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Every time you take a hike, you could save from around $1 to over $7. Go for a jog, and the savings could reach nearly $4. Cross-country skiing? From 83 cents to nearly $8 per outing.

Did you know?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous- intensity aerobic physical activity.

60 percent of adults in Oregon and 63 percent of adults in Benton County meet this recommendation.

Research from ���Źܼ������ϴ�ȫ shows increasing Oregonians’ physical activity may help reduce the estimated $39.1 billion we spend each year on health care. Statewide, the study calculated a range from $735 million to $1.416 billion in annual cost-of-illness savings for eight chronic illnesses that are affected by physical activity.

Randy Rosenberger, professor and associate dean for student success in the , completed the study for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, which wanted scientific data to help inform funding decisions. Rosenberger and graduate Tara Dunn, ’18, recalibrated a developed to quantify transportation options to convert positive health effects into monetary units. The Outdoor Recreation Health Impacts Estimator includes the cost of treating certain diseases as well as productivity losses from illness.

“In my research, I quantify things that aren’t normally quantified,” Rosenberger says. “Things like recreation aren’t traded in markets with prices. They don’t have voices. This study gives them a voice, and I think through it, people are starting to realize that recreation is at the nexus of everything. It’s not just something we like to do if we have the time. It’s creating healthier communities and saving those same communities money on health services.”

So go on that hike. Your wallet will thank you.

See the value of recreation