Four Colorado cities win ‘TIME’ fitness award

Often the culture of a city can determine the leisure activities most commonly spent for recreation. In Nevada, dining at hotel buffets is second nature for Nevadans, while watching Broadway musicals is a weekend tradition for some New Yorkers. Coloradoans have our own fetish—fitness.

As proof of Colorado's penchant for nature, four of Colorado's major cities placed in TIME's Top 15 Fittest Cities of the United States list last February. The nationwide scale was based on census and official 2007-2009 data, collected through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System measuring idleness, as part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's research.

Boulder is officially the fittest city in the United States, with Arvada placing sixth and Denver and Aurora in the 11th and 15th spots, respectively.

"I would say the weather, along with our proximity to fantastic outdoor activities are reasons behind the large percentage of the active population," said Jeff Uszacki, associate director of the Health Center at Auraria. "Denver, Boulder, Arvada, and Aurora also have extensive park systems, which makes it easy for people to exercise."

Besides accessibility, a constant reminder for Denverites to spend time in the outdoors is the REI flagship store on I-25 serving as a mental note for Denverites to climb its Pinnacle wall during weekends.

Another feature of Denver, is the Western Alternative Sports Association, founded for those who enjoy childhood fun and games or sports such as: dodgeball, flag football, and their signature co-ed kickball. Each league is designed purely for recreation and socialization, with sports team members of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities.

As for Boulder reaching the top spot as the fittest city of the decade Paul South, a natural running coach for the Newton Running Lab in downtown Boulder, has a few additional reasons besides the close proximity of Colorado's fittest city to the Rocky Mountains.

"Demographically, Boulder County has a younger and more educated population who are more health conscious compared to other places," South said. South estimated an average of a dozen runners come to train with the Newton Running Lab at 10 a.m. every Saturday.

"Boulder has a lot of open space, good bike trails, and running trails. These areas are good for distance runners, cyclists, and elite athletes who come here to train," South said. "It's almost a culture here to be with nature. This quality just rubs off well with the rest of the population."

With these many resources, Colorado is a hot-zone for everything active, from kickball and indoor rock climbing to walking and camping. It's really not too surprising to see four of Colorado's cities on TIME's fittest list because Colorado preserves the culture of being active. As Paul South said, being with nature just "rubs off well" because the environment and opportunities encourage Coloradans to go out and play.