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And the Healthiest City For Women Is . . .

FitSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:06:30 PST

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. Source

Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities For Women

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:00:00 PST

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? Source

And the Healthiest US City Is . . .

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:00:00 PST

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 PDT

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.