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Tuesday Editorial

Cape Region offers glimpse of healthier lifestyles

July 29, 2014

If it has been a few years since you took an early morning walk on the Boardwalk in Rehoboth, you may be surprised by what you’ll find.

Sunrise is still a quiet moment on the beach, but on a recent morning, dozens of people had set up beach chairs to await the dawn’s early light.

As the sun rises higher, each hour brings out hundreds more people, walking, running, pushing strollers and riding bikes, many with small children on the smallest of bikes. Seven is the hour of choice for fathers to take tod­dlers for a morning stroll - and perhaps pick up coffee on the walk home.

Just four months ago a national poll showed Delaware ranked dead last when it comes to the number of adults who exercise at least 30 minutes three times a week. The same poll showed 34.3 percent of adults - more than one in three - are obese.

If the Boardwalk - and the Junction & Breakwater Trail or the new Gordons Pond trail - are any indication, people are starting to get the message that daily exercise is vital to good health, and from the looks of the Board­walk - or of the Junction & Breakwater Trail or the new Gordons Pond trail, many parents are instilling this concept early.

The value of getting outside for exercise could not be more apparent than at any of the many 5K runs in Rehoboth, Dewey and nearby venues every weekend. People of all ages, from 6- and 7-year-olds to octogenarians, take part in these events, and at the finish line, all are radiant with the health and energy their effort brings.

These races attract not only athletes, but also people recovering from injuries and seri­ous illness, and even more who have made up their minds to walk or run their way to a fitter, healthier self.

Besides the runners, others are kayaking, skimming, paddleboarding or enjoying yoga on the beach or in the parks.

Let the rest of Delaware sit home on the couch. With the ocean, the bays and so many parks at our doorstep, we in the Cape Region have every reason to get out and get moving ­and we’ll all be happier and healthier for it.

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