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Modern Families

Teachers share 22 ways they avoid getting sick

"I have never missed a day from work."

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

boy in gray sweater beside boy in gray and white plaid dress shirt

Schools are germ cesspools. Parents know it, pupils know, and yep--teachers know it better than anyone. With sickness easily spread in close quarters like schools (and especially during the colder months), staying healthy can seem impossible.

However, some teachers seem to have immune systems of steel–or have simply mastered how to *never* get sick. Even when entire classrooms go down and out, some stand strong. How do they do it? Thankfully, they have spilled their wellness advice for fellow educators and parents alike. Here are 22 ways teachers avoid getting sick, according to teachers.

1. "I make sure to tell students how disgusting they are in very clear terms and enforce a hands washing and hygiene regimen in my classroom. For example, 'did you just eat a bag of chips and touch my computer?' Student: 'I used hand sanitizer...' me: 'go wash your hands now before you do anything else.' Less sick kids in my classroom and less sick me." – Fit-Meeting-5866

2. "No magic bullet - I got Covid for the first time this past year - but here is what I do and it is moderately successful:

Vaccines. No joke.
If you are able, open windows and air out the room as often as possible. When sickness is at its peak times, I will run the AC or heat and leave the door and windows open, if only just a crack. Air circulation is critical, I am lucky to have control and I don't have to pay that bill.
This one will vary according to building policy and your school demographics, but I leave my door open all the time unless we are being loud or there is a lot of commotion in the hallway.
I have a small fan at my desk that I use to blow the air away from my face. Kids just think I have hot flashes, but that's rarely true. I just don't want their funk.
Turn in as much work as possible online. Paper goes in the tray. Not directly to me.
I don't conference much anymore if I can help it. Makes me sad, but my spouse is Very High Risk, so I do what I gotta do.
Wash those hands
Keep that air moving out, if possible (yes, I know that is a repeat)
Sanitize your desk/tabletops as often as you can.
I don't hand out or collect pens, pencils, etc. anymore. They are also in a tray. Get one, take it if you need it, put it back when you finish. I don't want to touch it.
Avoid cafeteria, teachers' "lounge," hallways during passing periods, sitting in the crowd at pep rallies and assemblies (I always volunteer for door duty)
I sit behind them. They breathe forward.

Hope some of this is useful. Exercise. Eat well. Do something to de-stress." – Two_DogNight

3. "Never forget to wash your hands and don't get close enough to a student that you can smell their breath. I still get teacher crude every few months though. Also, when a kid asks to go to the nurse for a cold like symptom? Out comes the Clorox wipes for every table." – Sea_Row_6291

4. "I spray a cloud of Lysol out the door after every kid who's going to the nurse." – InDenialOfMyDenial

5. "Students may not cough or sneeze in your face, but they will on their assignments. Treat any paper that is turned in, as infectious." – Bumper22276

Cough Sick Friends Tv GIFGiphy

6. "I teach over 300 students so I wear a mask, I sanitize my hands any time I sit back down at my desk or touch my personal belongings, and I try not to get too close to kids since I teach older students. I take vitamins and try to drink lots of water. I go for a walk every day and try to get a decent sleep so I'm not run down." – ladyonecstacy

7. "Don’t be afraid to where a mask when you know there is something going around. Drink lots of water, vitamins, wash your hands often. Have students help sanitize the desks and high touch locations. Have everyone put hand sanitizer on as they come into the classroom." – mashed-_-potato

8. "I still teach fully masked. I teach teenagers and they are pure Petri dishes and don’t take care of their own immune system. I have never missed a day from work for being sick from something you can catch." – UncomfyNobleGas

9. "This is a small thing, but the box of tissues goes as far from my desk as possible. That means sick kids don't come to my desk with their sniffles." – TeachingAnonymously

Tissues Sick Flu Season GIF by Emma DarvickGiphy

10. "Sometimes when I suddenly feel tired and wonder if I’m getting sick, I’ll allow myself to plan a low prep day the next day instead of doing to 1-3 hours beyond my contact that I often need in the beginning of the year. One of the best vet teachers at my school plans a sick/personal day each month and has one of the experienced subs cover her class. She uses that day to recharge & recover. She rarely seems to get really 'really' sick." – JoyfulinfoSeeker

11. "In terms of catching whatever is going around the school, it comes down to proximity control. Don't get too close, don't let them get too close. Don't reach across them (I've had students sneeze on my arm..). Hand sanitize frequently. Don't touch your nose or your mouth. Wash hands often. Get some Lysol or Clorox wipes and routinely wipe down surfaces. If you have student supplies in your room, leave those for the students only. Don't share supplies with them. Don't let them use your stuff.

