According to an annual study conducted by Men’s Fitness magazine on the fittest and fattest cities in America, the award for fattest city in 2006 was given to Chicago. Apparently, the residents of Chicago were shocked to discover they were ranked number one.

 

Have you ever been to Chicago? I probably gained about five pounds in one weekend while on a business trip to the windy city. From deep-dish pizza to delectable desserts, not to mention the humongous portions, it’s no wonder the residents of that city are considered overweight. I found it extremely difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan while in Chicago.

 

Chicago was ranked as the fattest city in America for a number of different reasons. Apparently, they have the worst workout environment. I find this shocking, as I was in awe of their beautiful waterfront and actually ran every day of my trip. Also, Chicago’s commute takes about 50% longer in rush hour. This amount of inactivity could have contributed to increasing waistlines in the windy city.

 

I was also shocked that Los Angeles ranked as the third fattest city in America. With gyms on every street corner and some of the healthiest restaurants, it’s shocking that L.A. is not considered fit. Their high ranking was probably due to the amount of alcohol consumption and time spent commuting. Los Angeles ranks number one for worst commute.

 

On the other hand, Baltimore was ranked as the fittest city in America. Baltimore is an extremely active city; in fact, in a CDC study almost 80% of the residents had gotten some form of exercise in the past month. As well, as a city, they have quite decent nutrition habits.

 

Here’s the listing of the Fattest and Fittest Cities in America, as ranked by Men’s Fitness for 2006:

Fattest Cities:
1. Chicago
2. Las Vegas
3. Los Angeles
4. Dallas
5. Houston
6. Memphis, Tenn.
7. Long Beach, Calif.
8. El Paso, Texas
9. Kansas City, Mo.
10. Mesa, Ariz.
11. Indianapolis
12. San Antonio
13. Fort Worth, Texas
14. Miami
15. Detroit
16. Columbus, Ohio
17. Oklahoma City
18. Cleveland
19. Wichita, Kan.
20. Charlotte, N.C.
21. San Diego
22. Fresno, Calif.
23. Philadelphia
24. San Jose, Calif.
25. New York

 

Fittest Cities:

1. Baltimore
2. Honolulu
3. Virginia Beach
4. Tucson
5. Milwaukee
6. Colorado Springs
7. San Francisco
8. Seattle
9. Louisville - Jefferson
10. Boston
11. Sacramento
12. Nashville - Davidson
13. Albuquerque
14. Tulsa
15. Phoenix
16. Atlanta
17. Portland
18. Washington, D.C.
19. Oakland
20. Denver
21. Minneapolis
22. Arlington
23. Austin
24. Jacksonville
25. Omaha