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Colorado Cities Top The Fitness Index Ranking

DENVER (CBS4) - The town you call home can have a large impact on your lifestyle, determining whether you are more active or more sedentary. BetterDoctor.com crunched the numbers to find out which cities make it easy to live a healthy lifestyle. And Colorado came out on top.

The number one most active city is our very own Aurora, Colorado! This is due to its very high park-to-people ratio, with over 100 parks in addition to six golf courses. About 84% of residents "reported that they had exercised in the past thirty days, which is one of the highest numbers in all the cities surveyed."

Second was San Francisco, CA, followed by Oakland, CA, then our neighbor Albuquerque, NM.

The sixth most active city of 85 cities in the analysis was Denver. The Mile High City has over 200 parks and 29 recreation centers, making it easy to live an active, and therefore healthy, lifestyle. As in Aurora, 84% of residents reported exercising in the past 30 days. There's also a culture of exercise that exists here that easily put Denver in the top 10.

Denver Skyline Generic City Park
City Park (credit: CBS)

Five of the top 10 most active cities are in California, and all are west of the Mississippi. As for the most sedentary cities, five of the top ten are in Texas. The top most sedentary city in the country is Laredo, Texas, followed by Memphis, Tennessee.

To determine which cities are the best for living a healthy and active lifestyle, BetterDoctor.com looked at the number of people in the city who exercise, the percentage of residents who are fit (physical fitness and healthy eating), and whether or not residents have access to parks and outdoor spaces.

Infrastructure is a huge factor as well, and can determine whether or not people have the access. Biking or walking to work, going for hikes on the weekend, and family days at the park can all significantly improve health. In some cities, these can be difficult to find, while in others it is a way of life.

As for Colorado, it would seem we have the best combination of city and nature to create a healthy lifestyle.

To see the full report, click here.

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