01-17-2006, 08:12 PM
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Getty Images Buttered crabmeat and fried shrimp reign supreme in Baltimore, but residents manage to stay in shape, according to Men's Fitness. In the magazine's eighth annual ranking of America's fittest and fattest cities, the bay community took top honors, up from the 25th seat in 2004. See all the rankings. Honolulu, Virginia Beach, Va., Tucson, Ariz., and Milwaukee rounded out the top five fittest cities, while Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston fell squarely at the bottom of the list. While the survey is hardly scientific, it does provide interesting insights for public health officials nationwide. The criteria for determining which cities were most fit (or fat) included 17 weighted categories, including: ▪ The number of bars, taverns and other nearby watering holes ▪ Average frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption ▪ Proximity to forests, lakes, rivers, mountains and beaches ▪ Participation in sports and fitness activities ▪ Percentage of obese, overweight or sedentary adults in the area In Baltimore, many city dwellers claim to live on deep fried fish and junk food, but according to Men's Fitness editors, the city has redeeming qualities, too. Ample public park space and relatively few fast food restaurants give it a leg up on cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. Stressful commute times, poor air quality and sub-standard access to health care all clenched lower rankings for those metropolitan areas. Baltimore's urban renewal has attracted younger people to growing neighborhoods. With the influx of young, active professionals and gyms, health food stores and recreational programs are expected to crop up. Want to help your city follow Baltimore's lead? Work closely with city officials to enact policies that will improve air and water quality, support nutrition and fitness programs in the schools, promote citywide fitness events, invest in public parks and recreational facilities and partner with local restaurants and gyms to offer incentives to people who make healthy lifestyle choices. Houstonites (the No. 5 fattest) and New Yorkers (the No. 25 fattest) have already taken on the challenge, pledging to "take it off" and help their cities move to the fit list! Which city will lose the most? -- Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H. Want more diet news? Sign up for alerts on the latest diet trends. More to Explore -- Choose a Diet: Get expert ratings for 36 popular plans. -- Focus on Fitness: Subscribe for free bimonthly tips by e-mail. Not sure which diet is right for you? eDiets.com can help with a FREE Diet Needs AnalysisTM Lose 10 lbs. in 5 weeks! * Does not include all diets or weight-loss programs Top 10 Fittest Cities Seattle Is Fit! Men's Health ranked the fittest cities in America in its annual survey. Baltimore Honolulu Virginia Beach, Va. Tuscon, Ariz. Milwaukee Colorado Springs, Colo. San Francisco Seattle Louisville-Jefferson, Ky. Boston Top 10 Fattest Cities Chicago+dogs= Men's Health also ranked the fattest cities. They should be Taking It Off! Chicago Las Vegas Los Angeles Dallas Houston Memphis, Tenn. Long Beach, Calif. El Paso, Texas Kansas City, Mo. Mesa, Ariz. |
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