Otherwise, hydrate. I have a 32oz water bottle, and drink it down twice every school day. I don't seem to suffer from small bladder, so do whatever you need to do for you, but make sure you're hydrating regularly throughout the day.

Take a look at what you're eating. We've all been guilty of "teacher lunch" aka vending machine food (my go-to is a bag of funyuns and a cherry coke zero), but make sure that you're actually eating things with nutritional value and not just refined carbs and sugar. Eat good, feel good. Obviously this depends on your own dietary needs, but look... I'm guilty of dipping into the candy and snacks when I'm busy or stressing and it always makes me feel like shit.

In terms of stress management... I hate to oversimplify here but you gotta just... be less stressed. And I don't mean that in a dismissive way. First year you're panicking about everything, and you're now about to enter your 4th year. You know what is and isn't important, you know what is and isn't worth stressing over. Make sure you are drawing some boundaries.

Also, if you're just generally feeling lousy all the time, go to the doctor. I finally did after a few years of just generally feeling bleh and it turns out I'm slightly anemic. So we fixed that, and I feel better now." – InDenialOfMyDenial

12. "Same rule I had in healthcare: treat everyone like they have the plague." – MuddyGeek

13. "KN95 or better mask. HEPA filters and/or CR boxes. Open windows for ventilation. Clean everything." – youdneverguess

14. "If you can help it, avoid the school cafeteria. It's a giant petri dish of germs and bad hygiene." – JMWest_517

Cafeteria walking eating GIF by South Park Giphy

15. "I don't see it listed yet, but don't eat in your room! And establish clear boundaries for your desk. Kids don't walk anywhere near it and don't touch anything on it." – positivesplits

16. "I got sick more than eight times my first year, teaching elementary physed, I was told by my doctor that the first few years this is going to happen and then after that, my immune system should be pretty good. And so far, I have only gotten sick a few times a year since. Immunity pro tip sure you’re eating healthy, or at least getting your fruits and veggies in. They can’t cure sickness. But many Americans are deficient in many vitamins, minerals, and vital chemicals that are helpful for immunity." – Plus_Bench_4352

17. "You need the following to not get sick often as a teacher

Good sleep
Exercise
Diet
5 years of teaching experience to build immunity.

Half the shit my kid brings home from daycare gets my wife sick and doesn't touch me, because I've already had whatever it is." – MemeTeamMarine

18. "I am on year 21 and I used to get sick a lot. Now I do not. I have not changed my lifestyle at all. I eat healthy for the most part I honestly think it is the amount of citrus that I consume. I put true lime, grapefruit, or lemon in every single glass of water I drink. I eat oranges and clementines as snacks. In the last 5 years I have been sick with covid one time and other than seasonal allergies, no illness. Vitamin C is the only thing I can think to attribute it to." – User Unknown

Lemon Dance Dancing GIF by javadoodlesGiphy

19. "Vitamin C and D every day! Sanitize everything. Keep your hands clean and carry sanitizer with you. I use that stuff after I touch anything. Lysol spray between classes or have students sanitize desks. Don’t touch your eyes, nose, mouth, ears. That’s where most of your illnesses enter the body. Regularly remind kids hygiene practices that prevent the spread of germs." – User Unknown

20. "I personally eat Halls Defense Drops like candy. It’s a Vitamin C supplement. It’s also nice for soothing your throat after a long day. I know some people swear by elderberry supplements and Emergen-C as well, if you’re looking for that kind of thing. But besides that, a few basic practices:

