An article recently published in The Washington Post, entitled “You are Probably Too Busy to Read This,” caught my eye. Author Brigid Schulte outlines the increasingly hectic lives of American families and offers a conclusion that this busier-than-busy lifestyle is the new symbol of America’s upper class. Signs of overextended lives first appeared in the 1970s, but demonstrations of significant cultural changes have occurred more frequently within the last 10 years.

This cultural transformation, spanning over four decades, gave way to a progressive and evolving society. Women joined the workforce by the thousands and dual-income households became the norm, allowing for a new age of consumerism. Advancements in technology as well as media changed how we communicate and, more recently, how we relate to each other. We’ve benefited from these social shifts, but they have also contributed to the chaos in our lives. Many lack time and energy to exercise or prepare and eat a nutritious meal. The fallout is our physical and even emotional health — hardly the signs of a high social standing or well-being. Plus, what about the struggles of underserved communities, where people often juggle several jobs as well as care for family members? It is doubtful they consider themselves in the elevated class of our hectic society. These are just a few of the cultural origins of recent challenges we discuss this month in Parks & Recreation Magazine’s Health and Wellness issue, and these are some of the concerns NRPA’s “Commit to Health” initiative aims to overcome.

This month, writer Maureen Hannan walks us through the motives, the efforts and the ongoing dialogue park and recreation agencies pursue in their goal to effectively change unhealthy habits within their local communities. Hannan writes about two agencies in Tennessee where significant progress on all fronts has been made and the state’s onetime 40.9 percent incidence of overweight and obese youth is finally in decline.

Also, Associate Editor Samantha Bartram sheds light on the ongoing struggle to eliminate play deserts. Bartram discusses the details and efforts of those working to promote healthy and active lifestyles through research and community planning.

When NRPA’s CEO Barbara Tulipane spoke at the launch event for the Commit to Health initiative, she spoke to the power of parks, praising park agencies for the significant role each one plays in creating strong and vibrant communities, often without adequate resources or even accolades for the good work that is done day after day. However, you can’t deny the truth. When the goal is creating a healthy future for our communities or a building safe play spaces for our children, the solution is found in parks and recreation. 

Gina Mullins-Cohen is NRPA's Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing.