What would you think is the number one “fitness city” in America? Don’t cheat and Google it yet. Just think about the general health and fitness of the country, then make your best guess. Bet you won’t get it first try — unless you’ve been reading about such things while you’ve been walking your treadmill, cycling, using the old elliptical or whatever you do for personal fitness.
Perhaps Seattle? I used to live there and it’s a wonderful place, with lots of active, outdoor people. Nope, not Seattle.
How about Portland? Oregon, and particularly the Portland metro area, is a progressive, very beautiful state. And they, too, are very outdoors oriented. Nope, not Portland.
Give up? Okay, perhaps you’ll be as surprised as I was at the two top American fitness cities. According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index, the five most fit cities in America are:
1. Washington, D.C.
2. Boston, MA
3. Minneapolis, MN
4. Seattle, WA
5. Portland, OR
I was amazed to see that D.C. and Boston, always portrayed as less-than-bright-and-beautiful areas to live and work, were at the top of the list. According to the news story I read about this, the rankings were based on “a composite of preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access, as well as community resources and policies that support physical activity.”
Who would have figured on D.C. and Boston at numbers 1 and 2? Not me!