Top US Fitness-Friendly Cities Announced Amidst Wellness Renaissance
Updated on
- Written by Stacey Rowan Woensdregt, Journalist, Former Writer
Health, wellness, and fitness priorities of US citizens have shifted significantly during COVID-19 as seen by the latest release of SmartAsset’s top 10 fitness-friendly cities. Now, and looking ahead to 2022, a new focus on health, fitness, and wellness has taken priority among the US population. With this, the subsequent emergence of a ‘Wellness Renaissance’.
Top 10 Fitness-Friendly Cities Within The US
Findings from SmartAsset’s recent 8th annual study revealed the top 10 fitness-friendly cities.
- Missoula, MT
- Bend, OR
- La Crosse-Onalaska WI-MN
- Corvallis, OR
- Ithaca, NY
- Boulder, CO
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Fort Collins, CO
- Erie, PA
The study compared 284 metro areas within the US. Metrics were based on fitness professionals; residents who bike or walk to work, fitness venues, percentage of fast-food restaurants, and personal trainers wages.
These findings reveal significant changes within the US population and its regions, with cities now geared towards fitness. Apart from the top 10 fitness-friendly cities, other states, towns, and regions within the country are seeing a national shift in how citizens feel about fitness, health, and wellness.
Now, thanks to the impact of Covid-19 and its negative effects on global health and wellness, US citizens are focusing on health and wellness priorities like never before.
The Emergency Of A Wellness Renaissance
A recent report published by Thorne HealthTech sees the key findings of a survey study conducted by Edelman Data and Intelligence. Within the report, CEO Paul Jacobson of Thorne explains that US consumers are now seeking personalized solutions and tools to assist them in prioritizing their fitness, health, and wellbeing.
Key Findings Of The Health & Wellness Study
While the study provides a thorough overview of this national shift towards health, the following poignant findings relate to fitness and exercise:
- 89% of US adults have tried to improve their health within the past 12 months
- US Adults are now prioritizing physical health and nutrition
- 58% of US adults are concerned about becoming sick with 42% of adults feeling less optimistic, uncertain, and overwhelmed about their health
- 62% of adults in the US are embracing health tools to assist them in reaching their new health goals, with interest now seen in using general supplements and dietary supplements
- US women are more interested in personalized options to assist them in reaching their new health, fitness, and wellness goals
- Individuals are now reimaging what fitness, wellness, and health means to them, with new approaches sought out to
- Over the next 6 months, health and wellness goals include losing weight and exercising more
- Efforts to improve physical health, for most individuals, still revolve around eating and exercise, however only a third of US adults feel exercise habits are highly effective with new fitness approaches
- Over the next six months, exercise on a regular basis will be prioritized as well as health resources
- Stress level improvement efforts over the last 12 months are mainly due to exercise
US Fitness Equipment Market And Fitness App Developers Jump On The Wellness Renaissance Bandwagon
Thorne’s study findings along with multiple news sites that publish fitness news, trend announcements, resources, tips, and information, clearly show a move into a Wellness Renaissance. Providing further proof of the shift is the recent boom in the US fitness equipment market as well as technological apps.
According to the Digital Journal, the Fitness Software Market is experiencing huge growth and will continue to until 2026. This exponential growth is due to the increasing use of mobile applications across the US, the steep demand for wearable fitness devices, and the rising adoption of sports and fitness apps for monitoring activities.
Along with this, new apps to assist in fitness habit creation and routine monitoring have bombarded the local fitness, wellness, and health scene. A recent article published on USA Today reports new apps which help individuals maintain their fitness routines. Another article reports on new technology products hitting the marketing.
With everyone from US citizens to app developers, fitness professionals, and researchers on board the Wellness Renaissance train, it is expected that 2022 will see an even greater focus on fitness, health, and wellness among the US population.
The top 10 fitness-friendly cities have set a benchmark for all other US cities. It is hoped that by the end of 2022, more cities will be added to the list making it the top 100.
