Monday, February 26, 2007

The Fittest and Fattest Cities

This years tally of last year's heaviest and slimmest cities is in. The winners take home fitness, stamina, a healthier heart, less sickness, more productivity, and happier lives...all due to their healthier and fitter liftestyles relative to the majority of Americans who are not.

The city that placed at the top - Albuquerque, NM. (More results from CBSnews.com as published in Men's Fitness Mag). A place where the outdoors offers much to do in a climate with great appeal, Albuquerque can be proud of the high degree of health that is enjoyed by it's residents. Rounding out the top ten are two cities in Colorado with entirely different climates than Albuquerque - Denver and Colorado Springs, in close proximity to one another. I suppose that Colorado has a lot of great outdoor activities as well. Either way, the people who choose to live healthy are going to have a ripple effect on those who live near them... and in turn, they will live healthy. Or it could be said that those with healthy lifestyles move to places where there are plenty of things to do to fulfill their active-seeking lifestyles.

On the other side, the fattest city is reportedly Las Vegas. And why not, considering they have the most high-end restaurants per square mile than any other place in the world, and as much of everything you want to consume as your heart (or wallet) desires. Look at the number of cities from Texas that are in the top 10 - San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, El Paso... wow! I guess the high fat steak and fries are the diet of the rich oilmen and women of Texas. I don't know, but there must be some commonality to what's being served in the star state.

You can have a healthy lifestyle and still enjoy good foods. It's the consumption of the bad foods on a regular basis that puts us on the heavy end. Look at your own diet and decide if your eating and drinking what Mother Nature has provided, or most of what your eating and drinking is man-made. Soft drinks, fast food, packaged foods (most), sweets, muffins (most), breads (most), lots of starches... those are going to put the weight on and clog your arteries eventually. Start with drinking more water than any other beverage, and eventually making it 90% of your beverage intake. Go from there and you'll find a major difference in your health. And maybe next year your community can be in the top 10 fittest in the country!

Carpe Diet!
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