Practice personal space with your students. I have no problem telling my kids to take a step or 2 back if they’re way too close. My desk is a 'holy area' - they shouldn’t be behind my desk, even if I’m sitting there.
If kids leave a tissue or trash on the floor, don’t pick it up. Yes, I understand wanting to make your custodian’s life easier. But if it’s a used tissue, you’re asking for whatever crap they have.
During cold and flu season, spray or wipe tables at least once a day, multiple times if possible. You can also use an air freshener that has disinfectant in it (I think Lysol makes one).
Model good hygiene habits for your students (no matter how old they are!). I have a sink in my class, and I occasionally wash my hands during class for whatever reason. It just reinforces those habits." – H8rsH8

21. "I got sick every two weeks one time during the winter. From November-April I was sick and I felt like crap the entire time going to work because I couldn’t keep taking time off. I bought elder berry/zinc mix through Amazon (liquid version). Put two full droppers in your mouth or drink. Not even joking, I haven’t been sick this entire year and if I did get sick, it was with a mild sore throat that went away in two days. Worked great." – Jiinxx10

22. "I teach math and the only papers that were coming in to me were the tests I gave students. I have them turn in their exams in to a folder away from my desk and I don't open it back up for 24 hours. When I started doing that, I noticed I stopped getting sick as often. Most of my good kids would still show up on test days when they're sick and gross and get all their germs over their papers." – broteus7

Science

5 things 'desire paths' - or human-made shortcuts - reveal about people

Going off the beaten path is a heavily studied phenomenon.

Gordon Joly & wetwebwork/Flickr

If you've ever walked through a public park or across a grassy college campus, you've definitely noticed the phenomenon. Inevitably, there's a paved path or sidewalk leading from Point A to Point B. And then, branching off of that path, is a well-worn patch of dirt where people have chosen to walk instead.

Often the unofficial path is more efficient or more pleasant, and it's just so inviting that you can't help but branch off and walk it yourself. These human-made shortcuts are called Desire Paths — or sometimes Cow Paths or Elephant Paths. (Named as such because big, lumbering animals like to take the shortest route between two points.)

Some people say Desire Paths occur when a design fails to connect with human behavior.

Which makes them incredibly useful for urban planners and other people who design walking paths! Desire Paths are studied heavily, and some places even choose to pave over them once they appear, making them more official. (While others intentionally block them off).

There are even cases where no paving was done until Desire Paths naturally formed — when crowds of people did the engineers' and urban planners' work for them.

from DesirePaths

People are absolutely fascinated by Desire Paths.

The subreddit devoted to them has over fifty-thousand members! There are massive groups on Flickr where people share photos of desire paths they find in the wild. And a recent X thread of desire paths racked up almost thirty million views.

Why is it that Desire Paths spark such a reaction in us? If I had to guess, it's because Desire Paths are small acts of rebellion. They are literally a visual representation of going off the beaten path. The symbolism is powerful in a world that can feel very mundane and predictable.

They're also something that we create together. No one single person creates a new path. They hold a collective wisdom that resonates deeply somewhere in our souls.

And they teach us about ourselves, believe it or not. Here are a few things we can learn about ourselves from Desire Paths.

1. We're not superstitious, but we're a little stitious.

There are lots of examples of Desire Paths forming around archways or leaning objects.

Sure, you could say people walk around so they don't bump their heads, or maybe to make room for passing cyclists.

But I like to think we just don't want to risk the bad karma.

from DesirePaths

2. Anything that gets in the way of a straight line is annoying.

If we're walking in a straight line, we generally would like to continue in that straight line.

A decorative circular garden right in the middle of the path might seem like a good idea — but only if you want to see it get trampled.

from DesirePaths

In the same vein, why walk in a complicated squiggly shape when we can just cut right across?

A paved path with dirt path branching off through trees wetwebwork/Flickr

3. We like gentle hills more than stairs.

It's surprising and fascinating how often people will avoid going up and down stairs if they can cut through the grass instead.

Human beings' hatred of stairs is well-documented, but it's interesting to see it play out visually.

