• It’s a Cookbook
    It’s a Philosophy
    It’s a Resource
logologologologo
  • FoodTrients 101
  • News
      • Age Gracefully with Grace O
      • Ginger Hultin, Nutrition
      • Mark Rosenberg, MD
      • Robert Tostado, MD
      • Anti-Aging
      • Beauty
      • Food
      • Health
      • Exercise
      • Celiac
      • Life Extension
      • Books We Love
      • FoodTrients Guides
      • Newsletter
      • woman doing yogaSecrets of the Lymphatic System
      • Fresh-RosemaryRosemary Improves Memory and Cognition
      • fish on slateAnti-Inflammatory Foods: the Top 10
      • capsule full of good foodAre Supplements Safe for You?
  • Recipes
    • SEARCH BY:

      • Category:

      • Starters
      • Soups
      • Salads
      • Main Dishes
      • Sides
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Extras
      • Spice Mixes
      • All Recipes
      • Or Search By:

      • Anti-inflammatory
      • Antioxidant
      • Beauty
      • Detox
      • Disease Prevention
      • Gut Health
      • Immunity Booster
      • Mind
      • Strength
      • exotic fruit and granolaExotic Fruit Salad with Granola
      • buffalo meat slidersTry Buffalo Sliders with Sweetened Cranberries
      • chocolate mousseIt’s a Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Mousse 
      • Green Tea NoodlesHeart-Healthy Green Tea Noodles Ramp Up the Flavor
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Media
  • Home Page
  • News
    • Age Gracefully
    • Anti-Aging
    • Beauty
    • Food
    • Ginger Hultin, MS RDN CSO
    • Health
    • Newsletter
  • Recipes
    • Starters
    • Soups
    • Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Extras
    • Spice Mixes
  • Resources
    • Anti-Aging Resources
    • Health
    • Eating Well
    • Books We Love
  • About
    • About Grace O
    • Experts and Advisors
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest
  • Shop
  • Media
    • In the Media
    • Press Releases
    • Videos
            No results See all results
            ✕
                      No results See all results

                      The Top 5 Healthiest Cities In America And The World

                      Published by Dr. Mark Rosenberg

                      Staying healthy is as much a personal effort as it is a community effort. If you’re a person trying to improve your health, it’s easier and more fun if the place where you live encourages you to be fit. Many people don’t like to walk, or bike, along the shoulder of the road, so if the community where you live has very little outdoor fitness resources, and the population tends to be rather sedentary and out of shape, you may not get the motivation many people need to become fit.  Let’s start with the United States…

                      The Top 5 Healthiest Cities in America to Live     

                      To be considered as one of the healthiest places to live, cities have to jump a few hurdles before getting that title. Generally, cities that have higher gross incomes per capita have a better developed fitness/health related environment.

                      Some of the things that go into deciding which cities are healthier include pollution, population, the parks and recreation systems (adequate bike trails, walking paths, tennis, basketball, volleyball courts, etc), how much vegetation, culture and education (museums, universities, libraries, etc), number of healthcare facilities/fitness programs, sports and recreational centers and businesses. Here are the top 5 healthiest cities in the United States according to the American Fitness Index Report:

                      1.  Minneapolis-St Paul:   The “Twin Cities” wins the #1 spot for the U.S. for these reasons – more people bike/walk to work (cuts down on auto pollution); more dog parks (and people walking them); more golf courses and playgrounds (more people out using them both adults and children); more farmers markets (people buying/eating more produce).

                      2.  Washington, D.C.:  D.C.-ers have a pretty active outdoor recreational life with all the parks, bike/walk trails (Rock Creek Park and Capital Crescent Trail), and closed roads (on weekends).  There’s always an electric excitement in the air in D.C. On any given day, if the weather is good, the mall is filled with people, walking and socializing.  D.C. also has an excellent commuter system connecting suburbs of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware to D.C.  This cuts down on a lot of auto pollution. There are many farmers markets where people buy/eat more fresh produce.

                      3.  Boston, Mass:  Boston, known for its beans, might also be known for its bike trails, which are numerous.  There are even guided bike tours around the historic and hotspots of Boston, as well as many great places to walk. As a result, people bike or walk more frequently to work, or just to get around the city in general.

                      4.  Portland, Oregon: Almost always on the healthiest cities list, Portland is a beautiful, green place that could have been named “Parkland”. There are more acres of parks in Portland per person and as a result people spend a lot of time outdoors engaged in all kinds of healthy exercise like hiking, hill/trail biking, horseback riding, fishing, and much more.

                      5.  Denver, Colorado:  Another park-intensive city, Denver spends a lot of money maintaining its beautiful parks and outdoor environment.  Consequently people spend a great deal of their time enjoying outdoor exercise.

