It’s easy to simply aspire to become the best and fittest versions of ourselves, but achieving that goal is much more difficult, and requires a consistently active lifestyle. (It’s hard to create that habit!)
The road to an active lifestyle can be filled with obstacles, sometimes because where we live may be failing to promote a healthy way of life.
Some cities, for instance, lack sidewalks or neighborhood parks. Then, you have cold weather in the winter if you live up north. For me in the summer, it’s tough to be active outside in South Florida because it’s so hot.
The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that there are ways to stay active from home, though, including taking virtual fitness classes or using a Tonal, like I do. As we begin a new year, it’s the perfect time to start, too.
Two of Americans’ top four New Year’s resolutions are exercising more and losing weight. At the same time, as many as 80% to 91% of people fail to keep their resolutions each year. (Yikes!) Click here for more on the best and worst cities for keeping New Year’s resolutions.
With “exercising more” and “losing weight” among the top four New Year’s resolutions, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Best & Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyle.
2022 Best & Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyle
To determine where Americans have the best chance of remaining active, WalletHub compared the 100 biggest U.S. cities across 34 key metrics. The data set ranges from the average monthly fitness club fee to bike score to the share of physically inactive adults.
My home city of Columbus, Ohio ranked #50. Right in the middle!
| Best Cities for an Active Lifestyle | Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyle |
| 1. San Francisco, CA | 91. Jersey City, NJ |
| 2. Chicago, IL | 92. Bakersfield, CA |
| 3. New York, NY | 93. Newark, NJ |
| 4. San Diego, CA | 94. Santa Ana, CA |
| 5. Honolulu, HI | 95. San Bernardino, CA |
| 6. Los Angeles, CA | 96. Irving, TX |
| 7. Portland, OR | 97. Fort Wayne, IN |
| 8. Philadelphia, PA | 98. Wichita, KS |
| 9. Denver, CO | 99. Winston-Salem, NC |
| 10. Seattle, WA | 100. North Las Vegas, NV |
Best vs. Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyle
- Orlando, Florida, has the most sporting-goods stores (per square root of population), 0.388726, which is 12.7 times more than in North Las Vegas, Nevada, the city with the fewest at 0.030532.
- Gilbert, Arizona, has the most public golf courses (per square root of population), 0.081102, which is 41.3 times more than in Laredo, Texas, the city with the fewest at 0.001964.
- Tucson, Arizona, has the most fitness trainers and aerobics instructors per 100,000 residents, 195, which is 10.3 times more than in Bakersfield, California, the city with the fewest at 19.
- New York has the most playgrounds (per square root of population), 0.664460, which is 13.4 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the fewest at 0.049557.
For the entire list, click here.