A path worn in the dirt next to stairs Gordon Joly/Flickr

Some studies estimate walking up stairs is twice as hard on the body compared to walking up a hill.

A path work into tall grass next to stairs thepismire/Flickr

4. We don't like sharp turns.

If you know people, you won't be surprised to hear that we like to cut corners!

A dirt path next to sidewalk Dan Keck/Flickr

We're not robots! We don't like turning at right angles. Plus, if we're in a rush, a more efficient path saves us time.

A dirt path cutting through graveyard George Redgrave/Flickr

5. We like feeling connected to the people that came before.

Holloways are a special sort of Desire Path, carved deep into forests and other nature. They are often ancient. They are ever-changing.

A dirt path carved into forest By Romain Bréget, CC BY-SA 4.0

By walking through these paths, we become a part of them and a part of history.

A quote from Rebecca Solnit sums it up perfectly:

“Walking is a mode of making the world as well as being in it.”

So go ahead and take the road less traveled. Follow your intuition. You might be on to something, and it could be the beginning of a new and better path!

From Your Site Articles

walking

Hitting the trails this weekend? You might be walking or biking on an abandoned railroad.

They're helping give railroads a second life.

True

Along the Missouri River, there are 26 rambling trails where you can walk or bike through soft marshlands, towering bluffs, pleasing pastures, and thick forests.

Those trails make up the Katy Trail State Park — the longest public area in the United States that was formerly train tracks.

Built on the corridor of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, there's also quite a bit of history to be found on any outdoor excursion in this state park. Most trails go past restored historic depots and former railroad towns. It's no surprise all 240 miles of this park were added to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame in 2008.

Katy Trail State Park. Photo by Kim Horgan, courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

But trails like this weren't always so pleasant.

In the 1950s and '60s, there was dramatic decline in train use. By 1966, less than 2% of intercity commuters were using trains to get from place to place. That left a significant number of train lines defunct and a whole lot of miles of territory in disuse.

Aside from not looking too pretty, these rail lines, including what's now Katy Trail State Park, were just taking up unnecessary amounts of space without serving any purpose.

By the 1980s, "you see Congress starting to get concerned, because they were looking at the permanent loss of these rail lines," explains Amy Kapp, editor of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s magazine and blog.

Photo via succo/Pixabay.

So they amended the National Trail Systems Act to create the Railbanking Program. This allows people to preserve inactive corridors for future rail use while providing interim trail use — aka turning them into walking trails and bike paths.

But it’s often not easy for communities to launch large-scale trail projects on their own. They don't have the money and manpower, or they simply do not have any idea where to start.

That's why David Burwell and Peter Harnik founded the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy — an organization that's been helping to create outdoor paths for the public since 1986.

David Burwell and his wife (left) and Peter Harnik (right). Images courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

By helping convert old railways into public lands like the awesome Katy Trails, the conservancy is giving back to local communities by providingmore places to go outside, which in turn may help people feel better physically and mentally. More walkable, bike-able trails also means there's more of America's natural beauty for people to enjoy.

Trail in Washington, D.C. Photo by Milo Bateman, courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Over the last 30 years, RTC has been a great success.

When they opened their doors, there were 250 miles of known rail-trail. Today, there are over 22,774 miles available to communities all over the country and 2,035 known rails have been converted to trails.

It's really quite remarkable when you realize all those trails were once just miles and miles of unused land.

David Burwell passed away in February, but thanks to his passion and skill — and over 160,000 RTC members — his work will live on long after him.

Anacostia River Trail in Washington, D.C. Photo by Suzanne Matyas, courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Currently, RTC is helping to build eight large-scale regional trail systems across the United States.

One particularly significant project is called the Lower Rio Grande Valley Active Transportation and Tourism Plan, or Active Plan for short.

Historic Battlefield Trail in Brownsville, Texas. Photo by Mark Lehmann, courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

The Active Plan is based in Cameron County, Texas, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. A 428-mile trail network is on the docket to provide locals with safe travel routes and encourage exercise and outdoor recreation.

These outdoor trails could make life so much better for locals.

