The Fight from Fat to Fit and How to Make a Healthier Baltimore

When it comes to physical fitness, Men’s Health Magazine says Baltimore still has room for improvement.

Last year, Men’s Health listed Baltimore as the 8th fattest city in America. Study results include letter grades based on the prevalence of five health risks in each city; they were: being overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes, no physical activity, and fast-food visits. Overall, Baltimore’s fitness grade for the year 2010 was an “F”. It seems we have much to improve on for 2011.

THE GRADES ARE IN

So, one year later how do we fair by Men’s Health’s grading scale now? We’re currently ranking 30th in a list they call The Most and Least Active Cities in America (100th being least active and 1st being most active).

However, it’s important to note different factors were used to grade cities in this most recent listing. According to Men’s Health this time, their letter grades were based on the following health concerns: how often people exercise; the number of households watching over 15 hours of television weekly and buy more than 11 video games in a year; the number of deaths from deep-vein thrombosis; and the amount physical activity in a month.

Baltimore made out with a B- according to this year’s grading system. Does this mean we’ve improved issues we faced last, or does the change in categories graded mean we are simply getting by on a curve?

ANALYZING THE RESULTS

We won’t know for sure until the Center for Disease Control, CDC, releases a 2011 report of health risk data — Men’s Health cites the CDC for some of their study’s findings. Still, we can get a good idea of our fitness issues, and how we became one of the fattest cities, by looking at the CDC’s 2010 Select Health Risk Data for the Baltimore-Towson Metropolitan area.

Percentage of Obese and Overweight in Baltimore (2010)

During the year 2010 the CDC reported 36.1 percent of Baltimore residents were overweight and 24.1 percent were obese.

Physical Activity

The CDC measured the number of adults who exercised moderately for 30 minutes or more at least 5 days a week or vigorously for 20 or more minutes three or more days per week. According to their results, 51 percent of us are less physically active than this.

In fact, during the time this survey was taken 23.5 percent of adults reported no physical activity whatsoever for the past month.

No physical activity at all? With so many ways to stay active this sad fact is hard to hear. There are plenty of ways to keep fitness into your everyday live and make it a fun activity you enjoy doing and hopefully look forward to.

HOW TO MAKE A CHANGE

Walking and Running Routes - Baltimore alone has a listing of 19 parks within the city. Whether you’re out on your own, running with a friend or taking out that jogging stroller, your local park is a great place to start a new running or walking route.

Team Sports – Getting together with a group of friends to play a game of soccer, football or whatever sport you’re into can be a great way to exercise in a social way.

Exercise with A Pet – don’t forget to check your local listing to see what parks around you are dog friendly. If you have an energetic four-legged-friend, a pet-friendly park can be a good way for you both to stay active.

Evaluate your Diet – As Men’s Health mentioned, frequent trips to fast-food restaurants can contribute to poor physical health. Take a look at your diet; consider keeping a food journal and noting how often you are visiting fast-food restaurants. When you plan on eating out, see if the restaurant you’re going to has a healthier set of menu options available. Also check the nutrition facts of certain menu items if possible, these are often available online.

Work Those Daily Activities – Too many things on your plate today to work out? Why not kill two birds with one stone!? Completing daily chores at an active pace and maybe including a few modifications to challenge your body can be a nice ad on to your regular workout routine.

There are many different ways to begin or maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, but we definitely have to make a commitment to take some approach. Wouldn’t you agree?

Be sure to leave a comment if you think Baltimore can make the grade for 2011 and if you plan to be one of the people to help make a change!

Committed to Your Fitness Success,

Jeff