BLOG 30 COMPARING CITIES

BLOG 30 COMPARING CITIES

Where we reside can influence our daily decision making and practices when it comes to health and wellness. Each year reports are released on the healthiest cities in America. The American Fitness Index uses researches to look at factors and evaluate who makes the list. These factors include obesity, smoking, the environment, and diabetes. The results are quite interesting so let’s take a look….

I will cover the top ten on the list. Washington D.C. comes in at number one. Who would have thought our capital is also the fittest city. Reasons for this title include, “ample public parks for recreation, an increasing number of farmers' markets per resident, and a decreasing diabetes death rate” (http://www.cbsnews.com/media/the-top-15-fittest-cities-in-america/2/). Minneapolis is next with, “92 percent of its residents within walking distance of a park” (http://www.cbsnews.com/media/the-top-15-fittest-cities-in-america/3/). Guess what?? San Diego came in at number three. Compared to other places we have lower death rate from diabetes and heart disease. We have constant access to the beach which promotes activity. San Francisco and Sacramento follow San Diego, so California is very prevalent on this list. Moving on we have Denver, Portland, Seattle, Boston, and San Jose (California again).

There were a few articles I read that were more opinion related when it came to being the healthiest places to live. There were certainly some valid topics presented. Some of the topics even discussed how the Affordable Care Act has impacted our countries life expectancy and low income cities. The general theme was that the more pedestrian friendly, the healthier the city. In a CNN article, Thompson asked, “How walkable is your city?” (http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/health/fit-city/). So for example, “In Washington D.C., 95%of the population live within a 10-minute walk to a park. In Indianapolis, it’s only 31%. Clearly the environmental indicators in D.C. would lend themselves more towards supporting people who tend to be physically active and healthy.” ((http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/19/health/fit-city/).

My research findings didn’t come across mentions of the number of gyms or agriculture available. It came down to whether people walk or not. Nothing was mentioned about the food culture or “farm to table” movement.  I thought of North County and how each city practically has its own farmer’s market. Walking is the most basic form of movement, so it makes sense that it was the standard for making the list. California was on the list frequently and we have weather that permits year around walking. On the other hand, I thought about New York and how people walk all over there, so all in all, I think there are multiple sides to this argument.

Many of us have lived in different cities and noticed some of the differences first hand. Personally, I lived Denver for college and have spent the rest of my life in the San Diego area. Our stabile climate, beach, and Hollywood influence, make this environment more appearance concerned than others. We don’t live our lives covered up by jackets, we aren’t cooped up inside and not mobile due to the weather, and everyone wants to look like a star. When I was in Denver, if it snowed, you could count me out of making the trek to the gym for fear of sliding on the road or losing feeling in my fingers and nose from being so cold. Sadly, I’m not exaggerating so clearly this San Diego girl didn’t fare well in other places. Talking with clients, those that have lived in Virginia cities or others places from their military travels, have all said fitness wasn’t such a dominant theme where they came from. Friends and family just didn’t work out or join a gym.  

I love Oceanside and the location of the studio. I love to utilize the hills and surrounding neighborhoods (I know you love it too). On rainy days, I feel cooped up. Naturally when I travel I do notice the size and shapes of people and I always look up where I might be able to get a workout in while on the road. When all else fails I do go walk or run. But of course, it all comes down to actually doing it haha. So regardless of where we live, we have to take the initiative to be active, so what have you done today to get those 10,00 steps in??