Four Arizona communities rank in top 100 for exercise

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A new poll of 189 communities throughout the country looks at how often its population exercies regularly, with four Arizona communites ranking in the top 100.

The Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index released its 2016 Community Rankings for Exercise, where it gauged the number of people who exercise at least 30 minutes a day, three days a week. Prescott ranked highest out of all Arizona cities at 27, followed by Tucson at 32. Lower on the list is the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area at 84 and the Lake Havasu City-Kingman area at 91. Center for the Future of Arizona CEO Lattie Coor believes these numbers reflect well on Arizona, but there is room for improvement.

>> Ted Simons: A NEW SURVEY RELEASED BY
GALLUP AND SHARE-CARE, A HEALTH
AND WELLNESS ENGAGEMENT
PLATFORM, LOOKS AT EXERCISE
RATES AROUND THE COUNTRY. THE
CENTER FOR THE FUTURE OF ARIZONA
IS TAKING THE NUMBERS AND
LOOKING AT WAYS FOR CIVIC ACTION
TO HELP STATE RESIDENTS GET
HEALTHIER AND GET IN BETTER
SHAPE.
JOINING US NOW IS LATTIE COOR,
CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF THE CENTER
FOR THE FUTURE OF ARIZONA.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> Lattie Coor: GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
I STARTED TO BRING MY RUNNING
SHORTS TONIGHT.
>> Ted SimonsWELL, WE WILL GET YOU
OUT OF HERE QUICKLY SO YOU CAN
GET BACK TO EXERCISE.
THIS IS A LOOK AT HOW OFTEN
PEOPLE EXERCISE.
>> Lattie Coor: IT IS INDEED.
IT IS PART OF A LARGER PICTURE
OF WELLBEING IN COMMUNITIES.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
GALLOP ORGANIZATION FOR SEVERAL
YEARS NOW KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT
AND WE RELEASE INFORMATION ABOUT
TWICE A MONTH ON ASPECTS OF
WHERE WE ARE.
THE LARGER WELLBEING MEASURES
ARE NOT ONLY PHYSICAL HEALTH,
WHERE THE EXERCISE PIECE IS, BUT
ECONOMIC HEALTH AND HOW PEOPLE
ARE FEELING ABOUT WHETHER THEY
ARE OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC.
IT IS AN INTERESTING WAY OF
PULLING IT TOGETHER.
THIS PARTICULAR PIECE OF WORK
SAID HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE
EXERCISING AT LEAST 30 MINUTES A
DAY THREE DAYS A WEEK AND GUESS
WHAT?
WE HAVE TWO IN THE TOP 100.
>> Ted Simons: YES, WE DO.
LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE EVEN MORE.
>> Lattie Coor: THAT IS RIGHT.
PRESCOTT IS AT 27 IN THE NATION.
TUCSON IS 32ND IN THE NATION.
AND THE
PHOENIX-MESA-SCOTTSDALE -- IT
ISN'T THE ENTIRE METROPOLITAN
AREA IS 84.
AND LAKE HAVASU AND KINGMAN ARE
91ST.
THERE IS A FAIRLY NARROW RANGE
IN WHICH THAT IS TAKEN.
THEIR PERCENTAGES RUN FROM 57.5
PERCENT IN PRESCOTT ARE DOING IT
TO 53.4 PERCENT IN LAKE HAVASU.
BOLDER IS THE HIGHEST IN THE
NATION AT 69.5 PERCENT.
AND THE LOWEST IS A COMMUNITY IN
NORTH CAROLINA THAT IS IN ABOUT
THE 40%.
WE ARE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE.
>> Ted SimonsTHE CENTER OF THE FUTURE OF
ARIZONA, WHEN YOU SEE THIS AND
YOU THINK OF THE FUTURE OF
ARIZONA, WHAT DO YOU -- WHERE DO
WE GO WITH THESE NUMBERS?
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE DONE
WITH THESE NUMBERS?
>> Lattie Coor: THERE ARE THREE THINGS WE
FOCUS ON OURSELVES.
FIRST THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
EXERCISE.
OUTDOOR EXERCISE TO BEGIN WITH.
TRAILS, OPEN SPACES, ACCESS FROM
