New poll indicates Minnesotans work out more with more community features

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A new poll shows that Minnesotans who have more community features work out more.

“A nice opened green area is good. It makes me want to get out and walk a little bit and be more active,” says Moorhead Resident Ken Sauner.

Being more active can be hard.

A new poll indicates that two-thirds of Minnesotans with two or more community features to help them be physically active reported exercising three or more days a week.

Community features such as parks, trails and sidewalks offers the opportunity for physical activities.

The new poll comes from the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

“We wanted to learn and find out what the barriers that Minnesotans experience to achieving their full health potential,” says Senior Project Manager at Center for Prevention Blue Cross and Blue Shields of Minnesota, Katherine Bass.

We all know exercising is good for our health.

But if there aren’t enough community features or trails like these people are less inclined to work out.

Over 80 percent of Minnesotans believe that future transportation projects should accommodate not only motorized vehicles but also people walking and biking.

These are the most desired features in Minnesota.

In Moorhead, they are working on these projects.

Parks and Recreation of Moorhead have 48 parks. They still have parks that are being built and expanding.

Of the 1600 acres in the city of Moorhead, 700 acres are parkland.

“I will challenge anybody to come up with this much park land that’s really dedicated in other areas. We are very park friendly–trail friendly,” says Director Parks and Recreation of Moorhead Holly Heitkemp.

As for Ken he couldn’t agree more.

“I bring my dogs. Usually when we go to the park it’s our day off then we’ll hit a couple of parks on Friday and maybe everyday on a three day weekend we’ll go to a park,” says Sauner.

Over a thousand Minnesotans participated.

The study was conducted online through the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross Minnesota.