What Can We Learn From the Fittest City in the U.S.?
Minneapolis-St. Paul was recently rated the most fit city in america. So what are they doing, and how can we apply it to our own towns and lifestyles?
America's growing obesity epidemic is getting bad. In fact, so bad, that more than 1/3 of all American adults are presently obese and the number is expected to only increase further. In a health climate that seem quite bleak, however, there are shining beacons of hope in other cities that are fighting against obesity with their own fitness and healthy lifestyle changes. In a recent study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation, researchers qualified what made a healthy city by looking at the following indicators: rates of asthma, diabetes and heart disease, obesity, smoking, availability of farmer's markets, and investment in public parks and playgrounds.
While many observers might expect the cold winters to keep Minnesotans indoors, their winters are actually more active than many other warmer cities' summers. So what is St. Paul doing to attain such a high achievement? One factor that promotes healthy activity, is having a park within a 10 minute walk of your house; which is something 95% of all Minnesotans have access to. The promotion of farmers markets and an active night life have also led to a 16% increase in the number of people who have reached the allotted amount of recommended exercise, and a 10% drop in heart disease and chest pain. So make your own Minneapolis, and be sure to get out and exercise the recommended daily allotment while eating healthy (maybe promoting your lifestyle to others in the process!).
No comments:
Post a Comment