Best Cities for Men
Best Cities for Men
Courtesy of Men's Health
Our seventh annual ranking examines 100 U.S. cities in the areas of health, habitat, and fitness. As it turns out, sweet spots exist all over the country.
#3 Madison: Protect Your Ticker
There's more to being a cheesehead than the foam hat. Eating dairy products may help guard your heart, according to researchers in Wales. Compared to men whose diets were dairy-light, those who regularly downed a pint of milk a day had a 62 percent lower risk of metabolic syndrome, a set of symptoms that's often a harbinger of heart disease.
"Two cups of milk a day can enhance weight loss, which is directly linked to reducing metabolic syndrome risk," says Timothy A. Hacker, Ph.D., a scientist at the University of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Research Center.
#5 Salt Lake City: Reduce Cancer Risk
For a city named after a lake, it sure is dry. Experts say the Mormon moratorium on booze and tobacco has helped slash cancer rates in the area. "One theory is that because alcohol is toxic to cells, it causes more DNA turnover and mutations," says Randall Burt, M.D., of the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. When you do imbibe, limit yourself to no more than two drinks a day and opt for antioxidant-rich wine or beer.
#2 San Jose: Burn The Fat
How did San Jose sprint to its runner-up finish? The city came out tops in cardio activities such as jogging and mountain biking. And if these Silicon Valleyites can get up from their computers and go outside, well, so can you. "Walk for at least 10 minutes before or after each meal," says KyungMo Han, Ph.D., an assistant professor of kinesiology at San Jose State University. "At just 2 miles an hour, this routine will burn roughly 30 to 70 calories each walk." And as long as you're burning more calories than you're eating, you'll lose about 11 pounds in a year.
#9 Anchorage: Dodge Diabetes
Anchorage winters are dark and cold-if you stop moving, you start freezing. Perhaps that's why men there have such a low rate of diabetes. "Sixty-two percent of Alaskan men get at least the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day. If you're not running, you're probably mountain climbing," says John Riley, PA-C, M.S., a health sciences instructor at the University of Alaska at Anchorage.
#6 Fargo: Beat The Blues
Despite the crazies in the Coen brothers' film, Fargo is surprisingly sane-the city ranks first in mental health. Still, depression can and does creep into the populace. Part of the problem is a seasonal dip in sunlight that can leave people in the northern reaches of the nation low on vitamin D. Canadian researchers have found that 600 IU of vitamin D a day may help alleviate winter depression.
Overall Top 5 Best Cities
1. Raleigh, NC
2. San Jose, CA
3. Madison, WI
4. Boise, ID
5. Salt Lake City, UT
Overall Top 5 Worst Cities
5. Birmingham, AL
4. Detroit, MI
3. Cleveland, OH
2. Charleston, WVA
1. Toledo, Oh
Recent Comments
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6 comments
Moonfeet000 06:04:09 AM Aug 11 2008
I agree that this article is just more AOL bs. Every week there's a new survey of "best place for something" What a load of crap. Hey Missy...how does Fargo import "a lot of people from other countries"...? Do they have a special bus service from these countries?
Mcwadedfx 03:48:54 AM Aug 11 2008
Yeah, that recommendation to drink 2 cups of milk per day was absolutely absurd. Of course, Wisconsin is trying to expand its market for dairy products. I noticed the same positive news/feature coverage for milk in Vermont when reading their newspaper.
Zaiuspacific 03:25:44 AM Aug 11 2008
Speak for yourself- I've been all over the country as well, and the world too, and I think Salt Lake is set in one of the most stunningly beautiful settings of any city in the US. It wasn't anything like I expected. Boise is a charming little city, it has a good vibe, and Idaho is also very beautiful. When you are surrounded by beauty and nature, it probably makes you more motivated to recreate, which makes you healthier, and thus makes the city itself a healthier place to live.
jimw198177 12:35:14 AM Aug 11 2008
You have to be kidding me! Boise and Salt Lake are two of the worst cities I've ever been to in my life and I have been all over the country Idaho is worthless, outside of potatoes, Boise is full of meth and heroin addicts. What about the Pacific Northwest, much healthier place to live than anywhere else on the list. Montana is a nice place to live also, I have to agree with the other gentleman, Fargo sucks.
Missy So Hot 08:33:16 PM Aug 10 2008
Well, you think that Fargo is good for mental health? There are more drunks in Fargo. DUI arrests are high. The city is filthy. They are importing a lot of people from other countries and the crime rate per capita for those people is very high. They banned smoking in bars, so now the people from the bars are pouring out on the street to smoke, so you can't walk down the street without having to take in the toxic smoke. People are rather rude, if you are trying to walk or bike, they don't allow you the right away, that is yours. When you are walking with a walk light and almost get run over by the person, who couldn't give a darn about anyone but the person that they are on the cell phone, yapping away with or the cigarette in their hand. Don't go to Fargo, the people are rude and they are fouling the air.
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6 comments
