health talks, hikes

EASTHAM — Cape Cod National Seashore Superintendent Brian Carlstrom announced the kickoff of the Healthy Parks, Healthy People initiative.

The Seashore and Cape Cod Healthcare are teaming up to present short talks on different health topics. Walks with rangers will be part of the programs.

The Seashore and CCH have been partners in the national program since 2015. The program focuses on national parks as cornerstones for human and environmental health.

The first program kicks off May 21 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. "Talk and Walk with a Doc" will feature cardiologist Dr. Elissa Thompson. She will talk about the cardiovascular benefits of outdoor exercise. Following the talk, the group will walk the 1.7-mile Nauset Marsh Trail loop.

The Buttonbush Trail near Salt Pond Visitor Center is an alternative for those wishing a shorter route. Programs planned for summer and fall will focus on nutrition and mindfulness. The programs are free and open to the public.

Spending time in nature yields enormous physical and mental health and well-being benefits, according to Carlstrom.

“We’re fortunate to have the national seashore’s trails, beaches, and inspiring vistas to draw from, as well as professionals at Cape Cod Healthcare to help us connect these resources to fitness and wellness,” he wrote

For more information, visit www.capecodhealth.org/healthyparks.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Healthy Parks, Healthy People initiative kicks off at Seashore