Alli Butler, Overland Park junior, sighed with relief as she watched her boyfriend, Justin Berry, Kansas City senior, chase his five-month old golden retriever, Shadow, down a sunshine-lit trail at Clinton Lake. Butler says she recalls the couple’s first visit to Clinton Lake and remembers feeling a sense of relaxation knowing she was spending time with her boyfriend alone, without her cell phone vibrating in her pocket.

Butler and Berry are one of many couples who enjoy using the accommodations offered by Lawrence Parks & Recreation. Although there are 53 parks in Lawrence, Roger Steinbrock, of the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department, says several of the parks are used more than others because of location and amenities. He says Centennial Park is used frequently, because it features a disc-golf course and skate park. Mutt Run Off-Leash Dog Park is another well-attended area by canine owners and couples.

Outdoor activities can offer couples alone time away from their everyday hectic schedules. Parks can also present an opportunity for them to bond in an alternative setting, potentially helping the relationship to blossom and grow stronger.

Butler says she saw a positive effect of the outdoors during a bumpy time in their relationship.

“We were definitely hitting a rough spot in our relationship and I think it was from constantly being surrounded by other people or things that needed to be done,” Butler says. “Now we make time to get out of the house and away from the rest of the world to enjoy some sun and each other’s company.”

Allison Mason, Overland Park junior, and her boyfriend, Martin Swank, say they crave the challenge of finding outdoor activities to enjoy together.

“Being outside is so much more exciting than being indoors. We have a change of pace, scenery and we don’t have to use our 6-inch voices,” Mason says. “Martin has a knack for picking good trees to sit under and peel oranges.”

Mason and Swank agree that being outside gives them the opportunity to see each other in a way they wouldn’t normally if they were inside all the time. Mason says the experience can be more exotic and mysterious because the natural world almost seems unnatural in today’s tech-savvy world.

“There’s something extremely sexy about spending time with interesting, creative people without limitations of walls, distractions or electronics,” he says. “The best part is it’s free!”

Steinbrock says physical activity and exercise can be vital for a relationship. He says taking a walk together can reduce stress and burn calories. Connecting with nature also builds an understanding with the environment and, more importantly, physical activities outside help keep us in shape and create many wonderful memories of shared experiences and activities with family and friends.

Outdoor activities can offer not only an alternative way to keep in shape, but the sunshine emits Vitamin D, a key component to a healthier mind and relationship. Vlad Zachary, CEO of CareerConceptZ.com and author of several Ebooks on healthy lifestyles and psychology, says scientists have agreed that the sun is the best source of Vitamin D, which helps our immune system fight off a large number of diseases, including the common cold and some forms of cancer. So healthier bodies can be a critical benefit to relationships.

Zachary says a simple picnic in the park with sandwiches and dominoes, extreme Frisbee, biking, water-sports or even jogging could all be fun activities that benefit relationships. The sun allows couples to share new endeavors that in most cases prove beneficial to the relationship.

Steinbrock says there’s something for all couples offered through the Lawrence Parks and Recreation centers. Students can enroll in any of the 450 activities and programs every season, which range from fitness to dance classes, and from kickball leagues to guitar lessons. Aquatic centers, both indoor and outdoor, nature trails, hiking and biking trails, sand volleyball and adult sports are also available to Lawrence citizens and couples.

Alisa Vaysfligel, Lenexa graduate student and Peter Lippert, Tulsa, Okla., senior, have visited the parks within Lawrence, whether it be taking a trip to the dog park at Clinton Lake or biking together downtown. Vaysfligel decided to take the outdoor experience to the next level by getting Lippert a certificate to go skydiving for his birthday. After some persuasion, Lippert and Vaysfligel are planning on redeeming the certificate together along with a ski trip later on in the year.

“It will be a new and exhilarating experience for both of us to try for the first time together,” Vaysfligel says. “The ski trip will also be a lot of fun for the both of us. Not only is it a vacation from our day to day lives, but we will get to do fun, active things in a whole new setting.”