INNER CITIES TO AREAS THAT ARE
AROUND.
SECONDLY, THE EXTENT THAT WHICH
PEOPLE ARE SERIOUSLY PURSUING
SOMETHING THAT IS VALUABLE FOR
PHYSICAL HEALTH TO MAKE SURE AND
SEE HOW THAT HAPPENS.
AND THIRD TO BEGIN THINKING
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE
AS WE GROW.
SO TO START WITH THE LAST ONE
FIRST.
ESTIMATES THAT ABOUT 20-40.
I KNOW IT SEEMS A LONG WAY AWAY.
BUT IT ISN'T.
THE METROPOLITAN AREA WILL BE
ABOUT 7 MILLION PEOPLE.
SO THE ISSUE THAT A NUMBER OF
ORGANIZATIONS WORK WITH, ONE OF
THE MOST EFFECTIVE IN MY VIEW,
IS A NEW KIND OF CENTER FOR THE
ALLIANCE FOR CONSERVATION.
WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION.
THIS IS TO SEE HOW ALL THESE
AREAS ARE FITTING TOGETHER.
WE ARE -- WE HAVE THE LARGEST
CITY PARK IN AMERICA.
SOUTH MOUNTAIN.
WE HAVE MARICOPA COUNTY HAS THE
LARGEST AREA OF PARKS.
THERE ARE 2,000 MILES OF
DESIGNATED TRAILS IN THE STATE.
SO WE WATCH ALL OF THAT AND SAY
HOW CAN WE HELP PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND HOW VALUABLE IT IS TO
USE THOSE FOR THINGS?
>> Ted Simons: CREATING LIVABLE, WALKABLE,
BIKEABLE SPACES AND MAKING SURE
THE PLACES THAT EXIST RIGHT NOW
ARE SAFE, PUBLIC PLACES TO MOVE
AROUND.
I MEAN EXERCISE AND JUST TO MOVE
AROUND.
>> Lattie Coor: THAT IS RIGHT.
THAT IS WHERE ALSO BICYCLE LANES
COME INTO PLAY.
ACCESS NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE
TO AT LEAST AN OUTDOOR SPACE
WHERE YOU CAN DO THE EXERCISING
IS A KEY PART OF IT.
>> Ted Simons: SAW THAT HISPANICS WITH
HIGHER EXERCISE RATES NATIONALLY
FOLLOWED BY ASIANS, WHITES AND
BLACKS.
MEN EXERCISE MORE THAN WOMEN.
EXERCISE RATES FALL AS PEOPLE
AGE.
SOMEWHAT UNDERSTANDABLE BUT IN
ARIZONA --
>> Lattie Coor: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE.
>> Ted Simons I BET YOU THAT IS NOT
NECESSARILY THE CASE IN ARIZONA.
AND EXERCISE INCREASES WITH
INCOME.
INTERESTING RESULTS.
>> Lattie Coor: I THINK WHEN PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND AND INCOME HELPS THEM
DO THAT FRESH VEGETABLES, FRUIT,
EATING HABITS COMBINED WITH
EXERCISE MAKES YOU A MUCH
HEALTHIER PERSON.
I THINK THOSE THINGS THAT JUST
FOLLOW WITH THAT.
>> Ted Simons: IF I AM A MAYOR, I AM A STATE
LAWMAKERS, YOU COME TO ME WITH
THESE NUMBERS WHAT ARE YOU
TELLING ME?
>> Lattie Coor: YOU HAVE A VERY GREAT
OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY TO IMPROVE
THE IMAGE OF YOUR COMMUNITY, OF
HOW WELL PEOPLE LIVE, HOW THEY
LIKE WHERE THEY LIVE, BUT TO
MAKE THEM HEALTHIER, MAKE THEM
HAPPIER AND DRAW THE ELEMENTS OF
THE SOCIETY PARTICULARLY YOUNGER
PEOPLE THAT YOU LIKE TO BRING
INTO THE COMMUNITY.
I THINK WE SEE CITIES DOING
THAT.
TEMPE, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS GREATLY
EXPANDED ITS WAY OF DEALING.
PHOENIX IS DOING, I THINK, A
VERY GOOD JOB NOW WITH BICYCLE
LANES AND WAYS THAT THEY CAN GET
OUT IN THE AREA.
>> Ted Simons: IN A PLACE LIKE THE VALLEY
WHERE IT SO CAR CENTRIC EVEN NOW
THERE HAS TO BE A DYNAMIC THERE
AND YOU HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER
>> Lattie Coor: THEY ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.
>> Ted Simons: GOOD STUFF HERE.
WE WILL LET YOU GET BACK TO YOUR
EXERCISING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US
AND RELATING THE NUMBERS TO US.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> Lattie Coor: ALWAYS A PLEASURE.

Lattie Coor: CEO, Center for the Future of Arizona

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