Lexington is most sedentary city in U.S., Men's Health says

Lexington has been ranked as the most sedentary city in the country by Men's Health magazine. Or, to put it more bluntly, the laziest.

"What hurt Lexington most was the actual amount of activity, or exercise, people reported engaging in — any physical activity at all, which was relatively low. And they did have higher rates of deaths from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) as well," said Matt Marion, deputy editor of the magazine.

The rankings were compiled by looking at "how often residents exercise, the number of households that watched 15 hours of cable television a week and bought more than 11 video games a year, and the rate of DVT [deep vein thrombosis], a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg, which is associated with inactivity," writes Patricia Reaney of Reuters.

Indianapolis and Jackson, Miss., also ranked very low, while Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., were high. Southern cities ranked among the lowest on the list, which Marion said is in part due to their warm weather and lifestyle. "In certain cities there is a more laid-back lifestyle," he said. "That's fine, but there is not that same drive you'll see in certain parts of the northeast or California, or the northwest where people get up every morning and run or hit the gym."

The latest issue of Men's Health, with the rankings, hits newsstands Tuesday. (Read more)