Legs of a man wearing blue trousers and yellow shoes, walking on yellow floor with blue background.Legs of a man wearing blue trousers and yellow shoes, walking on yellow floor with blue background.

Distributing News and Amplifying Findings

Asher Agency Plays a Pivotal Role

The American College of Sports Medicine® (ACSM) and the Elevance Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health, released on July 23 this year’s rankings and findings for America’s 100 largest cities. Asher Agency is proud to be a partner in the distribution of the news, facilitating media interviews, and amplifying the results that will help cities across the nation.

100

of the largest cities have residents who are not exercising enough

Fitness Index results

Based on 33 evidence-based indicators — showed more Americans are walking and biking to work, park expenditures are up, and food security improved slightly. Conversely, residents in the 100 largest cities are not exercising enough to meet minimum ACSM standards, the number of people getting seven hours or more of sleep each night is down and there was a decrease in reports of excellent/very good health as well as an increase in residents reporting poor physical health and mental health.

American Fitness Index® Top 10 Fittest Cities

Top 10 fittest cities

The top 10 fittest cities are Arlington, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; Irvine, California; and St. Paul, Minnesota. Full rankings and scores, a call-to-action report, a city comparison tool and other insights are accessible on the Fitness Index website: acsm.org/fitnessindex.

  • “The Fitness Index offers four ways city leaders and residents can make a substantial difference: fuel knowledge, celebrate success, inspire action and join the movement… The significance and value of the index goes well beyond the rankings. City officials can use the Fitness Index as a baseline to measure progress and make data-driven decisions that improve residents’ health. This data can also serve as a yardstick for future evaluation, enabling cities to track their progress and celebrate their achievements in creating healthier and more vibrant communities.”

    Stella Volpe, Ph.D

    ACSM President FACSM, ACSM-CEP

Woman in gym sitting next to dumbell

ACSM recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — about 22 minutes per day — and muscle-strengthening activity twice a week. Volpe said on average 78% of adults in the Fitness Index cities reported exercising in the previous month, but only 51% met the aerobic activity guidelines, while an even smaller percentage (24%) met both aerobic and strength activity guidelines.

“Post pandemic, Americans are not as active as we would like,” said Volpe. “To help facilitate this, local community leaders must step up and make bold spending choices, policy decisions and infrastructure changes to increase opportunities for residents to be physically active and healthy. The Fitness Index is a trusted road map showing sound strategies for communities to improve. By embracing collaborative advocacy and leveraging data-driven insights, we can collectively move toward a healthier future for America, one city at a time.”

Share your reaction on social media using #100FitCities.

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Written by Mike Fulton, Asher Agency Director of Public Affairs & Advocacy

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