The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the U.S. federal government. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall. Though it has never been the geographic center of the federal district, the Capitol is the origin by which the quadrants of the District are divided and the city was planned. The National Mall is a national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Park Service (NPS) administers the National Mall, which is part of its National Mall and Memorial Parks unit. (Photo: )
The national's capital isn't just leading our government -- it's setting the standard for fitness, too. According to the latest American Fitness Index, Washington, D.C. is the most fit city in the country, retaining its title for a second year in a row.
So, how is fitness measured? Researchers from the American College of Sports Medicine took at look at obesity, smoking and diabetes rates, plus community and environmental factors that play a substantial role in providing access to better health. The survey answers the question, "I want to be physically active and healthy -- does my environment or the community in which I live support my desire to be healthy?" according to Walter R. Thompson, an AFI advisory board member.
The report looks at data for the 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the United States. This year is the first time it has included a look at what percentage of a city's population lives within a 10-minute walk of a park space. The main finding: The top-ranked cities have the most accessible parks.
"For example, 95 percent of the population in Washington, D.C. lives within a 10-minute walk to a park. On the other end of the spectrum, [in] Indianapolis, which is 50th on our list, only 31 percent live within a 10-minute walking distance of a park.” Thompson told The Huffington Post. "Another consideration is how much funding goes to parks. In Washington, D.C., the city spends $287 per person per year on parks. Indianapolis only spends $24 per person per year on parks. All of our top ranked cities all spend more money on parks than our lowest ranked cities."
2015 didn't look quite as good as 2014 fitness-wise, unfortunately. The AFI saw an 11.3 percent drop in the number of people who exercised within the last 30 days, and a 7.8 percent increase in diabetes and death rates.
But hey, at least D.C. is doing well. And so is California. Check out which cities made the top 10 below:
This list has been edited for clarity to remove secondary municipalities that were initially included with the major cities in the MSAs above. One of the researchers for the report clarified to HuffPost after publication that Newtown, N.H., is not part of the MSA that includes Boston. For additional information about the statistical areas included with each city, please refer to The American Fitness Index.
Mile High Run Club
New York City Runners and fitness enthusiasts alike are flocking to MHRC: the first treadmill-based group exercise studio dedicated entirely to running. The club offers several different types of classes, like the 45-minute, beginner-level “Dash 28,” the 60-minute, advanced workout called “The Distance,” and even outdoor “adventure run” and track workouts, all of which are led by elite runners and coaches. MHRC currently has just one location, but we wouldn't be surprised to see more popping up around New York and other cities soon. milehighrunclub.comPhoto Credit: Courtesy of Mile High Run ClubClick Here to See Group Exercise Workouts Taking the Nation By Storm
Barry's Bootcamp
This studio—which has a handful of locations in California and New York, as well as in Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee and even Norway and the UK—is known for having a cult-like following that includes everyone from the everyday exerciser to A-list celebrities and even Olympic Athletes. The hour-long bootcamp-style workout, which claims to burn up to 1,000 calories, is half treadmill interval training and half strength training with equipment like free weights, resistance bands and medicine balls. barrysbootcamp.comPhoto Credit: Courtesy of Barry’s Bootcamp
Flywheel
With multiple studios in more than 11 U.S. cities (plus one in Dubai), it’s no secret that Flywheel is one of the most popular cycling workouts around. The intense 45-minute spin classes include hill climbs, descents, intervals and even some upper body strength work. The studios feature stadium-style seating so that everyone in class has a good seat. And if you’re the competitive type, the most unique part of the class is what’s called the Torqboard: a large screen that intermittently displays a leaderboard so that you can see where you’re at compared to your fellow Flywheel-ers. Additionally, some Flywheel studios offer total-body Barre workouts. flywheelsports.comPhoto Credit: Courtesy of FlywheelClick Here to See Group Exercise Workouts Taking the Nation By Storm
Barre Fitness
It doesn’t matter what city or state you live in, it’s almost guaranteed that you can find a barre workout nearby. Starting with Pure Barre about 10 years ago, the popularity of this workout method—which mainly involves performing ballet barre based strength exercises—has grown at what seems like an exponential rate. Not only are there a handful of different barre franchises to choose from, like Bar Method, The Barre Code and Barre3, but most have multiple studios across the U.S. with more slated to open over the next few months. Photo Credit: Instagram/@Pure_Barre
Boutique Rowing
Perhaps it was Mr. Frank Underwood who brought this old school form of exercise back into the mainstream. Or, maybe it’s the fact that the rower offers a kick-butt, total-body workout that’s basically incomparable to any other piece of fitness equipment. Either way, based on the intense cardio and strength workout you can get in about 30 to 45 minutes on the rower, it’s not surprising that group exercise rowing studios like CityRow, Row House and Go Row are popping up left and right. In fact, Details went as far as to say that rowing is the new spinning, so watch out SoulCycle. Click Here to See Group Exercise Workouts Taking the Nation By StormPhoto Credit: Instagram/@CityRow
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the draft in the best way they know how: letter grades! Fitz and Frank discuss all 32 teams division by division as they give a snapshot of how fans should be feeling heading into the 2024 season. The duo have key debates on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and more.
