L.A. Ranks 23 on the ACSM Fit Index – How Fit is YOUR City?
Yesterday, the American College of Sports Medicine released their annual Fitness Index, an overall assessment of the health of America’s top 50 metropolitan cities.
ACSM ranks cities based on health and community indicators, measuring things like resident’s activity level, fruit and vegetable consumption, incidence of disease, and access to recreational facilitates and farmers markets.
Surprisingly — at least to me — L.A. came in at #23.
I was shocked. With our countless beaches, parks, and farmers markets, and a Pilates studio/green juice dispensary on every corner, I couldn’t believe we’re only half way up the list.
The top three cities included Washington, DC, Minneapolis, and San Diego.
While L.A. has a slightly lower obesity rate, Washington, DC ranks higher in mental health, daily activity, and access to public recreation.
More surprisingly though was the overall trends revealed. Nationwide there was an 11% drop in the number of people who worked out in the past 30 days, an 8% increase in the diabetes death rate, and a 5.5% drop in recommended fruit consumption.
And here I thought people were becoming more aware and concerned about their health and fitness.
If you’re reading this blog, I’m guessing you didn’t contribute to these trends. Still, it’s a good reminder of the things we can be doing on a daily basis to make ourselves and our communities healthier.
The ACSM recommends 30 minutes of exercise and 10 minutes of light stretching/strength training, at least 5 days a week to maintain proper health. Based on nutritional criteria from the USDA, they recommend two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day.
ganeeban says:
Woot! Woot! Sactown got #5 :) Saw this on FB, but thanks for breaking it all down! They should do a study at the same time that shows who posts the most fitness social media posts in this cities! HAHA! xoxo, ganeeban
Whitney English says:
Yay for SacTown! My fiance is from there and we’ve definitely done some fun fitness activities while visiting :)
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says:
#1 baby! I live right outside DC. I was really surprised about LA everyone certainly looks fit!
Whitney English says:
I was just in DC and I can totally see why. It’s so beautiful and you guys have amazing weather right now!!
Becky says:
Sacramento #5!
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says:
San Francisco #4! Yes!