Arlington, Virginia, was ranked “America’s Fittest City” by the American Fitness Index’s 2021 rankings on Tuesday, marking the fourth year in a row for the suburb outside Washington.
The area has won each year consecutively since 2018. The index listed Minneapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, Denver, and Madison, Wisconsin, among the top places in the nation for fitness and health out of 100 of the most populous cities.
The organization has maintained its fitness index for 14 years, basing its assessment on 34 indications including the percentage of residents who smoke, those who have diseases such as diabetes, and other health behaviors.
“Arlington, Virginia, earned its #1 designation by ranking first in eight indicators and scoring among the top 10 cities in 18 of the 34 categories,” the American College of Sports Medicine said in a press readout.
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For the 4th year in a row, Arlington, VA tops the list of America’s Fittest Cities! Congrats @ArlingtonVA! ?
Check out the full report, available now! #100FitCitieshttps://t.co/qZ52Q1FAoz pic.twitter.com/KF5lr8AdZ2
— ACSM American Fitness Index (@ACSMFitIndex) July 13, 2021
Cities with safe and open spaces for residents to exercise via walking, biking, or other physical activities did better on the index compared to communities with fewer options for public exercise, according to Stella Volpe, who leads the advisory board.
For example, Oklahoma City ranked lowest on the list for the index’s personal health rank and the community/environment rank, as the city’s parks and recreation areas are largely spread out from one another and the average household owns two vehicles.
The other top five on the bottom for personal health rank included Tulsa, Oklahoma, North Las Vegas, Indianapolis, and Wichita, Kansas.
Volpe added that communities with access to safer exercise stayed healthier during the coronavirus pandemic, saying, “Even in the lockdown, when people felt safe or could do so, physical activity increased a bit,” according to an interview with USA Today.
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The index reported that nearly 86% of Arlington’s adult population said they exercised within the past month.
