America’s Finest City also happens to be one of the fittest, according to the American Fitness Index by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
The newly-released index shows the 50 fittest cities across the United States and San Diego snagged the No. 3 spot, just behind St. Paul and Washington, D.C.
The ACSM’s index looks at a variety of health indicators, including a city’s smoking percentages, physical activity and eating habits. The index also takes into consideration a city’s parklands, access to dog parks, recreational facilities and policy for school physical education classes.
The report says San Diego’s “areas of excellence” include a higher percent of residents meeting aerobic and strength activity guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). San Diegans also consume more than two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day.
There are also more farmers’ markets per capita in San Diego. A higher percentage of the population bikes or walks to work and is within a 10-minute walk to the park, the index says.
Areas to improve upon include the percentage of people using public transportation to work and the number of golf courses and swimming pools per capita, according to the index.
Other U.S. cities that made the top 10 fittest on the ACSM’s American Fitness Index include, in order: San Francisco; Sacramento; Denver; Portland; Seattle; Boston; and San Jose, Calif.
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Indianapolis ranked last on the list, with higher rates of chronic health issues among residents including obesity, asthma and diabetes. For the full index, click here.
