Philadelphia Falls One Place On Health And Fitness Rankings
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Though Philadelphia fell one spot this year, the city remains relatively fit in comparison to the rest of the country.
The City of Brotherly Love ranked 25th in the American College of Sport Medicine's (ACSM) American Fitness Index™ (AFI), which measures the health and fitness status of the 50 largest cities in the country.
The report evaluates preventative health, levels of disease, access to health care and community resources and policies that encourage a healthy lifestyle.
According to the rankings, Philly-Camden-Wilmington scored 51.2 out of 100 points in the 2013 roundup, which is down one spot from 2012, when we were 24. While our area scored well when it comes to recreational facilities, parks and physical education, we fell short on personal health indicators related to health behaviors, chronic health conditions and health care access.
At the top of the list? Minneapolis-St. Paul, with a score of 76.4, followed by Washington, D.C. at 75.8 and Portland at 67.9.
Fittingly, today (May 29th) is also the 20th Annual National Senior Health and Fitness Day, which aims to increase awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise for older adults.
Experts recommend talking to your doctor and starting out "slow and steady" with a warm up and cool down period to those who want to make a lifestyle change.
