Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Living Well

America's 10 Fittest Cities—and 10 Least Fit, Too

Some metro areas are much more in shape than others. Here's a list of best and worse

Posted December 15, 2008

Reader Comments

fitness, anchorage

bbbbwwwwwwaaaahahahahahaha! anchorage a fit city?!!! bbwwbwwaaaahhahahahaha!

Chattanooga

Try visiting Chattanooga sometime. It will quickly cause you to question the accuracy of this list.

Colorado

In Colorado you can drink, yet still be smart and healthy. I love this state.

tucson

tucson is the most fitest city i mean think about it. it gets up 2 100 degress her and alot of kids are active.so there for tucson should be on the most fitest list.:)

Suspect statistics

Chattanooga isn't fit? Hardly - even Josiah is fit here:) This is an active town and region. We may not all be in the gym but we're out and about. Perhaps Chattanooga has the lowest gym attendance. If so, this should be counted as an attribute. Get off the treadmill and get outside.

Josiah

We're #1! We're #1! We're #1!

off to the gym...

Chattanooga does not belong on this list

I live in Chattanooga and it is one of the most active cities in the Southeast. Along with having hundreds of miles of trails used for mountain bikers, runners and hikers within a 10 mile radius of the city... The city has a growing population of outdoor enthusiasts with groups focusing in kayaking, rock climbing, hang-gliding, caving, cycling and white-water rafting... Downtown itself is home to an impresive 10-mile river walk that is contstantly used by roller bladers, runners, cyclists, etc.

Chattanooga is home to the Head of the Hooch Regatta, the 2nd largest regatta in the country, organizations such as Outdoor Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Bike Club and the Chattanooga Track Club with visits from the Tour de Georgia. The list goes on...

What the author of this post fails to mention here, is that CDC's statistics for CHATTANOOGA are actually based on their statistics for the "TN-GA Metropolitan area" which in their stats include SIX COUNTIES. Three of which aren't even in TN. The city of Chattanooga is dwarfed by the size of this area. Chattanooga covers about 145 sq mi area... While the area used for this list is around 2,138 sq mi.

Chattanooga is FAR FROM THE LEAST-FIT city... And even if the data indicates this region as being aggregately less-fit, Chattanooga stands alone.

Sorry for the long post, but I love Chattanooga and it's a very active little city.

Very true

As I life long resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana I can say that this survey is pretty much dead on. One should not confuse being fit with the consumption of all the good food we have in this area. The lack of exercise can be attributed to a variety of factors. In my opinion it comes down to culture. It seems that most folks around here believe that exercise ends once you graduate from High School.

Pretty sad actually because in the end it will only cost the tax payers of this state more money. When welfare can be used to purchase junk food and soft drinks instead of the staples you end up with a majority of folks overweight. People that are overweight tend to suffer the most health problems and the state will be left holding the bill for the health care.

I alternate my cardio work between biking and running 6 days a week. I also do some strength training on the side. My wife is now getting more involved and we plan on running a 10K in New Orleans this spring.

Perhaps the health habits of a city are in line with the overall health of the community. If people are taking pride in themselves they would be more likely to take pride in where they live.

heath

i like riding bikes

Nah, Tim, none of the worst ten were in Texas.

Add your thoughts

All comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

advertisement

Featured Video

Macular Degeneration

Learn how to recognize and treat macular degeneration.

Learning About Depression

Depression is more than just a "down mood."

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis affects people of all ages.

What Is Breast Cancer?

Watch how cancer forms inside the breast, and learn the possible signs and symptoms.

Flu Symptoms & Prevention

Learn about the virus, and how to prevent and treat it.

Arthritis: Pain in Your Joints

What you can do right now to ease the pain of arthritis.

advertisement

What's the Link, If Any, Between Dietary Fat and Breast Cancer?

Read Dr. Walter C. Willett's reply.

To talk to other people who share your health issues, check out our health community.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.