OKC: Most unfit city in the nation.

[amylynn5656]

America's Fittest Cities on Yahoo! Health

[Platemaker]

Nice...

[fuzzytoad]

maybe if more people stuck to Mayor Cornett's Taco Bell plan this wouldn't have happened..

[BPD]

Why should we care?

[theparkman81]

You know I don't read stuff like this, because its a bunch a crap, and that's all its ever going to be, Oklahoma City is fine, these probably are the same people who sit on their butts writing articles all day, and not exercise theirselves, and if that is the case, then they can't be talking about nobody.

[Jesseda]

common people lets get up off our computers and go for a walk, can you fell the burn just standing up, ohh oww eeee oooooooo aaaaahhh, um you guys better go one that walk without me I pulled something.

[OKCTalker]

Why should we care?

Because you and I pay higher premiums for health and life insurance, whereas people in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle pay lower premiums for the sam coverage. Because if YOU were running an insurance company, you'd charge higher premiums for people in Oklahoma City than those in healthier markets. I eat right and exercise so I'll enjoy a healthier and longer life, but I still pay higher health and life insurance premiums because I'm an Oklahoman.

[LordGerald]

You know I don't read stuff like this, because its a bunch a crap, and that's all its ever going to be, Oklahoma City is fine, these probably are the same people who sit on their butts writing articles all day, and not exercise theirselves, and if that is the case, then they can't be talking about nobody.

It is just a list, but we can't have it both ways.

This is a Forbes.com list, and everytime OKC makes a Forbes.com list, like "most recession proof" city, et al., we like to quote from it. This is the first Forbes.com list that I've seen that doesn't put us in a positive light. Don't think it will make it on the "State of the City" brag list.

[Lord Helmet]

You'd think that some people could find the time to hit the treadmill every once in a while and say no to the ranch dressing? I couldn't live with myself if I was that unhealthy.

[Jesseda]

yeah after 30 seconds my head did hit the treadmill from blacking out, and i prefer honey mustard dressing.

[soonerguru]

You know I don't read stuff like this, because its a bunch a crap, and that's all its ever going to be, Oklahoma City is fine, these probably are the same people who sit on their butts writing articles all day, and not exercise theirselves, and if that is the case, then they can't be talking about nobody.

While I agree these lists are usually silly, I don't think we should just throw up our hands and ignore the fact that our city makes us sedentary in its design. We should change what we can, as many on this board advocate.

More pedestrian and biker friendly, better grocery shopping options, better public transit, all of these things can and should be changed to improve our city. Once they are, we will not always be on the top of lists like this.

[Jesseda]

the okc metro has several farmers markets? great parks, and walking trails, plus that huge crossraods mall for walking..

[amylynn5656]

Oklahoma City does have lots of great parks and trails, and that is noted if you click on the link in the article to the Forbes site.

I think the quickest way to get us closer to the top of this list would be to reform the way we feed our children in schools. By offering more healthy, less processed options, we would not only improve the performance of our students - but we would also be instilling healthy eating habits in our youth. Also, encouraging sports and other physical activities in our kids would be fabulous - something beyond aspirations of being a college football player.

OKC does have some great walking trails - I frequent Lake Hefner quite often. But trails around a lake won't do it. Bike paths on city streets and even a bike sharing program would be great - although our city is so spread out it might be hard to implement.

[hipsterdoofus]

Actually...it doesn't really say its the most unfit, but that it ranks last in cities that are the most fit. If they were LOOKING for the most unfit cities, they may ask different questions than if they are looking for the most fit.

[progressiveboy]

You know I don't read stuff like this, because its a bunch a crap, and that's all its ever going to be, Oklahoma City is fine, these probably are the same people who sit on their butts writing articles all day, and not exercise theirselves, and if that is the case, then they can't be talking about nobody.

What if this is not a bunch of crap? What does this say about OKC? "Denial" can be a very strong mindset. It is known that Oklahoma has one of the most highest rates of cardiovascular disease.

[amylynn5656]

Actually...it doesn't really say its the most unfit, but that it ranks last in cities that are the most fit. If they were LOOKING for the most unfit cities, they may ask different questions than if they are looking for the most fit.

Probably something like, "How much ranch dressing do you put on your pizza?"

[BDP]

Why should we care?

Apparently, we don't, but it does have a very real cost to the community due to the strain it adds to the health care system, not to mention the fact that it is a reflection of our culture. It is widely known that we have a high obesity rate, which indicates to many that, relatively, we have a lazy and apathetic (i.e. "why should we care") community.

This isn't about vanity as much as it is the public costs associated with obesity and the perception that we have a lazy and unmotivated culture and, therefore, a lazy and unmotivated work force.

[PennyQuilts]

I always hear about how fat Oklahomans are. Hmm. DC is TONS fatter, if you ask me. When I go home to OKC, I always feel like a lardass. Then I come back to DC and feel like a skinny minnie. I actually told a girlfriend about this when I got back from OKC, last summer. I told her that I felt ashamed of myself for letting myself go. After a couple of days in this area, I decided I was the skinniest lady on the block and quit fretting over it...

[Thunder]

I went for a walk at the Myraid Gardens today and so did a lot of other people. It is quite nice out there, altho the city neglect to upkeep the buildings, glasses, and cements. There's a lot of work to be done, but still, on the mother nature's side, it is awesome.