The Ortiz family on the Historic Battlefield Trail in Palo Alto, Texas. Photo by Mark Lehmann, courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Being closer to trails could save Cameron County millions of dollars in medical bills.

The community's economy should see a huge uptick too. A plan is set to create 453 new jobs for locals and increase tourism revenue by $40 million. For a county with more than a third of its residents below the poverty line, that’s no inconsequential figure.

Ohio and Erie Canalway Towpath Trail. Photo by Bruce Ford, courtesy of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Rails-to-trails conversion starts on the community level — which means that there are lots of ways for people to get involved and maybe even help spearhead a project in their own community.

In fact, RTC's website is a great resource if anyone interested in jumpstarting more trails, providing an online toolbox that's filled with information on railbanking, acquiring and financing projects, planning and trail designs, and how to navigate the railroad and community guidelines.

In addition, RTC is also always looking for volunteers to help advocate for them and their work. After all, it is thanks to those volunteers that we have beautiful public trails weaving through different communities, linking them together, and bringing people back to nature — they are the ones helping make Burwell's dream a reality.

"My dream is that one day you could go across this entire country — old or young, handicapped or able — on flat, wide, off-road paths," he once told the RTC publication. "I want rail-trails to be America’s main street."

"It's like walking dogs, but you don't have to pick up poo."

That's how Chuck McCarthy describes his job as The People Walker. It's a joke, of course, albeit one that the L.A.-based actor delivers dryly enough over the phone that it almost feels profound.

But that's basically how he managed to turn people-walking into a second career. Acting work comes in waves, even for the biggest names in the industry, and he was looking for something to fill the time and get him out of the house when he was between gigs. He knew some people who made extra cash by walking dogs, but he didn't want to pick up poop, "which is really what you're being paid for," he said.

During the spring of 2016, McCarthy took inspiration from advertisements in coffee shops and on telephone poles and began to promote his business as the People Walker.

Brett's no competition for The People Walker. #thepeoplewalker #LosAngeles #fitness #health #training #walking #walk
A photo posted by Chuck McCarthy (@chuckhistory) on May 10, 2016 at 1:19pm PDT

The concept was simple: If you needed companionship on a walk, for whatever reason, McCarthy would show up and stroll alongside you at the low, low cost of $7 a mile.

At first, it was definitely a bit of a joke. But by the end of the summer, he was getting regular, repeat business, walking more than one person a day on average. He even received people-walking requests and news coverage from places like Norway and France.

It's almost like people are eager to connect with other people in real life in a low-pressure, stress-free kind of way.

Mariel @seandthecrane got a walk from The People Walker tonight. #thepeoplewalker #losangeles #hollywood #fitness #health
A photo posted by Chuck McCarthy (@chuckhistory) on Aug 24, 2016 at 8:53pm PDT

Sometimes people just want a human interaction with low expectations.

"I enjoy talking to people and learning about other people," he said, explaining that he tries to listen more than he talks. "People aren't usually, like, confessing tons of stuff to me. But I don't want to make them feel like they couldn't tell me something, either."

This is particularly important when it comes to the celebrity culture that permeates Los Angeles. As he explains in his people-walking FAQ, "All of our walks are 100% confidential. We won't leak any stories to TMZ ... unless you want us to leak a story to TMZ" — which, yes, costs an additional fee. It is Los Angeles, after all.

(In the FAQ, he also says that while he is not a licensed therapist, he'll happily charge you therapist rates, although you should probably contact a professional if you need someone to help you sort your problems out.)

The People Walker™ - I'll be your wing man anytime.
A photo posted by Chuck McCarthy (@chuckhistory) on May 28, 2016 at 12:06pm PDT

Of course, McCarthy's not just in it for the money. Being the People Walker comes with its own benefits, too.

In just a few months, McCarthy's already shaved a few inches off his waist — although he's quick to point out that he hasn't necessarily lost weight, and that weight and health and happiness are not necessarily linked.

But in general, just getting out and walking does make him happier. Plus, it helps him with his acting career.

"The more people that you have contact with, that you're around, that you can hear a story from or learn from something, that gives you material or things to pull from for acting," he explained. "Meeting different people, and talking to different people, and learning things, and hearing stories can never hurt an actor, or writer, or any other type of artist."

