Are You Living in America’s Top 10 Fittest Cities?

A new American Fitness Index report, published by the American College of Sports Medicine, has revealed survey results from America’s largest metropolitan areas.

Ranking 50 communities by fitness levels, obesity rate and 30 other factors came up with a few surprises.

1. Washington, D.C.

• Overall Score: 73.5
• Obesity Rate: 22.6%
• Exercise Rate: 80.1 %
Given the sedentary rate of bureaucrats, you wouldn’t think of this as the #1 city, but this East Coast metropolis likes its veggies and farmers markets, has a low percentage of population with diabetes or heart rate, and has a high ratio of parks to residents.

2. Boston, Massachusetts

• Overall Score: 72.6
• Obesity Rate: 19.9%
• Exercise Rate: 78.6%
One of the few states that mandates health insurance, residents enjoy a high rate of health care providers, parks and recreation offerings, and keep smoking to a minimum.

3. Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Overall Score: 71.7
• Obesity Rate: 29.5%
• Exercise Rate: 84.3%
The higher obesity rate is offset by a physically active community, where people cycle to work and love to play golf and tennis.

4. Seattle, Washington

• Overall Score: 70.5
• Obesity Rate: 22.8%
• Exercise Rate: 81.9%
This is an area with abundant parkland and outdoor activities, from boating on one of the lakes or bays, to cycling and jogging.

5. Portland, Oregon

• Overall Score: 70.4
• Obesity Rate: 23.9%
• Exercise Rate: 82.3%
Public transit is big in this Northwest area and is used in conjunction with walking and cycling. There is also a lower percentage of smokers and people affected with diabetes.

6. Denver, Colorado
• Overall Score: 69.9
• Obesity Rate: 19.3 %
• Exercise Rate: 83%
A physically active town with more than its share of swimming pools, golf courses, tennis courts and baseball diamonds.

7. Sacramento, California

• Overall Score: 65.8
• Obesity Rate: 21.4%
• Exercise Rate: 82.3%
Sitting in the heart of California’s farmland, farmers markets and farm stands are plentiful meaning that residents get their fill of fruits and vegetables. Add to that the high number who cycle or walk to work and the abundance of parks, playgrounds and recreational amenities.

8. San Francisco, California

• Overall Score: 64.7
• Obesity Rate: 18.4%
• Exercise Rate: 81.5%
A slightly lower obesity rate than its northern cousin, but residents don’t quite get as much exercise. The factors affecting these scores is pretty identical to those of Sacramento.

9. Hartford Connecticut

• Overall Score: 64.4
• Obesity Rate: 21.1%
• Exercise Rate: 77.2%
Higher incomes and lower poverty rate contribute to these scores, along with recreational amenities and higher numbers of primary health care providers.

10. Austin, Texas

• Overall Score: 63.9
• Obesity Rate: 22.5%
• Exercise Rate: 78.4%
The lone Southern community to be ranked in the top 10, employment and diet have a lot to do with its success in this ranking, as well as keeping asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular disease lower.

America's cancer capitals for men

The Mormons may be onto something. (No, not polygamy—that ended in 1890.) Salt Lake City is our pick for the most cancer-free zone in the nation. Credit the Mormons' no-smoking and no-drinking policy, plus the fact that the city is religious about outdoor sports. See, lung cancer causes nearly 30 percent of deaths from untamed tumors, and a report from the World Cancer Research Fund shows that lifestyle changes, such as limiting alcohol and exercising regularly, can help prevent a third of cancers.

First, we analyzed data on smoking, exercise, obesity, drinking, and fruit and vegetable consumption (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Then we factored in cities' UV indexes (Accuweather.com) and cancer incidence (National Cancer Institute). Last, we went to the CDC to see who's being tested for colon and breast cancer, plus how many people have fallen to the big C.

10 Least Cancerous Cities 10 Most Cancerous Cities
Salt Lake City Jacksonville, Fla.
Burlington, Vt. Philadelphia
Seattle Oklahoma City
Aurora, Colo. Las Vegas
Atlanta Indianapolis
Yonkers, N.Y. Columbus, Ohio
Oakland, Calif. Birmingham, Ala.
New York City Memphis, Tenn.
Fremont, Calif. Baltimore
Minneapolis St. Louis

Invest in Your Life

We already have a powerful weapon in the war against cancer: cash. No, money can't tame a prostate tumor, but it can help address the imbalance in federal funding for cancer research. In 2007, only 8 percent of funds in the National Cancer Institute's budget were spent on detection and diagnosis. While it's critical that scientists find a cure, we also need better ways to spot cancer in its earliest stages. Give to the Canary Foundation, a group that donates all proceeds to detection research.

Dye, Cancer!

Doctors can't defeat colon cancer if they can't find it. Enter chromoendoscopy, a procedure in which a person's colon walls are dyed before a colonoscopy. Harvard scientists found that this method revealed precancerous polyps in a third of people who'd been cleared after a regular screening. Ask your doctor about the test.