With beautifully sunny days that have been moderately warm, there’s no time like the present to get out, be active and enjoy the great outdoors.

At least that’s the sentiments of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

This summer, the department is encouraging residents to "lead healthy, active lifestyles in the great outdoors" as a part of its Get Outdoors Georgia initiative.

"The initiative focuses on recreation that highlights the link between participation in outdoor recreation and improved health for people of all ages and abilities," said Ellen Graham, Get Outdoors Georgia committee member.

One of the goals of the campaign is to help reduce obesity. According to the CDC, 26.1 percent of American adults are obese.

"Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. As obesity increases among all age groups, we are seeing chronic diseases in much younger adults compared to a few decades ago," said Dr. William Dietz, director of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

"For example, we now see young adults who suffer from heart disease risk factors and other conditions like type two diabetes that were unheard of in the past."

DNR is not only encouraging residents to get active to boost healthy behaviors to decrease obesity rates, the Get Outdoors Georgia campaign is also being used as a tool to encourage more residents to take advantage of the numerous state parks. According to Get Outdoors Georgia
officials, "with at least one state park within an hour’s drive of everyone in Georgia, families have an enticing reason to get off the couch and explore nature."

With state parks offering hiking, bike trails, paddling and other physical activities, there are options to appeal to most everyone. State park vacations are also a very popular option for those residents who are looking to get away for a while, but are on a limited budget.

"With rising gas prices and families watching their budgets more closely than ever, a weekend at a state park is the perfect getaway," said Chris Clark, a DNR commissioner. "Our state parks offer many different types of accommodations in an affordable and family friendly atmosphere that encourages everyone to get outdoors."

In addition to the usual tent camping sites, many state parks also offer RV camping spaces and even more modern accommodations inside lodges and individual cottages.

"Camping is more affordable for most people. Our camp site occupancy is up around 6 percent compared to last year," said Graham, who is also the resource manager of Unicoi State Park and Lodge in Helen. "While we have noticed that cottage and lodge occupancy has been slightly down compared to last year, that could just be because more people want to be outdoors because it’s been so beautiful."