That's my empathy face. It's a work in progress.
A photo posted by Chuck McCarthy (@chuckhistory) on Mar 14, 2016 at 2:30pm PDT

McCarthy plans to launch a People Walker app soon — think of it like Uber but for human interaction.

The app will connect people who want to be walked with other potential people-walkers in their area — who, of course, will be ranked and vetted by other users.

If this isn't what the casting breakdown wanted, then I can't read. @dedicatedtalent #HollywoodActor #nofilter #beardduel #beard
A photo posted by Chuck McCarthy (@chuckhistory) on Mar 18, 2016 at 2:06pm PDT

Simply put, People Walker Chuck McCarthy is the real deal of human awesomeness.

But if you're still not sold, check out the video below.

If you live in L.A. and are looking for companionship, you can get in touch with the People Walker on Facebook. Or, if you're looking to start your own people-walking franchise, visit ThePeopleWalker.org to stay in touch with McCarthy as he plans his great expansion.

Looking for an exercise partner or just a travel companion? Call Chuck, The People Walker. (via Zoomin.TV USA)
Posted by Upworthy on Monday, September 19, 2016

The clever way Indiana is resurrecting its old, rusting railroads.

When I was a kid, I went on a lot of nature walks with my mom.

We lived in the country in Central Texas and had a little plot of woods all to ourselves. We walked around big, ancient oaks and twisted, gnarly mesquite trees. Sometimes, we'd find a tree covered in big, ropey mustang grapevines and I'd climb up into the trees, pretending I was in the Swiss Family Robinson.

Other times, we went looking for animals. My favorites were the green anole lizards that lived on trees and flashed their red neck flaps at you.

Technically, it's called a dewlap, thank you very much. Photo from R. Colin Blenis/Wikimedia Commons.

There were also tiny black-and-white beetles with rock-hard shells that lived on fallen logs. If you touched them, they played dead until they thought you were gone. And sometimes we even saw deer.

Nature walks are a good way for families to bond. And they're pretty healthy too.

Science shows that spending just a little time outside (walking, looking at the trees, or even catching Pokemon!) can be good for you — it reduces blood pressure and improves mental health. There are even studies that suggest spending time in nature together can help families get along.

But here's the problem: Not everyone has access to nature, even (and especially) in rural areas.

Does this count as nature? Not really. Scott Olsen/Getty Images.

It's easy to imagine how someone living in downtown Chicago might struggle to find nature. But living outside a city doesn't guarantee access to trails and forests, either.

For example, imagine living in farm country. Though you're definitely not in the city, miles and miles of corn fields are just as much an artificial creation as any apartment building (plus the farmers probably wouldn't be happy with you trying to picnic in the middle of their fields).

This is actually a significant problem, so two researchers (University of Illinois professor Ramona Oswald and doctoral student Dina Izenstark) recently examined the lack of nature access in rural America. They found that although a lot of parents may know how great a nature walk can be for both your mood and your body, long distances or costs keep them from getting their families into nature.

“The moms in this study know about health and what to do to be healthy,” Oswald said in a press release. “It’s not a lack of education. It has to do with barriers and access to resources."

But what if we could erase these barriers? Enter the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit that's giving people access to nature in a cool way: by reviving old railway lines.

Photo via Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Eric Oberg, used with permission.

You see, the United States is criss-crossed with old railway lines.

Photo via iStock.

Many of them are still in use, but many have been abandoned.

Photo via iStock.

But just because they're abandoned doesn't mean they can't still be useful.

These abandoned lines can have new life breathed into them. Take the Cardinal Greenway in central and eastern Indiana.

Way back in 1993, the nonprofit Cardinal Greenways bought 60 miles of abandoned railroad in eastern Indiana and, after teaming up with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy for logistical help, began the hard work of turning it into a nature trail. (Rails-to-Trails support projects all across the United States.)

Photo from Cardinal Greenways, used with permission.

Tearing up a big metal railroad to make a nature trail might seem like a lot of work. But the railroad is already set up for nature walking success.

