Location, location, location.

MSN.com posted an article today listing the recent tally of the most fit & fat cities in the US. According to this article, not all cities are created equal when it comes to obesity or overall health of its inhabitants.

For the 3^rd year in a row, Washington DC ranks #1 when it comes to health, followed by Boston, MA., Minneapolis, Minn., Seattle WA., and Portland, OR. respectively.

At the bottom of the list, coming in last place for health, was Oklahoma City, Ok., followed by Birmingham, A;., Memphis, Tn., Detroit, Mi., and Louisville, Ky.

So, what articles were taken into consideration during this poll you may ask? Over 30 factors, most important were:

• The city's population disease rates
  
• Mortality
  
• Physical attributes & lifestyles
  
• General surveys from the populations on their dietary habits
  
• The number of parks, golf courses, pools and other physically engaging available activities of the like
  

And, what were the responses from the best & worst fit Mayors? Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said in a statement, "We are thrilled to be named America's most fit city. We are investing in our recreation centers, building new swimming pools and opening more parks so our residents can exercise, swim, walk, bike and compete in sports." Not so thrilled Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, who mentioned he was used to people saying he's from an obese city, stated "I'm not saying we shouldn't be last. There are issues here that are real that we're not running away from. We have an obesity problem."

Mayor Cornett thinks the city gets unduly penalized because of technicalities in how the rankings are computed. Because the city doesn't run the schools, it can't classify school playgrounds as city-owned parks, as some other metro areas do.

Cornett is working hard to improve the city's ranking. Two years ago the city launched a website, called ThisCityIsGoingOnADiet.com, where 41,000 people have logged on to record how much weight they have lost. The city has made it halfway to its goal of dropping 1 million pounds. Cornett say he personally dropped 38 pounds.

The city only has about half as many parks, tennis courts, swimming pools and recreation centers per capita as a typical city, but is trying to reverse the tide. A recent bond issue, Cornett says, will pay for gymnasiums inside urban schools, 53 miles of bike trails, 450 miles of new sidewalks, a 77-acre city park and a plan to make 180 acres of downtown into a pedestrian mall.

"It is not OK for anyone to be obese," Cornett says. "There needs to be a cultural shift."

Until Tomorrow!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!
Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