America’s Fittest Cities? They Forgot One…
I came across this report about The American College of Sports Medicine’s new list of America’s fittest cities. As WebMD describes it,
The list is based on personal factors — including the percentage of residents who smoke, are obese, get regular physical activity, eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and have conditions such as diabetes and heart disease — and on local resources, such as parks, farmers’ markets, number of primary health care providers, and crime rates.
Looking at the list, I guess the intent was to rate big cities only – which is understandable, even if it’s a bit of a shame. After all, not everyone lives (or cares to live) in a big city, and by focusing on big cities only, you can miss stuff.
I think the fittest city I’ve ever been in is one that’s apparently too small to appear on the list: Davis, California. The population is easily the most active of any I’ve encountered… everyone bikes – practically everywhere. There’s a reason the place is sometimes referred to as “the bicycle capital of the US.”
One of the issues I have with our current conception of “fitness”, is that it’s viewed as something you go (drive!) to a gym (or other special facility) to do… it’s not integrated into most urban/suburban lifestyles. This is why I like what Davis has done: city planning prioritizes bike/foot traffic vs. cars – which is the opposite of what you see in most places. Needless to state, it’s a model that needs to be implemented on a wider scale, if we – as a society – truly value basic fitness/wellness.
