Healthy Cities
Americans love to rank (to put in order) almost everything, as if it were some sort of competition. We have awards for almost everything nowadays, and nearly every day the newspaper has a list of the best or worst of one thing or another. The latest ranking is from the American College of Sports Medicine, which has an American Fitness Index. Fitness refers to how physically healthy you are, usually related to how much you do physical exercise (run, jog, play sports, surf the Internet (okay, not that last one!)). An index is a measurement of something. The American Fitness Index looks at several factors (things, topics) to determine which US city is the “healthiest.” These include:
- Availability of parks, walking and bike trails (paths, places where you can walk and ride a bike), and public transportation (busses, subways, etc.);
- Percentage of people who exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight (are not too fat or too thin), and eat the recommended amounts of vegetables and fruits each day;
- Percentage of people who have access to (are able to use regularly) health care and have health insurance (remember that the US currently has no “national” health care service – most people have to buy their own insurance or get it through their employer);
- Percentage of people who do not smoke.
So which cities are healthiest? Number one is our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., which surprised me a little, although Washington has lots of places to walk and ride bikes, has an excellent public transportation system, and has many people who work for the federal (national) government and therefore have health insurance. Second was the place where I was born and raised (grew up), the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, in Minnesota. Here is a list of some of the other top cities:
- Denver, Colorado
- Boston, Massachusetts
- San Francisco, California
- Seattle, Washington
- Portland, Oregon
- San Diego, California
- Austin, Texas
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Sacramento, California
- San Jose, California
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Atlanta, Georgia
Notice the several are in California, but not Los Angeles. I guess if I want to be healthier, I should move back to Minnesota!
~Jeff
June 18th, 2009 at 2:36 am
I can´t imagine people running along your city in Minnesota in winter time. May be it is very helthy if you can survive after doing
exercise with – 20 C degress what it has to be very confortable.
Sorry but I prefer to be at home reading a good book or watching a movie or surfing the internet.
I have seen people breaking the ice to have a healthy bath in winter and I think it has to be very nice too for them, though not for
me, sorry I´m not fond to fitness.
I think it is too healthy and I don´t want to live so much time.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Thanks Jeff and Lucy! It is nice article.! My famous global instructor! You don’t know us, but you teach us English so great and enrich our knowledge, it’s so nice! I wishing your guys ‘re rich and famous! Yesterday I have a good dream that Oscar winner is smiling to you, but you turn away, that is weird but..well..you know…your Viet guy in America
June 18th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
On an average basis, ranks can be a good idea, trying to simplify and synthesise a wide range of factors which might somehow affect our comfortability and living quality in anywhere. However, despite all the different aspects considerated, I believe one has to use them simply as a non-decisive information before to make a decission about something, and this is why I think there are very important factors which can not become measured, because they are intangible ones, such as the happiness or sadness, which not only depend on material or economic items.
I want to say that one has to read them cautiously, even though they can provide a very useful information, because there are more important things to consider.
In any case, I think it is a custom very widespread in Anglo-Saxon countries, and it will be for some wise reason.
Best regards from Spain.
Julio (Jack).
June 18th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Does the Index includes brain exercise?
June 18th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
In fact I have not opinion about sports or fitness because the only sport I have practice has been swimming or some tennis. I know sports or fitness may be very good for the mind or the body and it is a way of not doing other unhealthy things.
Never in all my life I have seen my father doing fitness or another king of sport, last Sunday I have seen him who is 95 years old and he is fine despite so many years doing what he really likes.
What I want to meant is that we are free of doing whichever thing we like without disturbing the freedom of other people, but why doing sport or running or going to the gym has to be better or healthy than walking along the park, reading a book or going to the cinema or the opera? Maybe playing chess is so good as another kind of sport.
A sharp appointment Gregorex, plus one.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:12 am
The problem is than nowadays, it is being sold, a model of life in the society, in excess, that is focus on “taking care of the body” (culto al cuerpo)
Many people are concerned about get to, ” perfect measures”. which is completely ridiculous. Is well Known, this measures for the women, 90-60-90 (cm, sorry), but What about men? There is a joke, that said, that the perfect measure for men are: 80-03-80, than mean, 80 years old, 3 heart attacks, and 80 millions in a bank.
Seriously now, I think that fitness or sports, are good for our mind and body, and also a well balanced feeding of course, the danger lies in forgetting, “live and let live”. In Spain, there are a program, in TV, all the weekly days in the morning, called, “Know live” (Saber Vivir), and I know many old people and retired that daily watch the program, and if it is not possible for them, to see it, they record the program anxiously, thinking, that these advice, change and get better their life’s. But I got the impression, that many of these people, that try to carry out all these advices”to the dot”, they are forgetting, the most important thing “Live”.
June 20th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
For my self i am not in healthy weight, in my city in Kurdistan of Iraq -Erbil- the city municipal has been building many public parks and put on in it several excersing machines for free, and between time and time i go to do little bit gym.in my leisure time after i finish my work in the ministry of human rights, due to we have roughly a good public transportation system which has seen some improvement after US-led Coalition war on Iraq, so i have approximately good access to do sport
June 21st, 2009 at 7:11 am
Jeff talked about the healthiest cities in U.S.
On the contrary, do you think which city is the unhealthiest in the U.S?
When I visit Las vegas in this January to attend the CES 2009, which is the largest convention in electronics industry,
I saw there were a lot of fat people there addicting themselves to gambling.
They were only doing pulling up and down stick of gambling machine with a cup of acholol.
So Las vegas in Califonia is the city where people are likely to become fat & unhealthy.
June 21st, 2009 at 8:56 am
I’m living in San Jose,California, and my hometown is healthy city, it hard to believe the rank,but I like that,hi hi… As matter of fact, it is melting pot city, too many races shelter here, a lot of different kind of cuisines here..a lot of pretty young chicks here..Asian chicks..Latinos chicks..white chicks..Black chicks.. island chicks..you name it, you get it my friends. From my place, you take 45minutes to San Francisco, it’s a beautiful city, I mean it’s a beautiful city, Monterrey beach, beautiful Camel beach..I will be your host if you’re little nice, sweet girl. If you have boyfriend, It’s ok for you to leave your boyfriend home, I don’t mind. But do you mind to know that I am 99 years old man? your viet guy in America
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:17 am
Hi jeff
My name is katia I’m from Cuba, now living in miami. I have been listeing your podcast just for one month, and i already fall in love with you, sorry I mean with your stories, your voice is music to my ear, say to your wife than don’t be jealousy because I also married …. LOL….I just kidding.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 am
My sweet dear sushi Katia! I can be your host, no doubt about it, I will tour you around the bay area, to see the sunset of the sunset beach, to visit amazing shopping centers of your dream, seeing things that will pleasing your eyes, hearing things that will teasing your ears, tantalizing your sense with magic touch,to redefine your heaven on earth with your opened eyes. Learn how to live choose Jeff, choose me for…uh..fall in love with, because dear is My little sushi lady!..LOL..I just kidding,Because I’m your viet guy in America