Well the results are in and the beautiful city of Lexington, Kentucky, with its really blue bluegrass, world class horse farms and home of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, ranks as the absolutely laziest city in the United States. Indianapolis in Indiana and Jackson, Mississippi also ranked among the least active, while Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland, California were the most physically active.
Editors looked at how often residents exercise, the number of households that watched 15 hours of cable television a week and bought more than 11 video games a year, and the rate of DVT, a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg, which is associated with inactivity. The clot can block blood flow and cause swelling and pain. When a clot breaks off and moves through the bloodstream, this is called an embolism. An embolism can get stuck in the brain, lungs, heart, or other area, leading to severe damage.
Here just below are the full lists released by Men’s Health Magazine. These are the last ten and top ten out of the 100 ranked.
Least Active:
- Lexington, KY
- Indianapolis, IN
- Jackson, MS
- Charleston, WV
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Tulsa, OK
- Little Rock, AR
- Nashville, TN
- Laredo, TX
- Birmingham, AL
Most Active:
- Seattle, WA
- San Francisco, CA
- Oakland, CA
- Washington, DC
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Reno, NV
- Portland, ME
- Atlanta, GA
- Denver, CO
- Minneapolis, MN
Matt Marion, deputy editor of Men’s Health explains:
‘What hurt Lexington most was the actual amount of activity, or exercise, people reported engaging in, or any physical activity at all, which was relatively low. They did have higher rates of deaths from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) as well. When we crunched the numbers Lexington finished at the bottom.”
Southern cities dominated the least active metropolises. Tulsa and Oklahoma City, also scored a low grade, as did Birmingham, Alabama, Laredo in Texas, Nashville, Little Rock and Charleston, West Virginia.
Marion continues:
‘In certain cities there is a more laid-back lifestyle. That’s fine, but there is not that same drive you’ll see in certain parts of the northeast or California, or the northwest where people get up every morning and run or hit the gym. With the most active cities a common theme that runs through is there is a bit more body consciousness, a more youthful and body conscious sensibility in these cities. And I think that equates to people making it a priority, no matter how busy, to get a run in or go for a walk.”
Residents of power-hub Washington, DC, Salt Lake City, Reno, Portland, Atlanta, Denver and Minneapolis were also visiting the gym or pounding the pavement as each city scored top grades for being active.
According to the American Heart Association, physical inactivity is a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is characterized by deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, calcium and other substances in the inner lining of arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. It also contributes to other risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, a low level of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and diabetes.
Even moderately intense physical activity such as brisk walking is beneficial when done regularly for a total of 30 minutes or longer on most or all days.
Source: Men’s Health and
Written by Sy Kraft