This Is the Fittest Metropolis within the U.S.

Have you ever exercised in the present day? If you happen to reside in Arlington, Virginia, there’s a good likelihood you answered sure. Town positioned alongside the Potomac River is once more named the fittest within the nation within the seventeenth annual American Health Index, launched by the American School of Sports activities Drugs (ACSM) and the Elevance Well being Basis.

The distinguished report analyzes 33 well being indicators, together with continual illnesses and bodily exercise, leisure services, public insurance policies, and environmental indicators, to rank America’s 100 fittest cities.

Whereas the Northern Virginian metropolis, which has topped the yearly rating since 2018, did not ace all classes, it had wonderful scores in most.

“Arlington ranked first in neighborhood/environmental indicators. And, though it ranked fourth in private well being indicators, Arlington had the very best charge of residents exercising within the earlier month (87.8%), had probably the most getting seven or extra hours of sleep an evening (76.4%), and the bottom proportion smoking (3.4%),” the report said.

Earlier this yr, Arlington’s public parks system was ranked the fifth greatest within the nation based mostly on measurement, entry, funding, facilities, and fairness. In accordance with the Belief for Public Land’s ParkScore, 99 p.c of Arlingtonians reside inside ten minutes of a park. Town obtained additional factors for including extra playgrounds and for the number of publicly obtainable services like basketball hoops, splash pads, and canine parks.

Throughout the Potomac River from Arlington, Washington, D.C., is the second-fittest metropolis in America. Residents within the nation’s capital have among the healthiest consuming habits, with 38 p.c consuming two or extra fruits a day, the very best within the nation, and 21.4 p.c consuming three or extra greens day by day. Washingtonians have been additionally within the high 5 for utilizing public transportation, strolling or biking to work, and common train.

And Seattle received the bronze medal this yr, with the report highlighting town’s third-highest per capita funding in public parks. 

Nonetheless, the report’s findings additionally present that Individuals do not train sufficient to fulfill the minimal ACSM requirements of twenty-two minutes of “moderate-intensity cardio exercise” per day and muscle-strengthening actions twice weekly. There was a lower within the variety of individuals getting seven or extra hours of nightly sleep and a rise in these self-evaluating in poor bodily and psychological well being.

“Publish-pandemic, Individuals are usually not as energetic as we want,” Stella Volpe, ACSM President, stated in a press launch supplied to Journey + Leisure. “To assist facilitate this, area people leaders should step up and make daring spending selections, coverage selections, and infrastructure modifications to extend alternatives for residents to be bodily energetic and wholesome.”

Lexington, Kentucky, and Miami had probably the most important jumps in rating. The previous gained 31 locations since final yr to say the forty ninth spot, and the latter occupied the thirteenth place this yr, an enchancment of 26 locations over 2023. 

Essentially the most pronounced detrimental place modifications have been for Tampa, Florida (shedding 21 locations to forty fifth) and Greensborough, North Carolina (dropping 18 locations to eightieth).

You’ll be able to learn your complete report on acsm.org.