Most railroad tracks are already built up off the ground (so they don't flood), and they can support a lot of weight. Even better, trees don't grow on railroad tracks, so there's less vegetation to cut back to make a trail.

Cardinal Greenways' first 10-mile stretch opened in 1998.

They also added updated features like new bridges, benches, and informational signs.

Photo from Cardinal Greenways, used with permission.

There is also a playground and exercise equipment. You can even borrow a bike. It's free, too. Cardinal Greenways relies on volunteers and donations to maintain and expand the trail.

Today, the Cardinal Greenway runs for 62 miles, winding through more than 10 small towns as well as nature preserves and parks.

Photo from Cardinal Greenways, used with permission.

Families can walk or bicycle it, giving them easy access to nature and a safe place to exercise, no matter whether they're urban or rural.

A lot of different places have hit on replacing old railway lines with nature trails. Chicagoans might recognize the Bloomingdale Trail, for instance.

Photo from Victor Grigas/Wikimedia Commons.

The Bloomingdale Trail is a greenway that runs for about three miles in Northwest Chicago. You might never guess it used to be an old elevated train line.

In fact, your favorite running trail may have started its life as a railroad track. The Gloucester Township Trail in New Jersey, the Shelby Farms Greenline in Tennessee, and Mississippi's Tanglefoot Trail all started as old train lines, too.

Projects like this give both urban and rural families access to nature — using resources we already have.

Nature walks with my mom are some of my fondest childhood memories, and I'm sure those walks are part of the reason I'm still in love with nature today.

It's awesome to see projects like this making sure everyone has access to those memories like I did.

You can catch 'em all and help shelter dogs too.

Phil Pechingpaugh, director of the Muncie Animal Shelter in Indiana, was walking his dog and playing Pokémon Go with his daughter when he had a brilliant idea.

He noticed hoards of people walking around doing the exact same thing they were doing — catching Pokémon — only without a dog.

"I just thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could pair these people who are already out walking with shelter dogs who need exercise and stimulation?" Phil told Upworthy.

Photo from Phil Pechingpaugh, used with permission.

It sounded like the perfect partnership — people can get in a Pokéwalks while giving the pups some attention and fresh air at the same time.

Phil asked a friend to design simple ad. Little did he know how much attention it would draw.

"I didn’t expect much at all. I thought maybe we’ll get five or six people down here … but nothing like what we have received. We’ve had over 70 people in here today," Phil exclaimed.

Image from Phil Pechingpaugh, used with permission.

The people showing up to volunteer aren't just college kids playing Pokémon in their down time.

People of all ages have been coming from places near and far, Phil said, mentioning one girl who drove over two hours just so she could volunteer her time walking shelter dogs (and playing Pokémon, of course).

Phil's ad has already been shared on Facebook over 25,000 times and liked over 7,000 times on Twitter.

In the comments, people are posting with encouragement and love for this idea. It's as if everyone had just been waiting for a way to give back while collecting Squirtles and Pidgeys.

Photo by Karen Hastedt Borovsky/Facebook, used with permission.

With so many people showing up at the shelter in groups of three or four, the dog walkers had to develop a system in which one person would focus on dog walking while the others catch Pokémon.

"If you’re not responsible enough to do that, this probably isn’t the best option for you," Phil noted.

Phil hasn't had any problems with distracted dog walkers thus far, but he and his team do express caution to every person who comes in eager to give this fun, good Samaritan exercise a try.

The biggest compliment has come from other local shelters, Phil says.

"We’ve had other shelters that have reached out and said, 'now we’re going to do this.' I find that to be the biggest form of flattery," Phil told Upworthy.

Thanks to Phil, Pokémon Go may end up being responsible for a major uptick in shelter dog adoptions nationwide. He's already had a couple interested parties come in looking to adopt, and the Pokémon Dogs program has only been around for a day.

Photo by Trista Sydloski-Tesch/Facebook, used with permission.

Phil never would've imagined he'd be bring this much positive attention to Muncie and especially not because of a phone game. It just goes to show, small towns can make big splashes, especially when someone finds a way to combine fun with a good deed.