Arlington, Virginia, tops the list of the most fit and healthy US cities

1. Arlington, Virginia

2. Seattle, Washington

3. Minneapolis, Minnesota

4. San Francisco, California

5. Madison, Wisconsin

6. Washington, D.C.

7. St. Paul, Minnesota

8. Irvine, California

9. Denver, Colorado

10. Portland, Oregon

Residents in Arlington reported the most physical activity, with 92% exercise in the previous month and a third meeting with US guidelines for aerobics and muscle activity, the report said.

"Arlington has benched it," said Ainsworth. "There is also a small proportion of smokers, diabetes or heart disease. More people use public transit and Arlington has excellent facilities for physical activity: bike paths and walking trails. "

It was the opposite scenario for the cities at the bottom of the list.

The 10 least well-suited American cities are:

90. Wichita, Kansas

91. Corpus Christi, Texas

92. Arlington, Texas

93. Detroit, Michigan

94. Bakersfield, California

95. Louisville, Kentucky

96. Indianapolis, Indiana

97. Toledo, Ohio

98. Tulsa, Oklahoma

99. North Las Vegas, Nevada

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City has higher smoking levels, higher levels of obesity and more people suffering from high blood pressure, Ainsworth said. She noted that the metropolitan area had "worked diligently" to create a plan to improve its infrastructure for physical activity and air quality, but that these changes were time consuming.

Pedestrian safety, which can affect the frequency with which people walk or cycle, was part of this year's report for the first time. The number of people killed by cars while walking has increased by 35% over the last decade, the authors noted.

St. Louis, Missouri, had the worst score in this category, but nearly half of the top 10 deadliest pedestrian cities were in Florida: Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and St. Petersburg.

Ainsworth urged municipal leaders to mobilize and take "bold and decisive steps" to create places where people can walk and cycle safely. But she also had this advice to residents:

"Everyone can be active because all cities have places where people can be safe," she said. "Move, eat well, go outside and try to be active every day."

See where your city is in the 12th Annual American Fitness Index.