FitSugar

And the Healthiest City For Women Is . . .

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:06:30 -0800

Although Burlington, VT, was recently named the healthiest city by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Self magazine determined that Bethesda, MD, scores highest when it comes to women's health, the lists don't end there. Now Men's Health and Women's Health magazines have come up with their own versions. The duo rated 100 of the largest US cities and ranked them from best to worst. Top on their list for women is Salt Lake City, UT. For men, the healthiest place to live is Madison, WI.

Curious to know which cities are worst according to these magazines? Then read more.

Unfortunately, Bakersfield, CA, was ranked the unhealthiest city for women to live. As for men, Charleston, WV, was last on the list. To create the rankings, the magazines looked at factors including cancer rates, air quality, and the number of gym memberships held by the community. To see the complete list and find out how your city ranked, check out the Women's Health website.

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Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities For Women

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control released its list of the healthiest cities in the US. Using gender-specific stats, Self magazine has created its own list of the healthiest and unhealthiest cities for women. The magazine uses almost 8,000 bits of data in 50 categories to create its ranking system. Some of the criteria are public health stats like death and disease rates, but it also measures elements of healthy living like access to parks, trails, and fitness centers, as well as air quality, commuting practices, and availability of farmers markets. This year Bethesda, MD, home of the National Institutes of Health, takes the top spot pushing my beloved San Francisco, CA, out of first place.

Here is the list of the other metro areas to make the top 10:

San Francisco, CA
Honolulu, HI
Nassau-Suffolk counties (Long Island), NY
Cambridge, MA
Stamford, CT
New York City, NY
Santa Ana, CA
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA

To see where the fittest women in the US live, as well as the least healthy cities, just read more.

Fittest women: Santa Ana, CA
These ladies exercise vigorously nearly 30 percent more than the average woman included in the survey.

Healthiest hearts: Minneapolis, MN
Women in the mini-apple have low levels of hypertension.

Healthiest eaters: San Francisco, CA
Close to the some of the best farmland in the country, women in SF eat an average of 52 servings of fruit a month.

Most health clubs: Springfield, MA

Most likely to walk to work: New York City, NY

Now for the metro areas where women's health was considered the worst:

Detroit, MI
Gary, IN
St. Louis, MO
Toledo, OH
Oklahoma City, OK
Indianapolis, IN
Tulsa, OK
Kansas City, MO
Cincinnati, OH
Wichita, KS

If your hometown didn't make either list, you can check the stats of your town using a interactive map created by Self. I am going to go eat some fruit and map out my new bike route to work. What about you?

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And the Healthiest US City Is . . .

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

And the Healthiest US city is . . .

. . . Burlington, VT. This is Vermont's largest city, and of all America's cities, it has the largest proportion of people who say they are in good or great health - 92 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this city also rates lowest in diabetes and obesity. In this area, outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, skiing, and snowshoeing are popular. There are also a plethora of healthy dining options, with many restaurants offering vegan and vegetarian options, grass-fed beef, and organic produce. Another plus on the health front is that many people are employed by IBM, which offers generous health benefits and wellness programs.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, to find out which US city is the most unhealthy, read more.

Huntington, WV, is the unhealthiest city. When compared to Burlington, both are college towns with populations that are mostly white with English, German, or Irish decent. They have some very distinct differences, though:

	Burlington, VT	Huntington, WV
Average age of citizens	37	40
Poverty	8 percent live at poverty level	19 percent live at poverty level
Education	40 percent have at least college bachelor's degree	15 percent have at least college bachelor's degree

These differences have a huge effect on the health of the community members. Since poverty is more prevalent in Huntington, people can't afford to eat nutritious foods. A diet of fried foods, salt, gravy, sauces, and fatty meats is the norm, and fast food has become a staple. To make matters worse, most people in Huntington don't exercise in their spare time, and this coupled with a poor diet has caused high rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

How does your state compare? Check out this map to find out.

Looking to Move? Try Burlington, VT

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:00:13 -0700

After looking at the 100 largest metropolitan areas in America, Burlington, VT, came out on top as Self magazine's "fittest, healthiest, and happiest" city to live in for women. The magazine studied almost 8,000 different pieces of data in 50 categories and consulted a panel of experts to come up with its rankings. Information factored into the creation of this list includes rates of diseases, air quality, unemployment statistics, and health habits such as exercise and smoking.

The New England city boasts some of the lowest rates of cervical and ovarian cancer deaths in the country, and healthy habits prevail: women walk to work regularly and don't smoke. Where Burlington really shines is in nutrition and food - the city has six times as many food co-ops than the national average, and its farmers markets accept food stamps.