I watched turtles swimming in the water and saw a tiny baby, too. There was a log that had a row of turtles sitting there in the sun. There was one trying to get up on the last available space on the log, but he/she kept slipping off and made another turtle fall off.

The only thing that I disagree with the place is the $6 parking, so I parked at a nearby resturant and walked the xtra distance. The price to enter the mega glassed garden is $10, so that kept me from touring the inside.

They make so much money, including from the gift shop, and the city still neglect to maintain the structural areas of the entire location.

[Pete]

We all know that OKC has a long way to go in terms of making it more walkable and recreation-friendly. In most areas, you couldn't walk anywhere if you wanted to, as there are few sidewalks, crosswalks and so much sprawl there isn't anywhere to go anyway. And the recreation areas are so spread out and disjointed you generally have to get in your car to get to any of them.

We are on the right track with the new and planned trail systems but we need much more. And as more people move to the city core, we can work on sidewalks and street-scaping outward in concentric circles. And mass transit would help greatly, too.

And there are craploads of fastfood places just about everywhere you go -- and they all seem to stay in business, so that says a lot.


We can argue all day long about the criteria used, but OKC needs to make improvements in all these areas not only for health benefits to the residents, but to attract and retain those drawn to an active lifestyle.

[okcpulse]

I have a huge problem with these lists. These publications rank every city in this country for an increasing number of categories, which is informative. However, when it comes to health, could Oklahoma City do better? Absolutely, but no one seems to be willing to release information on whether or not Oklahoma City has improved its health overall in the last 5 or 10 years. I don't want to see rankings, because if every city in the nation is improving its health AS WELL AS Oklahoma City, moving up in the rankings will be more challenging.

For instance, what's the smoking rate in OKC today compared with 10 years ago? Cardiovascular disease? Obesity? Has the growth in obesity stabilized? Slowed? Decreased?

People, assuming every major market in the country reached the health pinnacle, OKC may or may not jump in any of these rankings. OKC could one day have less than a 1 percent difference between us and the most healthiest city in the nation, yet we'd be 20 or 30 slots below number 1.

When it comes to these rankings, it only discourages a population. Where is the motivation? If a publication is telling a city it's a failure, it certainly doesn't motivate people to get outdoors. It tells people that their city flunked, and the reaction is naturally to take less civic pride and don't bother exercising because 'you're in a city that doesn't cut it'.

Sorry, folks but I don't buy into these rankings. Why do we never hear about the 70 percent of Oklahoma City that are succeeding health-wise? For the 30 percent that are not, wouldn't that encourage the 3 out of 10 unhealthy people in OKC to want to be like the 70 percent that ARE doing well? According to the link in this thread, 289 out of 100,000 people have cardiovascular disease, telling us it is higher than the national average of 224 out of 100,000 people. So, what about the 99,311 that DO NOT have cardiovascular disease?

We seem to shove more and more statistics into the face of our population, and for some reason, the obesity rates in this country continue to increase. Why?

I was encouraged when I saw a rare chart on The Biggest Loser. It was a map of the United States where each city had a circle. The size of the circle represented the amount of people in each city who are losing weight. Oklahoma City had a big giant circle. Houston's circle was barely visible on the screen. That tells me that people in Oklahoma City are doing something about obesity, and Houston, a city known for its obesity rates, is doing very little.

There is no doubt we should continue to create a super healthy environment in OKC. I have no arguments there. But let's enourage people. Not discourage them. I think this is OKC's opportunity to seize. Oklahoma City could get really creative for its residents when it comes to recreation and physical activities. We have plenty of parks, pools and an increasing number of jogging trails. There is plenty of room for innovation here.

[Jesseda]

in moore my neighborhood was built in the 70s without sidewalks, i would love to go for a walk with the kids, but some people drive way to crazy and i worry about my children in the street, i e-mailed the city of moore, and they told me they will not put sidewalks in neighborhoods that do not have them, its was up to the developer or the residence of that neighborhood to fit the bill? I guess the next house i buy has sidewalks in the neighborhood. Sad that certain people cant enjoy a safe walk in thier own neighborhood, might help with the obese problem.

[mecarr]

Even if OKC is not the "fattest city", it is still filled to the gills with a great deal of obese people. Next time you are at the mall or the OKC airport, just look around you. I bet 90% of the men over the age 45 are overweight. Too many bad eating habits have been formed, in part to the abundance of fast food joints here. I read where OKC has more fast food restaurants than any other city per capita.

[BG918]

Most newer neighborhoods have sidewalks, and all streets that get widened or improved get sidewalks so things are improving. OKC's biggest problem is that it doesn't have a fit 'culture'. Sure there are many people that exercise, bike, hike, etc. but not as a whole like a Denver, San Francisco, or Portland.

[kevinpate]

> I bet 90% of the men over the age 45 are overweight.

you could likely lower that age level by 15-20 years and not be way off your percentage.
We're the land of chicken fry, butter, and real lard. Sure, you can find the tofu, evoo and skim milkers amongst the rest of the populace, but they are a tiny minority.

Well, ok, maybe they just look tiny by comparison.

Being a long time member of the CFS4Evah means you can chuckle at the 4th meal promos of T Bell. After all, what kind of food wimp is only on meal four by that hour?
8^)