Every year, Men’s Fitness magazine lists the top 50 Fittest and Fattest cities in the US, based on a number of health and wellness-related factors.  Oklahoma City was ranked the 15th fattest city in our country in 2007, and a magazine spokesperson recently noted that the city is being ranked in the top 10 for the upcoming 2008 list.  You can link to the 2007 list here:  http://www.mensfitness.com/city_rankings/411

So mayor Mick Cornett decided it’s time to shape up the community.  Aside from the diet and exercise he’s encouraging, the city is taking steps to make the city more pedestrian and fitness-friendly.  City planners are starting to incorporate more sidewalks, bike trails and parks, and are creating ways to make the city denser and less sprawling, which would promote walking versus driving.  Good luck to the city – we’ll check back in 2009 to see how they did.

Men’s Fitness doesn’t rank states, but other sites do.  Here in New Jersey, we fare well compared to other states.  CalorieLab ranks NJ as the 10th fittest state, trailing, among others, some New England states and Colorado.  The image below is copied directly from their site, linked to here:  http://calorielab.com/news/2007/08/06/fattest-states-2007/

With all our highways, exit ramps and toll booths, I guess we manage to fit in a few gyms, running trails and bike paths.

Actually, there are so many places in our dense state to exercise, it’s hard to go anywhere and not find a great place.  Take the northern part of the state, for example.  For RNs working in Bergen County, Ramapo State Park offers amazing hiking trails, cross-country skiing opportunities, and running routes.  You can find plenty of opportunity to build your cardio strength, either walking up one of the mountain’s inclines or – if you’re in great shape – finding a running route up to the top.  Ramapo is only 15 minutes away from many hospitals in the area:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramapo_Mountain_State_Forest.

New Jerseyans in the northern part of the state also benefit from Harriman State Park, just over the New York State border.  With over 200 miles of trails – including a portion of the Appalachian Trail – you could go every day and find somewhere new each time.
http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=143

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