What to see how your hometown fared? Check out the entire ranking here.

Healthiest Cities for Women Revealed!

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:30:00 -0800

Self magazine has surveyed cities nationwide to find out exactly where the healthiest and unhealthiest spots are for women - I am happy to say that my gorgeous town of San Francisco was number one! Woot, woot! From walkable neighborhoods, plentiful scenic trails, and offices that encourage exercise breaks, San Francisco has got it going on.

The runners up were:

Nassau-Suffolk counties, NY
San Jose, CA
Honolulu, HI
Burlington, VT

To find out the unhealthiest cities for women, read more

If you live in Gary, Indiana, then you're not going to be pleased to hear that it was named the unhealthiest city for women in America. From women there reporting they feel depressed at least four days a month to more than one in five of them reported to smoke on top of them being 13 percent more likely to die of cancer than the average woman, there is more than enough evidence to support its unhealthiness.

The runners up were:

Detroit, MI
Cincinnati, OH
Oklahoma City, OK
Columbus, OH

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Will Calorie Counts on Chain Menus Curb Obesity?

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:00:00 -0800

Eating too many meals out can make our pants fit a bit more snugly, even when we're choosing what seem to be the healthiest menu items. Cities like New York and Philadelphia have mandated that chain restaurants print nutritional information on menu boards to increase awareness in terms of what we are feeding our bodies. Now Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made California the first to implement these efforts statewide.

According to Newsweek, there's a plan to reintroduce legislation in the next Congress that would require chains across the country to print nutritional information. Do you think the presence of calorie and fat content would motivate people to make smarter decisions, or would Americans continue to dine on the unhealthy food that contributes to obesity?

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Your Contact Lenses Could Make You Blind

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Many of you rely on your contact lenses in order to help you see, but your lenses could end up taking away your vision. What an ugly irony. The problem starts with a simple single cell microorganism - acanthamoeba.

Acanthamoeba is one of the most common types of protozoan that live in soil and fresh water. They can be found in city tap water, so if you rinse your lens case in water from the sink, this amoeba can be transferred to your contact lenses and then to your eye. These protozoan can live and multiply in both your contact case and your eyes, and can go back and forth between the two because commercial contact lens solution can't kill them. Once they're in your eyes, they can cause a painful infection known as amoebic keratitis, which can lead to blindness. The prevalence of this infection has increased because so many people wear contact lenses now.

The lenses that you wear for a year or two were found to contain the most pathogenic (disease-causing) strains of acanthamoeba. The ones that you keep for a month or two weeks contained fewer, and the daily lenses contained no acanthamoeba. Talk to your eye doctor about the kinds of contact lenses you wear to see which would be the healthiest for your eyes. Scientists are on the move trying to develop a contact lens solution that can kill this nasty amoeba, but for now, it's recommended that you don't rinse your lens case in tap water.

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Fee on Soft Drinks: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:30:00 -0800

One of the healthiest cities for women, San Francisco, is looking to take healthy to a whole new level.

Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, has proposed charging big stores a fee when they sell any soft drinks with high-fructose corn syrup. The fee is still to be determined however, if the bill were approved, money generated from the fee would go toward a city program that emphasizes exercise, diet and other preventative health measures. So what do you think . . .

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A Week In Review: FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:00:00 -0800

In case you missed it, here is what we've been talking about this week . . .

How well were you paying attention this week? Take my fun FitSugar pop quiz!

Here are five reasons you should be lifting weights.

Add walking lunges to your workout to improve your speed.

While we're on legs, here is a great hamstring stretch to do at your desk.

Got back pain? Take my tips for preventing it in the future.

Did you know that heart disease is affecting younger and younger women these days?

Here is a list for the top 20 highest calorie fast-food items.

Speaking of healthy, here is a list of so-called healthy foods that aren't so healthy.

Love the Starbucks holiday drinks? Here is how they measure up, nutritionally.

Here's another treat, Newman's Own Peanut Butter Cups.

I'm curious, do you have a fitness partner? Also, do you own a cardio machine?

Be sure to check out all my holiday gift ideas for everyone on your list so far.

The heat is on, so here are my tips for picking out a humidifier.

How do you feel about the cookie monster not being allowed to have cookies anymore?

Need a little extra motivation, check out these amazing weight-loss stories that were on Oprah.

All it takes is three minutes to a healthier you.

And the healthiest cities for women in the United States are . . .