                      Now, let’s look to Europe and Asia and what the Gallop Global Well Being Indexreports as the top 5 healthiest world cities:

                      1.  Hong Kong.  Hong Kong has one of the highest incomes per capita and is densely populated. Real estate is at a premium, so living quarters can be cramped.  As a result, people are outdoors more, socialize more (great mental health benefits!), and about 45% of people walk to their destinations throughout the day which adds up to a lot of exercise.  Life expectancy is 82.5 years.

                      2.  Tokyo.  The world’s biggest city and one of the wealthiest, Tokyo has an incredible public transport system with resultant lower pollution and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Life expectancy here is the highest in the world at 85.9.  Diets are high in fish and sea vegetables.

                      3.  Copenhagen.  All the Scandinavian countries rank the highest for the healthiest cities in Europe, but Copenhagen, hits the bulls eye for #1. Copenhagen is densely populated with over 1,000,000 people but 80% of them walk or bike to their destinations during the day rather than drive.  A lot of exercise, and very low GGE (greenhouse gas emissions) – down another 9% in the decade 1991 to 2011.

                      4.  Stockholm.  Ranked 6th in the world for personal safety, Stockholm is #4 healthiest city. It’s a very “green” city – with low GGE but many parks that extend everywhere.  Most well known is Royal National City Park which runs for 6 miles within Stockholm.  Mental stimulation/health is also good in Stockholm due to the highest number of museums in the world. The Swedes also drink a lot of coffee which has been found to benefit mental and physical health.

                      5.  Sydney.  This city made it on the list because of its great contribution to education which has surprising well-being benefits. It also is one of the physically healthiest world cities. It is an outdoor-activity friendly place with many parks, beaches and good weather year-round. It has a well-developed bicycle infrastructure and a high number of users.  It also has a high number of indoor sports and health club facilities and always reducing GGE levels.

                      Just as ‘you are what you eat’ can determine your health, I believe that ‘where you live’ is just as important.  You may not be well-matched to the city where you live.  The best city should stimulate your social and cultural interests for your mental well being, as well as give you the opportunity to make your physical health the best it can be.  Of course, the best city can only support your efforts – only you can set your health goals in motion.

                      Stay Well,
                      Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
                      Natural Health News

                      Americas Top 20 Healthiest Cities,  http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/wellness-and-renewal/photos/americas-top-20-healthiest-cities

                      The World’s Top Healthiest Cities, http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/top-five-world-healthiest-cities-health-wellbeing

                      Share
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg
                      Dr. Mark Rosenberg received his doctorate from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1988 and has been involved with drug research since 1991. With numerous certifications in several different fields of medicine, psychology, healthy aging and fitness, Dr. Rosenberg has a wide breadth of experience in both the public and private sector with particular expertise in both the mechanism of cancer treatment failure and in treating obesity. He currently is researching new compounds to treat cancer and obesity, including receiving approval status for an investigational new drug that works with chemotherapy and a patent pending for an oral appetite suppressant. He is currently President of the Institute for Healthy Aging, Program Director of the Integrative Cancer Fellowship, and Chief Medical Officer of Rose Pharmaceuticals. His work has been published in various trade and academic journals. In addition to his many medical certifications, he also personally committed to physical fitness and is a certified physical fitness trainer.

                      Sign Up to get our
                      NEWSLETTER FREE


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      ABOUT

                      • Grace O
                      • Our Experts
                      • FoodTrients
                      • Board of Advisors
                      • FAQs

                      EXPLORE

                      • Age Gracefully by Grace O
                      • News
                      • Recipes
                      • Our Guides
                      • Resources
                      • Shop
                      • Media

                      CONNECT

                      • Contact Us
                      • Subscribe
                      • Facebook
                      • Pinterest
                      • Instagram
                      • Twitter
                      • YouTube

                      SIGN UP for our NEWSLETTER

                      Nourish your week! Get the latest wellness news and delicious recipes to help you age better.


                      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

                      FoodTrients Trademark™ and copyright © 2011-2024 Triple G Enterprises. I Terms and Conditions I Privacy

                      This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. FoodTrients – A Recipe for Aging Beautifully Grace O, author and creator of FoodTrients® -- a philosophy, a cookbook and a resource -- has a new cookbook dedicated to age-defying and delicious recipes, The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World, which provides one hundred-plus recipes that promote health and well-being. The recipes are built on foundations of modern scientific research and ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients from around the world. Since the publication of her first anti-aging book, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook, Grace O has identified eight categories of FoodTrients benefits (Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Disease Prevention, Beauty, Strength, Mind, and Weight Loss) that are essential to fighting aging, which show how specific foods, herbs, and spices in the recipes help keep skin looking younger, prevent the diseases of aging, and increase energy and vitality. Grace O combines more exotic ingredients that add age-fighting benefits to familiar recipe favorites.

                                No results See all results