{"id":2995,"date":"2016-05-18T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2016-05-18T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acsmsoftware.com\/afitesttest\/?p=2995"},"modified":"2018-08-08T10:46:16","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T14:46:16","slug":"washington-d-c-fit-city-3rd-consecutive-year-new-rankings-reveal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acsmsoftware.com\/afitesttest\/washington-d-c-fit-city-3rd-consecutive-year-new-rankings-reveal\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington, D.C., is Most Fit City for 3rd consecutive year, new rankings reveal"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release
\nMay 18, 2016<\/p>\n

Mike Fulton at (301) 651-2508 or mikef@asheragency.com<\/a> (Asher Agency)
\nAnnie Spencer at (317) 637-9200 or aspencer@acsm.org<\/a> (American College of Sports Medicine)
\nLeslie Porras at (818) 234-3368 or Leslie.Porras@anthem.com<\/a> (Anthem Foundation)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Washington, D.C., is Most Fit City for 3rd consecutive year, new rankings reveal<\/strong>
\nNinth annual American Fitness Index\u00ae finds rise in people exercising, drop in smoking<\/p>\n

Indianapolis (May 18) \u2013 Washington, D.C., closely followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul and Denver, are the three fittest of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., according to the ninth annual American Fitness Index released today by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. View the rankings and individual metro data here or in the chart below<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The nation\u2019s capital leads the pack for the third straight year, Minneapolis-St. Paul came in second, and Denver moved up from sixth to third in 2016. The three top metro areas showed increased walking by residents using public transportation; more parkland for exercise; and lower cardiovascular and diabetes issues. The Washington, D.C., region\u2019s lower rate of smoking tipped the scales in its favor. Midwestern metro areas Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Louisville rank last in the index.<\/p>\n

Nationally, there were some remarkable positive shifts in a few measures comparing values between the 2016 and 2015 reports:<\/p>\n